Other resources

Useful Links

Looking for more legal information?


If duty counsel is unable to help you with your legal issue, Legal Aid Ontario may still be able to provide you access to legal help through the links below.

If you come across a link that is either out-of-date or otherwise broken please contact the LAO web team. Please note that Legal Aid Ontario is not responsible for the content on external website.

Click on the titles below to expand the list of links for that heading. Links are listed alphabetically by group.


» Aboriginal services
« Aboriginal services

» Canadian legal aid organizations
« Canadian legal aid organizations

» Community legal clinics
« Community legal clinics

  • Aboriginal Legal Services of Toronto
    Aboriginal Legal Services of Toronto (ALST) supports and advocates for the Aboriginal community and its members of Toronto to gain control over the legal and justice issues that affect them.

  • Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario (ACTO)
    The Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario (ACTO) works to better the housing situation of Ontario residents who have low incomes including tenants, co-op members and people who are homeless.

    ACTO works with legal clinics, tenant associations and other groups and individuals concerned about housing issues.

  • Advocacy Centre for the Elderly (ACE)
    The Advocacy Centre for the Elderly (ACE) is a community based legal clinic for low-income senior citizens. ACE provides direct legal services to low-income seniors, public legal education, and engages in law reform activities. ACE services and activities are in relation to areas of law of special importance to the seniors' population.

  • ARCH - Disability Law Centre
    A Legal Resource Centre for Persons with Disabilities is a community-based not-for-profit legal clinic and legal resource centre in the Province of Ontario dedicated to defending and advancing the equality-rights of persons with disabilities.

  • Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA)
    The Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA) is a non-profit, public interest organization established in 1970 to use existing laws to protect the environment and to advocate environmental law reforms. It is also a free legal advisory clinic for the public, and will act at hearings and in courts on behalf of citizens or citizens' groups who are otherwise unable to afford legal assistance.

  • Chatham-Kent Legal Clinic
    The Chatham-Kent Legal Clinic offers a variety of legal services to low income residents of Chatham-Kent.

  • Clinique juridique Grand-Nord Legal
    Provides legal advice, assistance and representation in English and French to all communities between Cochrane and Hornepayne, in Northern Ontario.

  • Clinique juridique populaire de Prescott et Russell
    Since 1984, the Legal Clinic offers free legal and paralegal services to the population of the united Countires of Prescott and Russell.

  • Community Advocacy & Legal Centre (CALC)
    Serves low income residents of Hastings, Prince Edward and Lennox & Addington counties. Main office is in Belleville; satellite locations in Trenton, Picton, Napanee, Bancroft and Madoc.

    Community Legal Clinic - Simcoe, Haliburton, Kawartha Lakes
    Promoting access to legal services and improving the legal well-being of the community. Located in the following communities: Alliston, Barrie, Bradford, Christian Island, Collingwood, Haliburton, Lindsay, Midland, Minden and Orillia.

  • Community Legal Clinic of York Region
    The Community Legal Clinic of York Region helps people with housing issues for tenants, Ontario Works, Ontario Disability Support Program, and Employment Insurance matters.

  • Durham Community Legal Clinic
    The Durham Community Legal Clinic offers a variety of legal services to low income residents of Durham Region. Their services include legal advice, legal representation, public legal education, advocacy training and community organizing.

  • Elgin-Oxford Legal Clinic
    The Elgin-Oxford Legal Clinic offers services including traditional casework, summary advice, public legal education, law reform, and a wide range of community development activities.

  • Flemingdon Community Legal Services
    The Flemingdon Community Legal Services provides free legal assistance to low income people. They also provide public legal education, legal information, community development work and advocacy activities.

  • Grey-Bruce Community Legal Clinic
    The Grey-Bruce Community Legal Clinic is a law office which provides free legal information, advice and representation, as well as other services, to low income residents of Grey and Bruce Counties.

  • Legal Clinic of Guelph and Wellington County
    The Legal Clinic of Guelph and Wellington County provides free legal advice to low-income people in Guelph and Wellington County. The purpose of the Legal Clinic of Guelph and Wellington County is to effect social change through advocacy, education, empowerment or legal representation in the areas of poverty law.

  • Hamilton Community Legal Clinic
    The Hamilton Community Legal Clinic is a non-profit community legal clinic serving low income residents of Hamilton. In addition, to providing 'traditional' poverty law services including legal advice and referrals and legal representation, the Clinic is involved in public legal education, community development and law reform.

  • HIV and AIDS Legal Clinic Ontario (HALCO)
    HALCO is a not-for-profit, community-based legal clinic serving low income People with HIV and AIDS (PHA's) in Ontario.

  • Income Security Advocacy Centre (ISAC)
    The Income Security Advocacy Centre works with and on behalf of low income communities in Ontario to address issues of income security and poverty. The Centre initiates and conducts test case and Charter litigation, law reform and community development related to federal and provincial income security programs such as Ontario Works, the Ontario Disability Support Program, Employment Insurance and the Canada Pension Plan.

  • Jane Finch Community Legal Services
    The Jane Finch Community Legal Services provides high quality legal services to the Jane Finch community. The Clinic provides free services in the areas of law that most affect low income individuals.

  • Justice for Children and Youth (JFCY)
    Justice for Children and Youth provides legal representation to low-income children and youth in Toronto and vicinity.

  • Keewaytinok Native Legal Services
    Keewaytinok Native Legal Services is a community legal clinic that provides free services to low income people and their organizations in the James and Hudson Bay areas of Northeastern Ontario.

  • Landlord's Self -Help Centre
    Landlord's Self Help Centre is an incorporated non-profit organization that provides information, assistance and educational programs to Ontario's small scale landlords free of charge.

  • Lanark, Leeds and Grenville Legal Clinic
    We provide free legal services to low income people and their organizations in the counties of Lanark, Leeds & Grenville in eastern Ontario.

  • Niagara North Community Legal Assistance
    General legal information or summary advice is available to all. Advocacy, advice, and representation are available to those who do not qualify for a Legal Aid certificate and who are not able to afford the services of a lawyer.

  • Northwest Community Legal Clinc (NCLC)
    The Northwest Community Legal Clinic services the Rainy River and Kenora Districts through three offices located in Fort Frances, Kenora and Atikokan, and monthly sub-offices in Red Lake and Ear Falls.

  • Ottawa Legal Aid Service
    There are four Community Legal Clinics and the University of Ottawa Community Legal Clinic serving the low income residents living in the amalgamated City of Ottawa.

  • Parkdale Community Legal Services
    Parkdale provides legal advice, assistance and representation to low income residents living in the Parkdale area.

  • Renfrew County Legal Clinic
    Renfrew County Legal Clinic is an independent not-for-profit corporation run by a board of directors made up of people who work or live in Renfrew County. The Clinic provides free legal services to residents of Renfrew County who face economic limitations.

  • Rexdale Community Legal Clinic
    The Rexdale Community Legal Clinic provides legal services to the low income community of Northern Etobicoke, carried out by lawyers and community legal workers, including activities which encourage access to justice by our community.

  • South Etobicoke Community Legal Services
    South Etobicoke Community Legal Services helps low-income people in the south-west part of the City of Toronto to defend their right to housing, their right to adequate income and their rights under The Immigration and Refugee Protection Act. They work with community members and others to educate and organize disadvantaged people and help them make their voices heard in the development of laws and policies.

  • South Ottawa Community Legal Services
    Staff and board members of Ottawa's community legal clinics are committed to pursuing systemic change, providing information and education and protecting the legal rights of low-income members of the community to improve the quality of their lives and their communities.

  • West End Legal Services of Ottawa
    We provide referrals, legal advice, representation, Tenant Duty Counsel services, and public legal education and community outreach services. We work with individuals, community groups and service providers to educate people of their legal rights and ensure access to justice for all people.

  • Waterloo Region Community Legal Services (WRCLS)
    Provides numerous legal services to residents in the Kitchener, Waterloo and Cambridge area.

  • Your Legal Rights
    A project of CLEO, Your Legal Rights is a web site of legal information for people in Ontario. This site has free, practical, and easy-to-find legal information produced by hundreds of organizations across Ontario.

» Criminal law services
« Criminal law services

Understanding the law:


Statutes and regulations:


Government:

» Domestic Violence
« Domestic Violence

» Family law services
« Family law services

Child and spousal support:


Family law


Government:


Separation and divorce:


Services for children:

» Finding a lawyer
« Finding a lawyer

  • Finding a Lawyer or Paralegal
    Information and links from the Law Society of Upper Canada

  • Justice Net
    Justice Net is a not-for-profit access to justice program that helps clients who do not qualify for legal aid, and whose net family income is below $59,000, to find lawyers willing to accept cases on a reduced fee basis.

  • Law Society Referral Service (LSRS)
    The LSRS provides the name of a lawyer or licensed paralegal who will give you a free consultation of up to 30 minutes to help you determine your rights and options.

  • Ontario Justice Education Network (OJEN)
    Dedicated to promoting understanding, education, and dialogue to support a responsive and inclusive justice system.

  • Volunteer Lawyers Service (VLS)
    Offers free legal support, through volunteer lawyers, to eligible charitable and non-profit organizations in Ontario that otherwise could not afford the services of a lawyer.

» Housing (Landlord/Tenant)
« Housing (Landlord/Tenant)

Tenant resources

  • The Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario (ACTO)
    Defends Ontario’s low-income renters, co-op members and the homeless. Much of ACTO’s advocacy involves test-case litigation, lobbying the government and developing housing policy.

  • The Federation of Metro Tenants' Associations (FMTA)
    Runs a hotline for tenant issues. They also publish information brochures, including the Tenant Survival Manual, and have a tenant outreach program.

  • Human Rights Legal Support
    The Human Rights Legal Support Centre offers free legal services to people throughout Ontario who believe their human rights under the Code have been violated and who want to file an application to the Tribunal. The Centre’s services range from legal advice and assistance in filing an application, to representation at mediations and hearings before the Tribunal.

  • Your Legal Rights: Housing Law
    Read about eviction, rental agreements, maintenance and more. From Your Legal Rights.


Resources for tenants and landlords

  • Canada Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)
    Ensures availability, accessibility and choice of housing funding to Canadians. The key Canadian source of reliable and objective housing information.

  • Landlord and Tenant Board
    Resolves disputes between landlords and tenants and provides information about the The Residential Tenancies Act and rights and obligations under the Act. Requests can be made to review an order under certain conditions.

  • Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC)
    The Commission is an agency established to administer Ontario's Human Rights Code, which protects people against discrimination in employment, accomodation, goods, services and and facilities, and membership in vocational association and trade unions.

» Human rights
« Human rights

  • Human Rights Legal Support Centre
    The Human Rights Legal Support Centre offers free legal services to people throughout Ontario who believe their human rights under the Code have been violated and who want to file an application to the Tribunal. The Centre’s services range from legal advice and assistance in filing an application, to representation at mediations and hearings before the Tribunal.

  • Human Rights Triunal of Ontario
    This web site is your gateway to the HRTO application process. On these pages you will find How To File An Application or a Response using the online SmartForms.

» Immigration and refugee law
« Immigration and refugee law

Government services


Settling in Ontario

  • Settlement.org
    Information and answers on settling in Ontario

  • In My Language
    Information in 11 languages for newcomers to Ontario. Find out about immigration, housing, work, healthcare, educations, legal matters and more.

  • Government of Ontario - newcomers
    Provides information and resources needed to settle into life in Ontario.


Career development

» Mental health
« Mental health

» Power of Attorney / Wills and Estates
« Power of Attorney / Wills and Estates

Power of Attorney


Wills and estates

» Social services
« Social services

  • 211 Ontario
    Connect to information about community, social, health and related government services.

  • Service Ontario
    Offers a single window access to a wide range of information, services and resources offered by the government of Ontario.

  • Your Legal Rights
    A project of CLEO, Your Legal Rights is a web site of legal information for people in Ontario. This site has free, practical, and easy-to-find legal information produced by hundreds of organizations across Ontario.


Children and youth

  • Canada child and family benefits
    Offers information about financial support programs for children and families such as the Canada Child Tax Benefit, and Universal Child Care Benefit

  • Child protection standards in Ontario
    The purpose of the Child Protection Standards in Ontario (dated February 2007) is to promote consistently high quality service delivery to children, youth and their families receiving child protection services from Children’s Aid Societies across the province.

  • Ministry of Children and Youth Services
    Makes it easier for families to find and access the services they need to give kids the best start in life at all stages of a child's development and to help youth become productive adults.

  • Ontario Child Benefit
    Ontario Child Benefit is a monthly benefit paid to low income families with children under the age of 18.

  • Ontario Child Care Supplement for Working Families
    This program gives eligible working families tax-free money every month to help with child care costs. To qualify, children must be under the age of seven.

  • Ontario Child Welfare Eligibility Spectrum
    The Ontario Child Welfare Eligibility Spectrum is a field-developed, eligibility tool for child welfare in Ontario.

  • Ontario Student Assistance Program (OSAP)
    OSAP provides eligible Ontario students with financial assistance to help pay for tuition, books, mandatory fees, living costs and transportation.


Financial/employment assistance

  • Canada Benefits
    Connects people to a range of federal benefits such as Employment Insurance (EI), education and training, housing, health, business.

  • Employment Ontario
    Ontario’s employment and training network with services for apprenticeships, job seekers, employers, and employees.

  • Ontario Works (OW)
    Ontario Works can provide people in temporary financial need with money to cover the costs of basic needs and with help for prepare for and find a job. They may also be able to provide health benefits, including drug and dental coverage, and additional benefits.

  • Service Canada
    Offers access to a wide range of Canadian government programs and services.

  • Social Benefits Tribunal
    Hears appeals about social assistance decisions that people receive under the Ontario Works Act, 1997 and the Ontario Disability Support Program Act, 1997.


Health


Seniors

  • Advocacy Centre for the Elderly (ACE)
    ACE provides direct legal services to low-income seniors, public legal education, and engages in law reform activities.

  • Ontario Senior's Secretariat
    The Ontario Seniors’ Secretariat works to improve the quality of life for Ontario’s seniors.

  • Seniors Canada
    A comprehensive website for seniors-related information in Canada, including information on elder care.

» Victims of crime
« Victims of crime

» Youth criminal law
« Youth criminal law

» Lawyer resources
« Lawyer resources

Acts

» Government ministries and agencies
« Government ministries and agencies