Legal Support and Awareness to Address Workplace Sexual Harassment
Legal Advice and Information
The Legal Aid Program (LAP) funds projects that aim to support the development and implementation of legal information and advice services for individuals who have experienced workplace sexual harassment.
The Legal Support and Awareness to Address Workplace Sexual Harassment component supports organizations that provide legal information and advice to persons who have been subjected to sexual harassment in the workplace, regardless of their economic status.
Please note that this funding opportunity has closed and applications are no longer being accepted for this initiative.
If you are looking for public legal education and information (PLEI) related to workplace sexual harassment, please visit the Justice Partnership and Innovation Program’s website.
Funding Objectives
All projects align with the following priorities:
- Funding to increase access to legal information and advisory services to individuals who have experienced workplace sexual harassment;
- Funding to ensure that such services are made available through various means (for example by telephone, on-line, in-person) across each province and territory;
- Funding to ensure that legal advice and information services are accessible to particularly vulnerable populations, such as workers in low-wage and/or precarious jobs; those who provide personal services (e.g., homecare health aide) or rely on tips; women, especially those who work in male-dominated industries; youth; Indigenous and racialized women; persons with disabilities; those who identify as 2SLGBTQI+; and newcomer women and/or;
- Funding to enable the provision of ancillary services (e.g., counselling, job search assistance) or to assist individuals in accessing such services.
Accessing Legal Advice and Information Supports for Workplace Sexual Harassment
Funding through this initiative is over three fiscal years, starting in January 2025 and ending in March 2027. Specific timelines vary by project.
Should you wish to connect with one of the organizations funded through the Legal Support and Awareness to Address Workplace Sexual Harassment – Legal Advice and Information initiative, please find them listed by jurisdiction below.
British Columbia
Community Legal Assistance Society
The organization provides legal advice to anyone who has experienced workplace sexual harassment in British Columbia. The service is delivered by staff lawyers and a roster of private lawyers. Lawyers may assist with reviewing and drafting documents, legal research, procedural and hearing coaching, and settlement negotiation. Lawyers are trained to advise on BC provincial and federal human rights, employment and labour law, workers’ compensation, criminal law, and other options. Legal advice is offered in-person, telephone, or video conference. In addition, the organization provides referrals to ancillary services, develops or updates tools to improve delivery of services, and trains both staff and private lawyers to use trauma-informed culturally appropriate approaches.
Saskatchewan
Public Legal Education Association of Saskatchewan Inc.
The organization administers a lawyer referral service that provides complainants of workplace sexual harassment across Saskatchewan with up to four hours of free legal advice and information from private bar lawyers. They also recruit and train private bar lawyers, including providing training on trauma-informed approaches and the laws governing workplace sexual harassment. In addition, the organization conducts outreach to vulnerable populations to promote the project, and provide referrals to ancillary services.
Manitoba
Community Legal Education Association (Manitoba) Incorporated
The organization provides complainants of workplace sexual harassment with a dedicated hotline and email address where they can receive free legal information and advice. It also provides referrals to a lawyer for follow up consultations about employment law and human rights law, and referrals to appropriate law-related and community resources.
Ontario
Aftermetoo
The organization has established the Workplace Sexual Harassment Legal Advice Program (WSH-LAP) which provides comprehensive information and legal advice, and ancillary services, for people facing sexual harassment at work in Canada. It achieves this through outreach activities and by partnering with an established Employee Assistance Program provider that offers the services this program requires: legal advice, therapy, financial counselling, and career support.
Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic
The organization has expanded their support for people who have experienced sexual harassment in precarious workplaces. The focus is on providing comprehensive advisory legal services both in-person and remotely, ensuring accessibility for those who cannot visit their centres. The organization ensures that more individuals have access to the resources and support they need to navigate their experiences and seek justice.
Muslim Legal Support Centre
The organization provides culturally competent legal advice to Muslim women in Ontario who face workplace sexual harassment through the establishment of legal clinics and a dedicated hotline. It also conducts other activities to increase knowledge on workplace sexual harassment within Muslim communities, which includes hosting public legal education workshops, implementing a multimedia awareness campaign, and developing multilingual legal resources.
Pro Bono Ontario
The organization uses its existing dedicated line to service victims of workplace sexual harassment and provides over-the-phone legal advice, information and interpretation services for linguistic minorities. It also provides additional onramps to service available 24/7 for victims who use electronic communications. These onramps to services include tools that enable people to apply for assistance outside business hours, submit documents for review prior to speaking with a lawyer, self-schedule appointments to speak with a lawyer and complete important program triage steps on their own. In addition, the organization provides referrals to ancillary services, develops tools to improve service delivery, conducts outreach activities and trains staff lawyers to facilitate the provision of trauma-informed legal services and to learn about the changes to legislation.
The Help and Legal Centre of Northumberland
The organization provides legal advice and information through 19 partnering clinics across Ontario to complainants of workplace sexual harassment, including vulnerable workers. All partnering clinics provide ancillary legal services. Clinic staff also creates legal resource materials to increase access to legal information.
If you live in Ontario, call 1-833-677-5146 for free, confidential legal advice, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 8 p.m.
Quebec
Clinique juridique Juripop
The organization offers an independent hybrid service accessible to all workers to provide them with free legal support in matters related to sexual violence in the workplace. The support is provided through awareness activities, referrals to ancillary services, information meetings and legal recommendations. In addition, the organization develops legal information materials. Consultations, information sessions and legal resources are offered in both official languages. Finally, a GBA+ training is provided to lawyers and practitioners to ensure sensitive and appropriate support for victims.
Nova Scotia
Legal Information Society of Nova Scotia
The organization, through its established panel of lawyers, offers a free independent legal advice program for individuals who have experienced sexual workplace harassment, accessible by email, toll-free phone line, or live chat. They also hold legal advisory clinics across Nova Scotia. In addition, the organization provides referrals to ancillary services, conducts outreach campaigns, creates legal resources materials and updates on-line training for lawyers.
Newfoundland and Labrador
Public Legal Information Association of Newfoundland
The organization provides individuals who have experienced sexual harassment with general legal information as well as system navigation in three locations, namely St. John’s, Corner Brook, and Happy Valley-Goose Bay. It also offers free legal advice from practising lawyers in a number of legal areas related to workplace sexual harassment, including labour and employment law, civil litigation, human rights law, and criminal law. In addition, the organization provides referrals to ancillary services. It also conducts outreach events by holding legal information sessions to promote their services.
Prince Edward Island
Community Legal Information Association of Prince Edward Island Inc.
The organization provides a trauma-informed legal referral service to complainants of workplace sexual harassment. It hired a bilingual legal support navigator to handle client intake, provide information, legal referrals and ongoing case management. The organization also provides legal information to complainants and refers them to other essential and ancillary services. In addition, it conducts outreach to targeted groups and created an educational video for employers to understand the need to have a workplace sexual harassment policy.
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