Author archives: Dennis Reeve

WAIT! WHAT? BACK TO 2014 FUNDING? – “The Ontario government cut $133 million from legal aid in 2019, amounting to 30 percent of the LAO budget. Legal Aid Ontario is not sustainable in the trajectory that it appears to be at present. FOLA is asking the provincial government to increase annual spending on Legal Aid Ontario to $480 million, up from $350 million, which would restore funding to its 2014 level. The federation also wants the threshold increased for legal aid eligibility, an increase in lawyer tariff rates, more modernization, and improved data collection.”

VICTIM IMPACT STATEMENTS ARE AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE PROCESS – “The oral or written statements delivered by those affected by a convicted person’s crimes can take on a variety of tones: They can be emotional, faith-based, long-winded or brief, full of rage, or a passionate call-to-action for legislation or a stop to violence in a community. For some, reciting the words reopens wounds, while for others, it has provided a cathartic release.”