Legal aid receiving boost from province
Posted Oct 11, 2018 12:24 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
CALGARY (660 NEWS) — The province is providing additional funding to Legal Aid Alberta.
Premier Rachel Notley announced the program would receive $70-million over four years and $14.8-million this year to broaden access, improve serves and meet future demand.
That money is on top of more than $89-million already provided by the government.
“Legal aid helps people in some of the most trying periods of their lives. Whether it’s a parent fighting for child support, or a survivor of domestic violence fleeing an abusive partner, fairness before the courts shouldn’t depend on the size of a person’s bank account. That’s why we’ve increased funding for legal aid, to make sure it’s there when Albertans need it and that our justice system works for everyone,” said Notley.
Along with the funding, there is a new governance agreement between Legal Aid Alberta and the Law Society of Alberta. The deal will allow legal aid to focus on streamlining applications and referral processes and providing the right services to clients.
“A properly funded legal aid program is critical to a fair, effective and accessible justice system. We have negotiated a new legal aid governance agreement that provides this critical program with stable and predictable funding now and into the future. By reversing decades of underfunding in Alberta’s legal aid program, we are helping to ensure all Albertans can access legal services,” said Kathleen Ganley, minister of Justice and Solicitor General.
The government began negotiating a new agreement in September 2017 as the previous one was set to expire in 2019.
