David McKillop, VP at Legal Aid Ontario, spoke to us on May 24, 2018 about this organization's role in the province's legal system. Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) is a non-profit organization, jointly funded by the provincial and federal governments, which provides high quality legal representation to people who could not independently afford representation. These people are vulnerable individuals whose problems could derail already precarious lives, especially when criminal charges are involved.
David McKillop has been with LAO for about 15 years, coming from a prestigious background that included studying law at Queen's University, and articling at the Law Society of Upper Canada and Gardiner Roberts.LAO used to be a volunteer program known as the Ontario Legal Aid Plan operated the Law Society but the need for the service was so significant that LAO now pays lawyers an hourly amount that is approximately half of the customary rate for criminal lawyers. LAO is one of the largest legal aid organizations in North America, serving roughly four thousand people per day. It's $500 million dollar budget is directed to three categories of services: duty council, the certificate program, and legal clinics (73 of these across Ontario). The clinics provide support with respect to employment and housing but not family or criminal law.
Eligibility is based on income; to eligible, a single person's income would have to be less than $14,000 annually, with limited service available for eligible persons earning up to $16,500 who contribute to the repayment of their fees via contribution agreements.
There are customized programs that have been developed for indigenous and racialized communities as well as people with mental health issues. Many of those represented are children (under 18 years of age) and youth (under 25 years of age). In all of these programs, a key objective is to prevent vulnerable people from being exposed to the criminal justice system if there are other options available.
You can learn more about Legal Aid Ontario here.