LEGAL INFORMATION

GENERAL LEGAL HELP

• Law Society of Upper Canada
  • general legal information
  • information on how to get legal help
• Lawyer Referral
  • best place to start if you have any sort of legal problem and aren't sure what to do about it
  • provides a referral to a lawyer in your area who will give you half an hour of free legal advice
  • call 1-800-268-8326
• Community Legal Services
  • for low income people
  • deals with disputes involving landlord-tenant problems, Workers Compensation, Canada Pension Plan, social assistance
  • call 743-0254
• Legal Aid
  • the place to call if you need a lawyer and can't afford to pay
  • call 743-4306
• Community Justice Initiatives
  • victim-offender reconciliation
  • community mediation service
  • sexual abuse treatment program—help for both victims and offenders

SPECIAL SERVICES FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES

• Advocacy Resource Centre for the Handicapped
  • concerned particularly with defending the rights of people with disabilities
  • represents clients in precedent-setting cases
  • some costs covered, maybe all depending on client's financial situation
  • call (416) 482-8255
• Barrier Free Recorded Information Line
  • call 1-800-387-4456
  • recorded messages telling if local court buildings are barrier free or not
  • covers all of Ontario
  • touch tone phone required to use it

LANDLORD-TENANT MATTERS

• The Ontario government is asking for public opinion on landlord-tenant legislation. You have until June 15, 2004 to fill out the online questionnaire. Note: To let your views be known most effectively, it would be best to read over all the questions before you start answering anything. You might want to take notes on what the questions are and come back later to answer them after you have read up on the issues and thought about them. One good source of information on the issues is the Consultation Materials mentioned at the start of the questionnaire.
• Ontario Rental Housing Tribunal
  • help resolving landlord-tenant disputes
  • information on landlord-tenant laws
  • 1-888-332-3234