On August 14th and 15th, staff and Caseworkers from Lakehead University Community Legal Services visited the town of Geraldton, Ontario, to provide legal assistance and information to residents.

On August 14th, we held an ID Clinic, in partnership with the Geraldton office of Kinna-aweya Community Legal Clinic.  We were able to help some individuals with an application for a birth certificate, which is often a necessary component to accessing a multitude of social services, including banking services, access to housing, food banks and much more.  We will be taking all necessary steps to ensure applications are properly processed, dealing with any issues that may arise, and ensuring the birth certificates are put in the hands of the clients.

After the ID clinic, we had the opportunity to meet with some potential clients in the region as well. 

On Tuesday, August 15th, law clinic students observed proceedings in the Provinicial Offences court in Geraldton.  This was a useful opportunity for students to see how court works in Northern Ontario communities.  There were a few interesting cases which prompted discussion and learning opportunities.

Finally, in the afternoon, we attended the PACE ("People Advocating for Change Through Empowerment") office, to do a presentation on Tenants' Rights.  Our Caseworkers advised the attendees about what tenants have a right to expect from their landlords, and what they can do if the landlords aren't respecting those rights.  The presentations was very well received.

Community Legal Services is planning further visits to the Greenstone area, with future ID Clinics and Public Legal Education presentations on the way!  Keep an eye on the EVENTS section of our website ( https://www.lakeheadu.ca/academics/departments/law/clinic/events ) for more details on upcoming Public Legal Education initiatives.

Pictured below:  Community Legal Services law student Caseworkers who attended the Geraldton ID clinic hosted by Kinna-aweya Community Legal Clinic. (Melanie Mayhew-Hammond (left), Erin Kearney (middle), and Victoria Methot (right)).

Recently, the Lakehead University Community Legal Services hosted, in partnership with the Kinna-aweya Legal Clinic, an ID clinic.

There were six 1L volunteers and one 3L, along with clinic staff from both clinics. It took place on March 3, 2017 at Anishnawbe-Mushkiki.

The students helped low-income members of the public apply for birth certificates.

The need for ID is a substantial issue for many people living in poverty.
Many services such as housing, banking, food banks, income support, tax
benefits, education, employment, voting, and community supports and services
are not accessible without ID. So we assisted many members of the community
apply for ID and our clinic is processing and monitoring the applications on
behalf of these individuals.

This joint venture was very successful and we hope to repeat it again later
this year.

See the media release from Legal Aid Ontario - http://legalaid.on.ca/en/news/newsarchive/1507-06_Lakehead-SLASS.asp

For more information about the Clinic, see their webpage.