News
For Immediate Release
The McLachlin Fund Announces Inaugural Grant Recipients
Innovative and practical projects to enhance access to civil and family justice in Canada.
The Rt. Hon. Beverley McLachlin Access to Justice Fund (the McLachlin Fund) is pleased to announce that it has awarded five inaugural grants, totalling $237,378.75, to organizations dedicated to improving access to civil and family justice in Canada.
The McLachlin Fund’s Governing Council was honoured to review applications from diverse organizations working hard to ensure that everyone in Canada has equitable access to our justice system.
The five successful projects were selected based on their innovation and because they offer practical solutions to complex legal problems facing people in Canada. Each of these projects has the potential to be scaled up or replicated to enhance access to justice in other regions across Canada.
“Testing new concepts and sharing knowledge of innovative and practical ideas offers a significant opportunity to advance access to justice across the country. The McLachlin Fund is pleased to support these five initiatives,” said the former Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Canada, the Rt. Hon. Beverley McLachlin.
The grant recipients, in alphabetical order are:
- Access Pro Bono Society of BC for the BC Public Interest Teaching Clinic & Incubator project (British Columbia) for $60,000,
- Canadian Council for Refugees – Conseil canadien pour les réfugiés for the Building Quality Justice Services for Newcomers project (Quebec) for $60,000,
- CREATE Justice, USask College of Law, and Saskatchewan Ministry of Justice for a project entitled Improving Communication of Legal Information (Saskatchewan) for $32,338.75,
- Justice for Girls Outreach Society for a project targeted at Enhancing Access to Civil Justice for Teen Girls (British Columbia) for $60,000, and
- Peter A. Allard School of Law at University of British Columbia for a project entitled Evaluating Access to Environmental Justice (British Columbia) for $25,040.
McLachlin Fund is grateful to all the applicants and the work they do in support of access to justice.
The McLachlin Fund’s Governing Council thanks the members of national Advisory Committee for their work and the Vancouver Foundation for hosting the McLachlin Fund.
About the McLachlin Fund
The McLachlin Fund was established in 2019 to recognize and honour former Chief Justice McLachlin’s longstanding commitment to enhancing access to justice in Canada. The McLachlin Fund was started with an initial contribution from the Government of Canada and is supported by people and organizations that share the former Chief Justice’s passion for ensuring everyone in Canada has equitable access to the justice system.
The McLachlin Fund’s primary objective is to improve civil and family justice by supporting the development, implementation, and evaluation of innovative solutions to recognized access to justice problems. The McLachlin Fund is committed to testing practical and novel solutions. The McLachlin Fund prioritizes projects and programs that have the potential to scale up and inform the national dialogue on access to justice. The McLachlin Fund recognizes that access to justice issues affect certain vulnerable people and communities disproportionately, including Indigenous people, racialized communities, and members of other equity-seeking groups.
To date, the McLachlin Fund has raised more than $6 million of its $10 million goal. More information about the McLachlin Fund and how to contribute to its important work can be found here.