Pro Bono Ontario to shut down help centres

Closing of legal offices will make justice more difficult, lawyers say

The pending closures of courthouse-based centres that help unrepresented individuals navigate civil and small claims court will make access to justice even more difficult in Ontario, lawyers say.

The three centres, run by registered charity Pro Bono Ontario, are located at two courthouses in Toronto and one in Ottawa where lawyers volunteer their time to assist people with everything from filling out court forms to providing advice on the potential success of a claim.

Pro Bono Ontario has said the centres will be closing in December due to lack of funding to cover costs, such as paying rent and administrative staff.

The charity has been able to keep them open so far by using its core funding, provided by the Law Foundation of Ontario, which is in turn primarily funded by the interest on lawyers’ mixed-trust accounts.

As demand has grown exponentially for the centres’ services — Pro Bono says they serve nearly 18,000 people a year — the charity says so has its need for financial assistance.

It recently asked the provincial government for $500,000 to keep the centres open for the next year.

The request was denied, as it was under the previous Liberal government.

“We’ve had usually generous funding from the Law Foundation and they’ve helped us with some bridge financing as we got into this tight spot, but the Law Foundation has a very broad constituency and they can’t be expected to support law help centres because there are other people who need the money as well,” said David Scott, chair emeritus of Pro Bono Ontario.

“Our position is that it’s the responsibility of the provincial government (to provide funding), more specifically the attorney general, because the attorney general is responsible for access to justice in the province and, for the moment, the attorney general does not agree.”

A ministry spokesperson said Attorney General Caroline Mulroney recognizes the importance of pro bono services and wants to preserve access to justice, adding the government provides Pro Bono Ontario rent-free space worth $580,000 at courthouses in Toronto and Ottawa and is prepared to continue with that arrangement.

“The attorney general and officials from the ministry have met with Pro Bono Ontario three times since July of this year to encourage Pro Bono Ontario to work with its private sector partners, Legal Aid Ontario, the Law Foundation of Ontario and the Law Society of Ontario, to find solutions to its long-term funding issues,” said ministry spokesperson Philip Klassen.

“To have this disappear would be a significant detriment to justice in Ontario,” said lawyer Erin Pleet, who has also volunteered in a centre.