JULY 2014
Welcome to Transforming Ideas into Action: A Special Edition of the CFCJ Newsletter
Since the release of the Action Committee’s Final Report last October, justice stakeholders across the country have taken up the challenge to find new ways to innovate, collaborate and inspire others to increase access to justice. In this special edition of our newsletter we are pleased to profile a selection of these efforts. We look forward to keeping you updated on such initiatives as they emerge and advance.
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Reflections on the Action Committee Colloquium ReportIn January, the Action Committee convened a two day Colloquium with a cross-section of stakeholders access to justice community. This meeting provided a platform from which to shift key access to justice recommendations into actionable strategies. The Colloquium featured breakout groups and keynote speakers that engaged both the innovation and institutional and structural goals identified in the Final Report - A Roadmap for Change. Seeking to capture the key discussions and related recommendations that emerged at this meeting, in June the Action Committee released the Colloquium Report. Functioning as a guide and idea bank, the Colloquium Report offers readers strategies for implementation, examples of “best practices” and insights into the multiplicity of initiatives currently being piloted by access to justice stakeholders across Canada.
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“Justice is a basic social good, like food, shelter and medical care.” — Rt Hon Beverley McLachlin
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| Since the release of the Action Committee reports, ministries and other justice organizations have been developing multi-stakeholder collaborative initiatives that aim to bring the recommendations presented in A Roadmap for Change to life. We feature some of these initiatives below. Several more initiatives are in the early stages of formation, including in the Yukon and the Northwest Territories. We look forward to updating you about these efforts as they develop. | |
Alberta
In November 2013, Alberta Justice and Solicitor General gathered together leaders in the field of civil and family justice for the first meeting of the Joint Action Forum. The intention was to begin a process that would improve access to justice in Alberta’s civil and family justice system. This month, the Joint Action Forum released it’s first report, What Was Heard, which captures the discussions of the participants who were asked to imagine what a citizen-centred civil and family justice system might look like. |
Saskatchewan
The Dean’s Forum on Dispute Resolution and Access to Justice draws together a selection of Saskatchewan’s legal system stakeholders to address provincial access to justice challenges. The University of Saskatchewan College of Law acts as a convener for the Forum. Future plans include the proposed development of an Integrated Service Centre. Further details about the Forum’s work can be found in this summary which was released in March 2014. |
Manitoba
Three Manitoba Chief Justices recently released an update on access to justice initiatives in their home province. Activities include ongoing improvements to the Manitoba Courts website, the development of the ‘Cameras in the Courtroom’ pilot project, and the expansion of access for media by designating space within the Winnipeg Law Courts Complex for media reporting and interviewing. The update also identified possible responding initiatives in the area of family, criminal and civil law, such as reforming preliminary inquiries to be a speedier process, seeking alternatives to the adversarial system in family court, and emphasizing “proportionality” as a reference point for maximizing access to justice. |
Ontario
The Law Society of Upper Canada (LSUC) has recently committed to taking a more holistic approach to improving access to justice by forming a special committee called the Treasurer's Advisory Group (TAG) - The Action Group on Access to Justice. TAG has already been participated in numerous collaborative initiatives, including a new handbook for dealing with everyday legal problems, and a course on child protection at Osgoode Hall Law School. Read more about the inaugural meeting of TAG and their strategies to improve A2J on the Treasurer’s blog. |
Nova Scotia
On June 12th, the Nova Scotia Department of Justice announced the launch of the Access to Justice Co-ordinating Committee (A2JCC). Led by Justice Minister Lena Metlege Diab and the Honourable Chief Justice Michael MacDonald, the Committee seeks to address issues of efficiency, navigation and cost in Nova Scotia’s family, civil and criminal court systems. You can view the Terms of Reference for the A2JCC online. |
British Columbia
In June the BC Law Foundation funded a two day workshop to explore how a social lab could be used to improve the family justice system for children and families in BC. Excited by the idea of a social lab approach, the group of participants are now working on establishing a Steering Committee to move this initiative forward. You can read more about the Family Justice Social Lab in this SLAW piece. You can also view slides from the workshop on the CFCJ website here. |
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“Let a thousand flowers bloom. There are multiple ways to improve access to justice — don’t get fixated on only one solution or approach” — Bonnie Rose Hough
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| If you know of or are participating in an upcoming access to justice multi-stakeholder initiative in your province, please email the CFCJ at communications@cfcj-fcjc.org so we can feature your initiative. |
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