Manitoba's Access to Justice Stakeholders

A newsletter to connect Manitoba's A2J community
Newsletter:
This quarterly newsletter is an initiative directed at furthering engagement in the A2J community. Hosted through the recently launched Manitoba's Access to Justice Hub website, the newsletter is an axis to keep A2J actors connected to updates in their community, including achievements, developments, or changes in services across A2J organizations, as well as highlighting upcoming A2J events and prominent A2J news in the province. Sent out on a quarterly basis, we encourage you to subscribe and participate in building a better connected A2J community in Manitoba.

Access to Justice Week 2024

Manitoba's Access to Justice Week is an annual event jointly hosted by The University of Manitoba Faculty of Law, the Law Society of Manitoba, and the Manitoba Bar Association. It engages communities across the province in a conversation about improving access to justice. The 2024 Annual A2J Week took place on October 28 to November 1, 2024.

All events were recorded and are available for viewing on the Manitoba's Access to Justice Hub website. Read more about the 2024 A2J week here.

New publication: The Access to Justice Needs of Manitobans: Legal Practitioners’ Views

In September 2022, all Law Society of Manitoba licensees were invited to complete a survey asking them to indicate what they consider the greatest areas of need with regard to A2J. Director of Access to Justice Natasha Brown (University of Manitoba Faculty of Law) and Professor Gerard Kennedy (University of Alberta Faculty of Law) have finalized a paper disseminating the results of this survey. It has been published with the Manitoba Law Journal and can be read here.

Access to Justice Forum

The University of Manitoba Faculty of Law is thrilled to announce that they have received funding for the 2nd Annual Access to Justice Forum in 2025, in partnership with the Manitoba Law Foundation. Stay tuned for details.

A2J Community Brief & Updates

Manitoba Council of Administrative Tribunals

MCAT continues to offer affordable programming to staff and appointees to member tribunals. In April 2024, MCAT offered training on decision-writing for tribunal members, a joint initiative with The Law Society of Manitoba. In May 2024, MCAT hosted their annual conference for tribunal members and staff featuring presentations on a range of topics including the potential impact of AI on tribunals, how to discern between providing legal information and legal advice (with presentations from CLEA staff) and an update on administrative law decisions.

MCAT is in the early stages of planning for an advanced program on decision-writing, and for their annual conference scheduled for May 12, 2025.

University College of the North- Pre-Law Pathway

The University College of the North (UCN) has launched a Pre-Law Pathway with 17 students registered in its first cohort. This program is designed to prepare students, particularly those from northern and Indigenous communities, for entry into law school. The initiative is a collaboration between UCN and the University of Manitoba’s Faculty of Law, along with support from Manitoba Prosecutions, the Law Society of Manitoba, and Legal Aid Manitoba.

Students in the Pre-Law Pathway will choose between a 3- or 4-year Bachelor of Arts degree, currently delivered in The Pas and Thompson, with hopes to expand in the future to UCN’s learning centers across Northern Manitoba.

The Pre-Law Pathway at UCN aims to equip students with a solid academic foundation and the necessary support to pursue a career in the legal profession. By fostering local talent, the program seeks to ensure that northern Manitoba is served by competent and qualified lawyers who are familiar with the region’s specific needs.

Legal Help Centre (LHC)

In 2023-24, LHC was able to offer support to more than 4200 individuals seeking help, including 1340 initial client appointments. To read more about our community impact, please see their 2023-24 Annual Report.

In the fall of 2024, LHC updated their Financial Eligibility Guidelines. This update, along with all other eligibility information, is available on their website under the Am I Eligible section.
Coming in 2025: LHC will offer public workshops on different court processes and forms to support self-represented clients. Visit their website for the most recent information.

Community Legal Education Association (CLEA)

CLEA will be celebrating their 40th Anniversary! CLEA was incorporated December 27, 1984.
Publications: CLEA has revised and reformatted their Wills, Estates, Powers of Attorney and Healthcare Directives brochures and Executors' Checklist. The Guide to Employment and Income Assistance has been updated, thanks to Karas Elbardisy. CLEA has also updated and reformatted their Jack & the Beanstalk Mock Trial Kit (both English and French) thanks to a YIP grant through the Winnipeg Foundation.

CLEA has 6 new videos: Child Protection Law in Manitoba, Criminal Law & the Charter of Rights, Gaslighting in Intimate Partner Violence, Sexual Harassment in the Workplace, Employment Law: Discrimination in the Workplace, and Employment Law: 3 Common Mistakes in Employment Contracts

CLEA’s Victims of Intimate Partner Violence Project is part of a Justice Canada initiative intended to help those impacted by family and relationship abuse. Efforts toward enhancing individual and systemic responses include creating opportunities for everyone to learn more about relevant and timely topics. Information about the webinar can be found here: Webinars

Volunteering at CLEA
If you are interested in volunteering for our Speakers Bureau or to review publications, please fill out the Online Form
Or download and fill out the Speakers Bureau Sign-Up (fillable PDF)
If you would like to join the Lawyer Referral panel, please fill out the Online Form

Upcoming Events:
CLEA's webinar schedule is updated regularly: Webinars

Legal Information for Incarcerated Manitobans (LIIM)

Incarcerated community members in Manitoba’s provincial prisons have serious unmet legal information needs. The Legal Information for Incarcerated Manitobans (LIIM) Initiative is building collections of legal books and resources, will provide legal information programming, and is creating content for legal resources in accessible and relevant formats to those incarcerated in Manitoba’s six correctional institutions. LIIM expresses gratitude for the generous funding they received from the Manitoba Law Foundation for this important work.

Books
The LIIM book collection is growing. Collections are now found at Milner Ridge and Brandon Correctional Centres and they were able to visit both institutions to meet with the Assistant Superintendents and literacy staff to discuss the work in more depth.
LIIM is excited that in addition to the print collection, they will also provide access to many of the materials as a “digital” library that will be available on USB sticks. This digital library will also include short legal information videos thanks to the excellent work of the Community Legal Education Association.

Education
Getting the word out about both the Initiative and the realities of legal information access in prison is an important component of LIIM’s work. This fall they were busy with presentations to the Manitoba Human Rights Commission, to Canadian Museum of Human Rights staff, and on a panel for Access to Justice Week.

Just as critical, if not more so, is letting the incarcerated community know about the LIIM Initiative. They were pleased to attend the Community Resource Fair in Headingley Correctional Centre in October (as they had also in May at the Women’s Correctional Centre), where they could listen and get feedback from folks who are in need of legal information inside prisons.

Advocacy
LIIM has been informed that Manitoba Justice - Corrections and Custody staff is working on a prison library policy (to be signed by the Minister) modelled on the Federal Directive 720: “To provide appropriate library services similar to those in the community, while taking into consideration the requirements of the correctional environment”.[1] The Prison Libraries Committee/LIIM has been asked to review and offer comment on the draft. They have also been asked to be part of a working group with Corrections to discuss library services and programming at all Manitoba prisons. Of course, all of this advocacy is important as they look forward to working with Justice and Corrections within their own Public Safety Strategy released this month and identifying the need to “expand library and education programs.”

Stay Tuned!
As LIIM enters into its second year of the Initiative, they are excited to explore more content creation efforts with a proposed graphic novel project and working on a series of FAQs in plain language and accessible formats.

As always, please reach out before then with any questions, comments, and suggestions: liim@lawsociety.mb.ca


[1] Commissioner's directive 720: Education programs and services for inmates https://www.canada.ca/en/correctional-service/corporate/acts-regulations-policy/commissioners-directives

Legal Clinics at the University of Manitoba's Faculty of Law

The Faculty of Law offers students a wide range of externship opportunities during their third year of law school. These programs serve two main purposes. First, they provide students with hands-on experiential learning opportunities so as to apply what they have learned in the classroom to real-world settings. Second, students are able to provide legal information and services to underserved populations, thereby helping to address access to justice gaps in the community. Students normally participate in clinics via externships, but may also participate as volunteers or summer students.

The following legal clinics are currently operating within the Faculty of Law:

L. Kerry Vickar Business Law Clinic:
The goal of the Clinic is to expose students to the practical aspects of corporate and commercial law carried out with professional responsibility and sense of public obligation. Students will provide information, advise, choose and form business entities, draft legal documents, and conduct legal research, regulatory compliance, good governance, stakeholder activism, and social responsibility.

Manitoba Legal Clinic for the Arts:
Launched in 2023, the Manitoba Legal Clinic for the Arts is the only clinic in Manitoba that provides free legal information and services tailored specifically to artists and arts organizations. The clinic is operated by law students under the supervision of practicing lawyers. The clinic assists artists with issues such as contracts, intellectual property, sale of goods, and technology. A third of clients are located outside of Winnipeg; the clinic is available remotely.

University of Manitoba Community Law Centre (UMCLC):
The University of Manitoba Community Law Centre is an independent Legal Aid office that is staffed exclusively by Robson Hall students, overseen by a supervising Legal Aid Manitoba lawyer. Students manage their own files, which deal with summary conviction criminal cases. In addition, it may provide assistance for Highway Traffic Act offences, small claims cases that involve consumer problems, individual disputes with Manitoba Public Insurance, and some straightforward family law files.

Potential clients of the UMCLC must meet the Legal Aid Manitoba eligibility requirements. The UMCLC is a cost-effective service. With most of the labour donated, the cost per person assisted is less than $100.00.

Indigenous Community Legal Clinic (ICLC):
The ICLC provides hands-on opportunities to students, such as developing and managing client files and conducting qualitative research related to issues affecting Indigenous people in Manitoba. Students will have an opportunity to learn theory about decolonizing and Indigenizing law, as well as how to integrate these principles into the practice of law.

Rights Clinic at Robson Hall:
The Rights Clinic was founded in July 2022 to expand the clinical offerings at the University of Manitoba Faculty of Law and to advocate for the protection and advancement of rights. The primary focus of the Rights Clinic is to raise awareness and promote education about rights.

The Rights Clinic does not provide legal advice or representation.

International Human Rights Law Clinic:
The inaugural International Human Rights Clinic (IHRC) at Robson Hall was launched in Fall 2024. The clinic marks a significant step in providing students in the Faculty of Law’s Juris Doctor, Master of Laws and Master of Human Rights degree programs with experiential learning opportunities that blend human rights law with clinical practice.

Northern Externship with Legal Aid:
In summer 2024, one JD student lived in Thompson from June-August working for Legal Aid. This externship has the goal of encouraging students to think about northern Manitoba as a place to live and work.

Law Library Hub:
The Law Library Hub is run by the University of Manitoba Faculty of Law and hosted by the Great Library at the Law Courts Building in Winnipeg. The Law Library Hub is a free, appointment-based legal clinic. Under the supervision of practicing lawyers, law students provide legal information in the areas of civil and family law for those who require help.

In addition to the internal legal clinics operating within the Faculty of Law, students work at various legal clinics operating in Manitoba, including:

Most Recent Posts from A2J Blog

Foresights for Human Rights 2024 Preliminary Report

By: Lou Lamari, Articling Student-at-Law (University of Manitoba Faculty of Law) The Canadian Museum for Human Rights (CMHR) recently published a report examining how people in Canada perceive, value, and engage with human rights. This initiative aims to deepen the Museum's understanding of national perspectives, guiding efforts to enhance public awareness and respect for human rights. Conducted in 2023 and …

The Role of Libraries in Enhancing Access to Justice in Canada

By: Lou Lamari, Articling Student-at-Law (University of Manitoba Faculty of Law) In Manitoba and across the country, libraries contribute meaningfully to civic engagement and community well-being, serving as important partners in the broader access to justice (A2J) ecosystem. The Canadian Federation of Library Associations states a mission for Canadian libraries to provide “free access to the information and resources that …

How K-12 Math and Reading Contribute to A2J

By: Lou Lamari, Articling Student-at-Law, University of Manitoba Faculty of Law In the most recent Throne speech, the Manitoba government pledged to mandate a dedicated unit on financial literacy for Grade 9 students. Providing programming to build essential skills and knowledge to help youth navigate society as consumers is a positive move, and this initiative immediately had me thinking about …

Medical Malpractice and No-Fault Compensation: A Unique Solution to an Access to Justice Problem? Part 2

Author: Erin Jeon, University of Manitoba Law Student This is part two of a two-part series about improving access to justice for people impacted by medical malpractice. Part 1 discusses the numerous access to justice problems regarding medical malpractice. Part 2 discusses a possible solution to these problems in no-fault compensation. Medical malpractice is a proven access to justice issue. …

Medical Malpractice and No-Fault Compensation: A Unique Solution to an Access to Justice Problem? Part 1

Author: Erin Jeon, University of Manitoba Law Student This is part 1 of a two-part series about improving access to justice for people impacted by medical malpractice.Part 1 discusses the numerous access to justice problems regarding medical malpractice. Part 2 discusses a possible solution to these problems in no-fault compensation. The Canadian healthcare system will be accessed by nearly every …

Resources for A2J Stakeholders

211 Manitoba
Those of us working in the A2J space are well aware people's legal issues frequently intersect with social issues that are outside the sphere of what the legal system can effectively resolve. 211 Manitoba provides direction to resources that can help people meet their needs. 211 Manitoba is the front door to community-based government, community and social services designed to meet the needs of diverse populations, across all different aspects of life. It is a free, confidential service available 24 hours a day, seven days a week in more than 200 languages, including 4 Indigenous languages. Click the link here to see the topics they provide access to.
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