When Saint - Jacques Valery arrived in Ottawa court a recent morning, her choice. Her 57-year-old mother was charged, but can not afford a lawyer.
St. - Jacques, who lived in Val-des-Mon ts, but do a lot of no avail and the final call for advice. "They say," You do not call the right place, "and then hung up the phone," she said. Because her mother was indicted in Ontario, a friend suggested that she seek help at Elgin Street Court.
The public counter in the court, the command staff of the Saint - Jacques cramped, the fifth floor of the office of legal help Ontario, the complexity of the legal system help the parties to l awyerless navigation, over the past two years.
The office is an active the the free legal Ontario (PBLO), established in 2001 the charities to help low-income people can not afford a lawyer, civil legal problems. Since 2007, PBLO operation of two similar centers in Toronto in June 2010 to expand to Ottawa.
Last year, Ottawa Centre helped over 1,638 people and has served nearly 1,100 more by September this year. (Toronto Centre offers nearly 11,000 customers last year.)
Voluntary service more than 100 Ottawa lawyer hire an expensive lawyer provided free of charge to the growing ranks of Civil Procedure the views of the parties, for them, is not an option.
Large law firm in Ottawa, a lawyer practicing alone and - because of the spring - the Ministry of Justice lawyers involved, Yonit Foreman said, PBLO deputy director. The young participants lawyer senior partners in large companies.
The civil service is limited to non-family parties, unlike those in the family court or criminal court, they are not eligible to apply for legal aid. Its target revenue, from $ 36,000 per year for a single-person households nearly $ 74,000, a family of four.
Ottawa center provides a wide range of pure language guides civil law procedures - on its website, LawHelpOntario.org - as well as with a computer kiosk software can automatically fill in the answers to the questionnaire based on the complex legal form. "This will actually spit out in the form of the court for the right format, it will indicate the next step how to do it," Foreman said.
The center also has begun to provide advice, people outside of the Greater Toronto Area, Ontario. They can call the 1-800 number listed on the website, and will receive a call back from volunteer lawyers.
Foreman said, the center of most of the customers know a little bit about the law. "Our people, they will be a form of work, they will say, 'What is the defendant?" We would say,' you are the defendant. '
, "Foreman said:" We are not lawyers, but we are here to provide guidance so that they can really through the system itself.
Before she went to the court, Saint - Jacques never heard of legal help Ontario. But after a 30-minute consultation and Emily Robichaud, Canada Post lawyer, her service volunteer days, she could not been happier.
"I never had the court, so I do not know where to go, what to do, says:" Saint - Jacques. "Therefore, the lady helped me really appreciate it. Now I see the light at the end of the tunnel."
No lawyer to represent the justice system litigants ligitants Canada is a thorny issue. Although they have the right to be heard, few know what they're doing. Not only they are less likely to succeed, they can not afford the burden of the cost, time and resources overburdened court system.
With the scope and impact of the self-presentation of a professor at the University of Toronto, Canada Baum, Queen's University law professor Nick Bala family court judges, lawyers and the parties. They found that one or both of the representatives of more than half of all households in Canada disputes.
, "Bala said:" The figure has clearly gone up quite large. "It is a more pressing problem, rather than its use in the past."
At the same time, wealthy Canadians still unable to hire a lawyer, tend to resolve their cases outside of the court system. This has led to concerns about the "two-tier" justice, Bala and Birnbaum said an article in an upcoming issue of the Canadian Bar Review.
The justice system response. Earlier this month, the recommendations approved by the Federal Court, will provide a simplified online help self-represented by the parties, but also allows judges to crack down on what they considered to be abuse of the system.
Meanwhile, since 2010, an ad hoc committee Chairman by Supreme Court Justice Thomas Cromwell, has been studying the problem, affordable legal services, the initiative prompted four years ago in a speech made by Supreme Court Justice Tony Foley Michaela Franklin attention. The Cromwell Commission to the 2014 proposal.
Meanwhile, initiatives such as the Legal Help Ontario provides valuable help, said Co-Chair of the Ottawa lawyer David Scott, the company Gervais. Scott, who has been involved in charitable activities "Ontario since its inception, volunteers often help Ontario Centre in Ottawa law.
"This is fantastic," he said. He said: "Do you understand the services you provide, if you do not, simply do not provide these people at sea."
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