Dawn Robertson (L), Katherine Remington. (Photo by Kirk Scott)Dawn Robertson (L), Katherine Remington. (Photo by Kirk Scott)
Midwestern

Legal aid concerns shared in Owen Sound

Cuts to legal aid services could be justice denied, according legal aid workers.

Lawyers with the Grey Bruce Community Legal Clinic organized a pop up legal clinic outside Owen Sound City Hall.     They want to raise awareness of the consequences of cuts to legal aid.

In its recent budget the Ford government cut $15 million from the Ontario legal aid budget.

"It's wrong to take from people who really genuinely need our services and would not be able to afford them. It's a way of restricting justice in my opinion," said Dawn Robertson, a paralegal with the Grey Bruce service.

The Grey Bruce Community Legal Aid Clinic has four lawyers and one paralegal providing assistance to approximately 2,000 people a year.     They help low income clients with things like housing and employment issues and human rights complaints.

Robertson said their clinic has survived the recent cuts intact but fears further cuts are coming.

"The worst that could happen I think in my opinion is we see legal clinics being phased out altogether which would leave an enormous gap in the system for people who are living in poverty or are living in a vulnerable position," said Robertson.

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