Additional funding to support the delivery of criminal legal aid
Legal aid plans were provided with additional criminal legal aid funding in 2023-24 to support the delivery of criminal legal aid services to Indigenous peoples, individuals from Black and other racialized communities, as well as those with mental health issues who are overrepresented in the criminal justice system. Additional funding could also be used to support the ongoing use of technological innovations and service delivery enhancements implemented during the pandemic. Table 19 provides a detailed inventory of the funded initiatives.
Out of the 56 initiatives highlighted by legal aid plans in 2023-24, three-quarters were service delivery initiatives with money spent for training/professional development, anti-racism and cultural sensitivity initiatives, and to reduce backlogs and expand access to court time through hiring additional counsel/staff. The remaining quarter were technological funding mainly used to support/improve information technology capacities (e.g., network upgrades, digital transformations).
| Type of Revenue | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total legal aid plan revenuesFootnote 1 of Table 1 Dollars (%) |
Federal contributions from 2023-24 agreements | P/T contributions to legal aid plansFootnote 4 of Table 1 Dollars (%) |
Client contributions and cost recoveries to legal aid plansFootnote 5 of Table 1 Dollars (%) |
Contributions of the legal profession and interest earned from lawyers’ trust accountsFootnote 6 of Table 1 Dollars (%) |
Other legal aid plan revenues Dollars (%) |
|||||||||
| Criminal (+civil in territories) Dollars (%)Footnote 2 of Table 1 |
I&RFootnote 3 of Table 1 Dollars (%) |
|||||||||||||
| N.L. | 24,858,137 | 100% | 3,405,188 | 14% | 585,117 | 2% | 16,318,370 | 66% | 80,030 | 0% | 4,234,745 | 17% | 234,687 | 1% |
| P.E.I. | 1,361,915 | 100% | 612,046 | 45% | 749,869 | 55% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | ||
| N.S. | 34,040,720 | 100% | 5,737,396 | 17% | 876,450 | 3% | 26,472,304 | 78% | 44,386 | 0% | 138,062 | 0% | 772,122 | 2% |
| N.B. | 14,727,170 | 100% | 3,510,018 | 24% | 85,000 | 1% | 9,488,321 | 64% | 747,230 | 5% | 200,000 | 1% | 696,601 | 5% |
| Que. | 189,099,360 | 100% | 36,018,898 | 19% | 11,900,000 | 6% | 134,997,134 | 71% | 3,654,366 | 2% | - | 0% | 2,528,962 | 1% |
| Ont. | 760,597,238 | 100% | 70,707,070 | 9% | 60,600,000 | 8% | 270,590,390 | 36% | 17,547,542 | 2% | 330,779,002 | 43% | 10,373,234 | 1% |
| Man. | 45,303,070 | 100% | 11,517,766 | 25% | 268,000 | 1% | 22,155,445 | 49% | 1,790,153 | 4% | 8,936,992 | 20% | 634,714 | 1% |
| Sask. | 32,133,625 | 100% | 10,727,914 | 33% | 20,705,086 | 64% | 5,852 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 694,773 | 2% | ||
| Alta. | 175,786,763 | 100% | 26,689,550 | 15% | 1,306,103 | 1% | 115,424,450 | 66% | 4,730,842 | 3% | 22,664,880 | 13% | 4,970,938 | 3% |
| B.C. | 142,086,656 | 100% | 24,901,651 | 18% | 13,360,480 | 9% | 97,477,137 | 69% | 0 | 0% | 4,635,000 | 3% | 1,712,388 | 1% |
| Yuk. | 3,826,234 | 100% | 1,616,465 | 42% | 2,199,769 | 57% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 10,000 | 0% | ||
| N.W.T. | 6,185,936 | 100% | 3,155,151 | 51% | 3,030,785 | 49% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | ||
| Nvt. | Footnote – of Table 1 | Footnote – of Table 1 | Footnote – of Table 1 | Footnote – of Table 1 | Footnote – of Table 1 | Footnote – of Table 1 | Footnote – of Table 1 | Footnote – of Table 1 | Footnote – of Table 1 | Footnote – of Table 1 | Footnote – of Table 1 | Footnote – of Table 1 | ||
| Canada | 1,430,006,824 | 100% | 198,599,113 | 14% | 88,981,150 | 6% | 719,609,060 | 50% | 28,600,401 | 2% | 371,588,681 | 26% | 22,628,419 | 2% |
| Total ExpendituresFootnote 1 of Table 2 Dollars (%) |
Legal Services Expenditures (including administrative and other costs) |
|||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Criminal matters Dollars (%) |
Civil matters | |||||||
| I&RFootnote 2 of Table 2 Dollars (%) |
All other civil Dollars (%) |
|||||||
| N.L. | 20,139,141 | 100% | 12,958,723 | 64% | 264,619 | 1% | 6,915,799 | 34% |
| P.E.I. | 2,420,961 | 100% | 1,196,518 | 49% | 1,224,443 | 51% | ||
| N.S. | 34,313,003 | 100% | 20,666,040 | 60% | 875,845 | 3% | 12,771,118 | 37% |
| N.B. | 12,671,983 | 100% | 7,131,335 | 56% | 206,363 | 2% | 5,334,285 | 42% |
| Que. | 228,394,257 | 100% | 96,997,015 | 42% | 12,273,303 | 5% | 119,123,939 | 52% |
| Ont. | 532,207,398 | 100% | 237,188,661 | 45% | 71,753,985 | 13% | 223,264,752 | 42% |
| Man. | 30,156,848 | 100% | 28,034,080 | 93% | 327,216 | 1% | 1,795,552 | 6% |
| Sask. | 33,289,593 | 100% | 26,528,691 | 80% | 6,760,902 | 20% | ||
| Alta. | 138,612,975 | 100% | 108,947,635 | 79% | 1,904,492 | 1% | 27,760,848 | 20% |
| B.C. | 114,589,367 | 100% | 62,746,281 | 55% | 11,606,616 | 10% | 40,236,470 | 35% |
| Yuk. | 3,816,234 | 100% | Footnote – of Table 2A | Footnote – of Table 2A | Footnote – of Table 2A | Footnote – of Table 2A | ||
| N.W.T. | 6,185,936 | 43% | 1,853,569 | 30% | 813,721 | 13% | ||
| Nvt. | Footnote – of Table 2A | Footnote – of Table 2A | Footnote – of Table 2A | Footnote – of Table 2A | Footnote – of Table 2A | Footnote – of Table 2A | ||
| Canada | 1,156,797,696 | 100% | 604,248,548 | 52% | 99,212,439 | 9% | 446,001,829 | 39% |
| Dollars | |
|---|---|
| N.L. | 2,434,682 |
| P.E.I. | 146,414 |
| N.S. | 3,344,168 |
| N.B. | 1,541,288 |
| Que. | 31,921,442 |
| Ont. | 54,714,514 |
| Man. | 5,867,324 |
| Sask. | 4,441,680 |
| Alta. | 7,633,155 |
| B.C. | 10,276,557 |
| Yuk. | 3,345,652 |
| N.W.T. | 3,518,646 |
| Nvt. | – |
| Canada | 129,185,522 |
| Total legal aid applicationsFootnote 1 of Table 3 Number (%) |
Criminal legal aid applications | P/T offences Number (%)Footnote 3 of Table 3 |
Civil legal aid applications | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total criminal applications Number (%) |
Adult | YouthFootnote 2 of Table 3 | Total civil applications (including I&R) Number (%) |
Child ProtectionFootnote 4 of Table 3 | FamilyFootnote 5 of Table 3 | Non-familyFootnote 6 of Table 3 | I&RFootnote 7 of Table 3 | |||||||
| N.L. | 7,438 | 100% | 4,513 | 61% | 4,116 | 397 | 0 | 0% | 2,925 | 39% | 2,783 | 0 | 0 | 142 |
| P.E.I. | 1,358 | 100% | 1,067 | 79% | 934 | 133 | 0 | 0% | 291 | 21% | 32 | 244 | 15 | |
| N.S.Footnote 8 of Table 3 | 39,313 | 100% | 24,738 | 63% | 23,454 | 1,284 | 797 | 2% | 13,778 | 35% | 1,002 | 10,279 | 2,202 | 295 |
| N.B. | 5,085 | 100% | 2,834 | 56% | 2,635 | 199 | 6 | 0% | 2,245 | 44% | 452 | 1,652 | 5 | 136 |
| Que. | 232,299 | 100% | 94,459 | 41% | 85,320 | 9,139 | 8,980 | 4% | 128,860 | 55% | 47,760 | 29,322 | 40,258 | 11,520 |
| Ont. | 149,872 | 100% | 70,546 | 47% | 66,294 | 4,252 | 0 | 0% | 79,326 | 53% | 3,874 | 20,493 | 8,079 | 46,880 |
| Man. | 28,406 | 100% | 19,348 | 68% | 17,704 | 1,644 | 61 | 0% | 8,997 | 32% | 1,757 | 5,678 | 832 | 730 |
| Sask. | 24,759 | 100% | 17,873 | 72% | 15,993 | 1,880 | 0 | 0% | 6,886 | 28% | 899 | 5,987 | 0 | |
| Alta. | 55,790 | 100% | 41,794 | 75% | 40,046 | 1,748 | 230 | 0% | 13,766 | 25% | 1,605 | 10,079 | 564 | 1,518 |
| B.C. | 38,969 | 100% | 20,702 | 53% | 19,754 | 948 | 1,415 | 4% | 16,852 | 43% | 2,317 | 9,087 | 0 | 5,448 |
| Yuk. | 1,755 | 100% | 1,386 | 79% | 1,309 | 77 | 9 | 1% | 360 | 21% | 27 | 180 | 153 | |
| N.W.T. | 938 | 100% | 674 | 72% | 664 | 10 | 0 | 0% | 264 | 28% | 32 | 232 | 0 | |
| Nvt. | Footnote – of Table 3 | Footnote – of Table 3 | Footnote – of Table 3 | Footnote – of Table 3 | Footnote – of Table 3 | Footnote – of Table 3 | Footnote – of Table 3 | Footnote – of Table 3 | Footnote – of Table 3 | Footnote – of Table 3 | Footnote – of Table 3 | Footnote – of Table 3 | Footnote – of Table 3 | |
| Canada | 585,982 | 100% | 299,934 | 51% | 278,223 | 21,711 | 11,498 | 2% | 274,550 | 47% | 62,540 | 93,233 | 52,108 | 66,669 |
| Total approved legal aid applicationsFootnote 1 of Table 4 Number (%) |
Criminal applicationsFootnote 2 of Table 4 | P/T offencesFootnote 5 of Table 4 Number (%) |
Civil applicationsFootnote 3 of Table 4 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total approved criminal applications Number (%) |
Adult | YouthFootnote 4 of Table 4 | Total approved civil legal aid applications Number (%) |
Child protectionFootnote 6 of Table 4 | FamilyFootnote 7 of Table 4 | Non-familyFootnote 8 of Table 4 | I&RFootnote 9 of Table 4 | |||||||
| N.L. | 3,876 | 100% | 2,916 | 75% | 2,561 | 355 | 0 | 0% | 960 | 25% | 877 | 0 | 0 | 83 |
| P.E.I. | 1,127 | 100% | 988 | 88% | 855 | 133 | 0 | 0% | 139 | 12% | 139 | 0 | 0 | |
| N.S. | 16,950 | 100% | 12,246 | 72% | 11,226 | 1,020 | 32 | 0% | 4,672 | 28% | 705 | 2,846 | 853 | 268 |
| N.B. | 3,637 | 100% | 2,218 | 61% | 2,023 | 195 | 1 | 0% | 1,418 | 39% | 415 | 1,000 | 3 | Footnote – of Table 4 |
| Que. | 198,407 | 100% | 81,615 | 41% | 72,761 | 8,854 | 7,663 | 4% | 109,129 | 55% | 45,832 | 22,037 | 30,422 | 10,838 |
| Ont. | 138,436 | 100% | 66,554 | 48% | 62,094 | 4,460 | 0 | 0% | 71,882 | 52% | 3,499 | 15,829 | 7,793 | 44,761 |
| Man. | 34,044 | 100% | 27,763 | 82% | 25,814 | 1,949 | 38 | 0% | 6,243 | 18% | 1,474 | 3,754 | 367 | 648 |
| Sask. | 17,889 | 100% | 14,054 | 79% | 12,243 | 1,811 | 0 | 0% | 3,835 | 21% | 751 | 3,084 | 0 | |
| Alta. | 39,716 | 100% | 32,220 | 81% | 30,707 | 1,513 | 203 | 1% | 7,293 | 18% | 1,313 | 4,659 | 57 | 1,264 |
| B.C. | 31,463 | 100% | 18,000 | 57% | 17,080 | 920 | 1,143 | 4% | 12,320 | 39% | 1,731 | 5,939 | 0 | 4,650 |
| Yuk. | 1,616 | 100% | 1,349 | 83% | 1,274 | 75 | 9 | 1% | 258 | 16% | 19 | 114 | 125 | |
| N.W.T. | 523 | 100% | 395 | 76% | 385 | 10 | 0 | 0% | 128 | 24% | 17 | 111 | 0 | |
| Nvt. | Footnote – of Table 4 | Footnote – of Table 4 | Footnote – of Table 4 | Footnote – of Table 4 | Footnote – of Table 4 | Footnote – of Table 4 | Footnote – of Table 4 | Footnote – of Table 4 | Footnote – of Table 4 | Footnote – of Table 4 | Footnote – of Table 4 | |||
| CDA | 487,684 | 100% | 260,318 | 53% | 239,023 | 21,295 | 9,089 | 2% | 218,277 | 45% | 56,772 | 59,373 | 39,620 | 62,512 |
| Total reasons for refusalFootnote 2 of Table 5 Number (%) |
Reasons for refusalFootnote 1 of Table 5 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Financial eligibilityFootnote 3 of Table 5 Number (%) |
Coverage restrictionsFootnote 4 of Table 5 Number (%) |
Lack of meritFootnote 5 of Table 5 Number (%) |
Non-compliance or abuseFootnote 6 of Table 5 Number (%) |
Other reasons for refusalFootnote 7 of Table 5 &Footnote 8 of Table 5 Number (%) |
||||||||
| N.L. | 2,713 | 100% | 392 | 14% | 0 | 0% | 364 | 13% | 0 | 0% | 1,957 | 72% |
| P.E.I. | 92 | 100% | 83 | 90% | 0 | 0% | 6 | 7% | 0 | 0% | 3 | 3% |
| N.S. | 2,124 | 100% | 935 | 44% | 362 | 17% | 145 | 7% | 359 | 17% | 323 | 15% |
| N.B. | 465 | 100% | 232 | 50% | 144 | 31% | 11 | 2% | 0 | 0% | 78 | 17% |
| Que. | 29,278 | 100% | 21,175 | 72% | 4,271 | 15% | 775 | 3% | 38 | 0% | 3,019 | 10% |
| Ont. | 9,620 | 100% | 5,770 | 60% | 3,038 | 32% | 508 | 5% | 0 | 0% | 304 | 3% |
| Man. | 8,538 | 100% | 3,372 | 39% | 2,162 | 25% | 1239 | 15% | 55 | 1% | 1,710 | 20% |
| Sask. | 3,934 | 100% | 2,521 | 64% | 943 | 24% | 423 | 11% | 19 | 0% | 28 | 1% |
| Alta. | 15,495 | 100% | 3,746 | 24% | 2933 | 19% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 8,816 | 57% |
| B.C. | 7,506 | 100% | 1,353 | 18% | 686 | 9% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 5,467 | 73% |
| Yuk. | 52 | 100% | 45 | 87% | 0 | 0% | 5 | 10% | 2 | 4% | 0 | 0% |
| N.W.T. | 413 | 100% | 67 | 16% | 1 | 0% | 345 | 84% | Footnote – of Table 5 | Footnote – of Table 5 | Footnote – of Table 5 | Footnote – of Table 5 |
| Nvt. | Footnote – of Table 5 | Footnote – of Table 5 | Footnote – of Table 5 | Footnote – of Table 5 | Footnote – of Table 5 | Footnote – of Table 5 | Footnote – of Table 5 | Footnote – of Table 5 | Footnote – of Table 5 | Footnote – of Table 5 | Footnote – of Table 5 | Footnote – of Table 5 |
| Canada | 80,230 | 100% | 39,691 | 49% | 14,540 | 18% | 3,821 | 5% | 473 | 1% | 21,705 | 27% |
| Total reasons for refusalFootnote 2 of Table 6 Number (%) |
Reasons for refusalFootnote 1 of Table 6 | |||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Financial eligibilityFootnote 3 of Table 6 Number (%) |
Coverage restrictionsFootnote 4 of Table 6 Number (%) |
Lack of meritFootnote 5 of Table 6 Number (%) |
Non-compliance or abuseFootnote 6 of Table 6 Number (%) |
Other reasons for refusalFootnote 7 of Table 6 &Footnote 8 of Table 6 Number (%) |
||||||||
| N.L. | 1,176 | 100% | 187 | 16% | 0 | 0% | 63 | 5% | 0 | 0% | 926 | 79% |
| P.E.I. | 61 | 100% | 61 | 100% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% |
| N.S. | 772 | 100% | 335 | 43% | 85 | 11% | 32 | 4% | 158 | 20% | 162 | 21% |
| N.B. | 293 | 100% | 109 | 37% | 116 | 40% | 9 | 3% | 0 | 0% | 59 | 20% |
| Que. | 9,191 | 100% | 7,643 | 83% | 628 | 7% | 23 | 0% | 3 | 0% | 894 | 10% |
| Ont. | 4,737 | 100% | 2,334 | 49% | 2,012 | 42% | 259 | 5% | 0 | 0% | 132 | 3% |
| Man. | 4,823 | 100% | 1,933 | 40% | 1,312 | 27% | 369 | 8% | 22 | 0% | 1,187 | 25% |
| Sask. | 2,126 | 100% | 1,355 | 64% | 718 | 34% | 36 | 2% | 11 | 1% | 6 | 0% |
| Alta. | 8,835 | 100% | 2,057 | 23% | 256 | 3% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 6,522 | 74% |
| B.C. | 2,702 | 100% | 467 | 17% | 221 | 8% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 2,014 | 75% |
| Yuk. | 28 | 100% | 24 | 86% | 0 | 0% | 3 | 11% | 1 | 4% | 0 | 0% |
| N.W.T. | 279 | 100% | 28 | 10% | 0 | 0% | 1 | 0% | 2 | 1% | 248 | 89% |
| Nvt. | Footnote – of Table 6 | Footnote – of Table 6 | Footnote – of Table 6 | Footnote – of Table 6 | Footnote – of Table 6 | Footnote – of Table 6 | Footnote – of Table 6 | Footnote – of Table 6 | Footnote – of Table 6 | Footnote – of Table 6 | Footnote – of Table 6 | Footnote – of Table 6 |
| Canada | 35,023 | 100% | 16,533 | 47% | 5,348 | 15% | 795 | 2% | 197 | 1% | 12,150 | 35% |
| Total refusedFootnote 1 of Table 7,Footnote 2 of Table 7 Number (%) |
Financial eligibilityFootnote 3 of Table 7 Number (%) |
Coverage restrictionsFootnote 4 of Table 7 Number (%) |
Lack of meritFootnote 5 of Table 7 Number (%) |
Non-compliance or abuseFootnote 6 of Table 7 Number (%) |
Other reasons for refusal Footnote 7 of Table 7 &Footnote 8 of Table 7 Number (%) |
||||||||
| N.L. | Other Civil | 1,486 | 100% | 204 | 14% | 0 | 0% | 286 | 19% | 0 | 0% | 996 | 67% |
| I&R | 51 | 100% | 1 | 2% | 0 | 0% | 15 | 29% | 0 | 0% | 35 | 69% | |
| Total | 1,537 | 100% | 205 | 13% | 0 | 0% | 301 | 20% | 0 | 0% | 1,031 | 67% | |
| P.E.I. | Other Civil | 31 | 100% | 22 | 71% | 0 | 0% | 6 | 19% | 0 | 0% | 3 | 10% |
| I&R | |||||||||||||
| Total | 31 | 100% | 22 | 71% | 0 | 0% | 6 | 19% | 0 | 0% | 3 | 10% | |
| N.S. | Other Civil | 1,296 | 100% | 580 | 45% | 263 | 20% | 106 | 8% | 192 | 15% | 155 | 12% |
| I&R | 27 | 100% | 17 | 63% | 6 | 22% | 3 | 11% | 0 | 0% | 1 | 4% | |
| Total | 1,323 | 100% | 597 | 45% | 269 | 20% | 109 | 8% | 192 | 15% | 156 | 12% | |
| N.B. | Other Civil | 171 | 100% | 123 | 72% | 27 | 16% | 2 | 1% | 0 | 0% | 19 | 11% |
| I&R | 1 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 1 | 100% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | ||
| Total | 172 | 100% | 123 | 72% | 27 | 16% | 3 | 2% | 0 | 0% | 19 | 11% | |
| Que. | Other Civil | 18,222 | 100% | 12,497 | 69% | 3,047 | 17% | 734 | 4% | 33 | 0% | 1,911 | 10% |
| I&R | 654 | 100% | 531 | 81% | 17 | 3% | 16 | 2% | 2 | 0% | 88 | 13% | |
| Total | 18,876 | 100% | 13,028 | 69% | 3,064 | 16% | 750 | 4% | 35 | 0% | 1,999 | 11% | |
| Ont. | Other Civil | 3,993 | 100% | 2,985 | 75% | 750 | 19% | 106 | 3% | 0 | 0% | 152 | 4% |
| I&R | 890 | 100% | 451 | 51% | 276 | 31% | 143 | 16% | 0 | 0% | 20 | 2% | |
| Total | 4,883 | 100% | 3,436 | 70% | 1,026 | 21% | 249 | 5% | 0 | 0% | 172 | 4% | |
| Man. | Other Civil | 3,578 | 100% | 1,403 | 39% | 816 | 23% | 833 | 23% | 33 | 1% | 493 | 14% |
| I&R | 98 | 100% | 28 | 29% | 21 | 21% | 23 | 23% | 0 | 0% | 26 | 27% | |
| Total | 3,676 | 100% | 1,431 | 39% | 837 | 23% | 856 | 23% | 33 | 1% | 519 | 14% | |
| Sask. | Other Civil | 1,808 | 100% | 1,166 | 64% | 225 | 12% | 387 | 21% | 8 | 0% | 22 | 1% |
| I&R | |||||||||||||
| Total | 1,808 | 100% | 1,166 | 64% | 225 | 12% | 387 | 21% | 8 | 0% | 22 | 1% | |
| Alta. | Other Civil | 6,373 | 100% | 1,636 | 26% | 2,637 | 41% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 2,100 | 33% |
| I&R | 261 | 100% | 53 | 20% | 40 | 15% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 168 | 64% | |
| Total | 6,634 | 100% | 1,689 | 25% | 2677 | 40% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 2,268 | 34% | |
| B.C. | Other Civil | 3,734 | 100% | 568 | 15% | 163 | 4% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 3,003 | 80% |
| I&R | 798 | 100% | 266 | 33% | 294 | 37% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 238 | 30% | |
| Total | 4,532 | 100% | 834 | 18% | 457 | 10% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 3,241 | 72% | |
| Yuk. | Other Civil | 24 | 100% | 21 | 88% | 0 | 0% | 2 | 8% | 1 | 4% | 0 | 0% |
| I&R | |||||||||||||
| Total | 24 | 100% | 21 | 88% | 0 | 0% | 2 | 8% | 1 | 4% | 0 | 0% | |
| N.W.T. | Other Civil | 124 | 100% | 39 | 31% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 85 | 69% |
| I&R | |||||||||||||
| Total | 124 | 100% | 39 | 31% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 85 | 69% | |
| Canada | Other Civil | 40,840 | 100% | 21,244 | 52% | 7,928 | 19% | 2,462 | 6% | 267 | 1% | 8,939 | 22% |
| I&R | 2,780 | 100% | 1,347 | 48% | 654 | 24% | 201 | 7% | 2 | 0% | 576 | 21% | |
| Total | 43,620 | 100% | 22,591 | 52% | 8,582 | 20% | 2,663 | 6% | 269 | 1% | 9,515 | 22% | |
| All criminal and civil applicationsFootnote 1 of Table 8 | Criminal legal aid applications | Civil legal aidFootnote 4 of Table 8 applications | ||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total received Number (%) |
Total approvedFootnote 2 of Table 8 Number (%) |
Total refusedFootnote 3 of Table 8 Number (%) |
Total received | Total approved Number (%) |
Total refused Number (%) |
Total received | Total approved Number (%) |
Total refused Number (%) |
||||||||
| N.L. | 517 | 100% | 400 | 77% | 117 | 23% | 451 | 351 | 78% | 100 | 22% | 66 | 49 | 74% | 17 | 26% |
| P.E.I. | 79 | 100% | 78 | 99% | 1 | 1% | 69 | 68 | 99% | 1 | 1% | 10 | 10 | 100% | 0 | 0% |
| N.S. | 1,761 | 100% | 1,581 | 90% | 180 | 10% | 1,298 | 1,231 | 95% | 67 | 5% | 463 | 350 | 76% | 113 | 24% |
| N.B. | 394 | 100% | 357 | 91% | 37 | 9% | 279 | 251 | 90% | 28 | 10% | 115 | 106 | 92% | 9 | 8% |
| Que. | Footnote – of Table 8 | Footnote – of Table 8 | Footnote – of Table 8 | Footnote – of Table 8 | Footnote – of Table 8 | Footnote – of Table 8 | Footnote – of Table 8 | Footnote – of Table 8 | Footnote – of Table 8 | Footnote – of Table 8 | Footnote – of Table 8 | Footnote – of Table 8 | Footnote – of Table 8 | Footnote – of Table 8 | Footnote – of Table 8 | Footnote – of Table 8 |
| Ont. | 19,312 | 100% | 18,368 | 95% | 944 | 5% | 15,626 | 14,973 | 96% | 653 | 4% | 3,686 | 3,395 | 92% | 291 | 8% |
| Man. | 13,703 | 100% | 9,963 | 73% | 3,740 | 27% | 10,430 | 7,799 | 75% | 2,631 | 25% | 3,273 | 2,164 | 66% | 1,109 | 34% |
| Sask. | 14,090 | 100% | 12,073 | 86% | 2,017 | 14% | 11,015 | 9,840 | 89% | 1,175 | 11% | 3,075 | 2,233 | 73% | 842 | 27% |
| Alta. | Footnote – of Table 8 | Footnote – of Table 8 | Footnote – of Table 8 | Footnote – of Table 8 | Footnote – of Table 8 | Footnote – of Table 8 | Footnote – of Table 8 | Footnote – of Table 8 | Footnote – of Table 8 | Footnote – of Table 8 | Footnote – of Table 8 | Footnote – of Table 8 | Footnote – of Table 8 | Footnote – of Table 8 | Footnote – of Table 8 | Footnote – of Table 8 |
| B.C. | 7,664 | 100% | 6,453 | 84% | 1,211 | 16% | 5,383 | 4,827 | 90% | 556 | 10% | 2,281 | 1,626 | 71% | 655 | 29% |
| Yuk. | 13 | 100% | 12 | 92% | 1 | 0 | 11 | 10 | 91% | 1 | 9% | 2 | 2 | 100% | 0 | 0% |
| N.W.T. | 585 | 100% | 473 | 81% | 112 | 0 | 369 | 366 | 99% | 3 | 1% | 216 | 107 | 50% | 109 | 50% |
| Nvt. | Footnote – of Table 8 | Footnote – of Table 8 | Footnote – of Table 8 | Footnote – of Table 8 | Footnote – of Table 8 | Footnote – of Table 8 | Footnote – of Table 8 | Footnote – of Table 8 | Footnote – of Table 8 | Footnote – of Table 8 | Footnote – of Table 8 | Footnote – of Table 8 | Footnote – of Table 8 | Footnote – of Table 8 | Footnote – of Table 8 | Footnote – of Table 8 |
| Canada | 58,118 | 100% | 49,758 | 86% | 8,360 | 14% | 44,931 | 39,716 | 88% | 5,215 | 12% | 13,187 | 10,042 | 76% | 3,145 | 24% |
| Total duty counsel services Number (%) |
Criminal duty counsel servicesFootnote 1 of Table 9 | Provincial Statute Offences Number (%) |
Civil duty counsel servicesFootnote 2 of Table 9 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total criminal duty counsel services Number (%) |
Adult matters | YouthFootnote 3 of Table 9 matters | Total civil duty counsel services Number (%) |
I&RFootnote 4 of Table 9 | Other civil mattersFootnote 5 of Table 9 | |||||||
| N.L.Footnote P of Table 9 | 11,200 | 100% | 10,499 | 94% | 10,151 | 348 | 0 | 0% | 701 | 6% | 0 | 701 |
| P.E.I. | 780 | 100% | 780 | 100% | 780 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | |
| N.S.Footnote A of Table 9 | 19,071 | 100% | 16,131 | 85% | 15,676 | 455 | 697 | 4% | 2,243 | 12% | 0 | 2,243 |
| N.B.Footnote A of Table 9 | 24,076 | 100% | 22,363 | 93% | 21,555 | 808 | 653 | 3% | 1,060 | 4% | Footnote – of Table 9 | 1,060 |
| Que. | 23,042 | 100% | 23,042 | 100% | 23,042 | 0 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 |
| Ont.Footnote A of Table 9 | 1,149,086 | 100% | 1,028,578 | 90% | 1,011,020 | 17,558 | 0 | 0% | 120,508 | 10% | 76 | 120,432 |
| Man.Footnote A of Table 9 | 56,740 | 100% | 53,411 | 94% | 47,910 | 5,501 | 0 | 0% | 3,329 | 6% | 0 | 3,329 |
| Sask.Footnote A of Table 9 | 35,832 | 100% | 35,436 | 99% | 32,741 | 2,695 | 396 | 1% | 0 | 0% | 0 | |
| Alta. | Footnote – of Table 9 | Footnote – of Table 9 | Footnote – of Table 9 | Footnote – of Table 9 | Footnote – of Table 9 | Footnote – of Table 9 | Footnote – of Table 9 | Footnote – of Table 9 | Footnote – of Table 9 | Footnote – of Table 9 | Footnote – of Table 9 | Footnote – of Table 9 |
| B.C.Footnote A of Table 9 | 93,717 | 100% | 66,384 | 71% | 64,731 | 1,653 | 0 | 0% | 27,333 | 29% | 0 | 27,333 |
| Yuk. | 1,708 | 100% | 1,642 | 96% | 1,588 | 54 | 10 | 1% | 56 | 3% | 56 | |
| N.W.T. | 2,841 | 100% | 2,841 | 100% | 2,664 | 177 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% | Footnote – of Table 9 | |
| Nvt. | Footnote – of Table 9 | Footnote – of Table 9 | Footnote – of Table 9 | Footnote – of Table 9 | Footnote – of Table 9 | Footnote – of Table 9 | Footnote – of Table 9 | Footnote – of Table 9 | Footnote – of Table 9 | Footnote – of Table 9 | Footnote – of Table 9 | |
| Canada | 1,418,093 | 100% | 1,261,107 | 89% | 1,231,858 | 29,249 | 1,756 | 0% | 155,230 | 11% | 76 | 155,154 |
| Total duty counsel servicesFootnote 1 of Table 10 Dollars (%) |
Criminal duty counsel servicesFootnote 2 of Table 10 | Provincial Statute Offences Dollars (%) |
Civil duty counsel servicesFootnote 3 of Table 10 | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total criminal duty counsel services Dollars (%) |
Adult matters | YouthFootnote 4 of Table 10 matters | Total civil duty counsel services Dollars (%) |
I&RFootnote 5 of Table 10 | Other civil mattersFootnote 6 of Table 10 | |||||||
| N.L. | 226,940 | 100% | 226,940 | 100% | 224,333 | 2,607 | Footnote – of Table 10 | 0% | Footnote – of Table 10 | 0% | Footnote – of Table 10 | Footnote – of Table 10 |
| P.E.I. | 66,162 | 100% | 66,162 | 100% | 66,162 | Footnote – of Table 10 | Footnote – of Table 10 | 0% | Footnote – of Table 10 | 0% | Footnote – of Table 10 | |
| N.S. | 2,863,379 | 100% | 2,454,392 | 86% | 2,399,829 | 54,563 | Footnote – of Table 10 | 0% | 408,987 | 14% | Footnote – of Table 10 | 408,987 |
| N.B. | 1,889,596 | 100% | 1,704,440 | 90% | 1,695,802 | 8,638 | 5,338 | 0% | 179,818 | 10% | Footnote – of Table 10 | 179,818 |
| Que. | 1,385,349 | 100% | 1,385,349 | 100% | 1,385,349 | Footnote – of Table 10 | Footnote – of Table 10 | 0% | Footnote – of Table 10 | 0% | Footnote – of Table 10 | Footnote – of Table 10 |
| Ont. | 97,677,232 | 100% | 70,698,152 | 72% | 69,369,913 | 1,328,239 | Footnote – of Table 10 | 0% | 26,979,080 | 28% | 3,636 | 26,975,444 |
| Man. | 3,220,025 | 100% | 3,026,252 | 94% | 2,717,850 | 308,402 | Footnote – of Table 10 | 0% | 193,773 | 6% | Footnote – of Table 10 | 193,773 |
| Sask. | 5,426,886 | 100% | 5,421,299 | 100% | 5,030,236 | 391,063 | 4,252 | 0% | 1,335 | 0% | 1,335 | |
| Alta. | 23,785,430 | 100% | 23,785,430 | 100% | 22,941,777 | 843,653 | 0% | Footnote – of Table 10 | 0% | Footnote – of Table 10 | ||
| B.C. | 18,987,788 | 100% | 12,064,487 | 64% | 11,593,939 | 470,548 | 759,889 | 4% | 6,163,412 | 32% | 400,944 | 5,762,468 |
| Yuk. | 156,137 | 100% | Footnote – of Table 10 | Footnote – of Table 10 | Footnote – of Table 10 | Footnote – of Table 10 | Footnote – of Table 10 | Footnote – of Table 10 | Footnote – of Table 10 | Footnote – of Table 10 | Footnote – of Table 10 | |
| N.W.T. | 889,827 | 100% | Footnote – of Table 10 | Footnote – of Table 10 | Footnote – of Table 10 | Footnote – of Table 10 | Footnote – of Table 10 | Footnote – of Table 10 | Footnote – of Table 10 | Footnote – of Table 10 | Footnote – of Table 10 | |
| Nvt. | Footnote – of Table 10 | Footnote – of Table 10 | Footnote – of Table 10 | Footnote – of Table 10 | Footnote – of Table 10 | Footnote – of Table 10 | Footnote – of Table 10 | Footnote – of Table 10 | Footnote – of Table 10 | Footnote – of Table 10 | Footnote – of Table 10 | |
| Canada | 156,574,751 | 100% | 120,832,903 | 77% | 117,425,190 | 3,407,713 | 769,479 | 0% | 33,926,405 | 22% | 404,580 | 33,521,825 |
| Total criminal and civil matters | Criminal matters (adult and youth) | Civil matters (including I&R) | ||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total approved and refused appealsFootnote 1 of Table 11 Number (%) |
Total approved appeals Number (%) |
Total refused appeals Number (%) |
Approved and refused appeals Number (%) |
Approved appeals Number (%) |
Refused appeals Number (%) |
Approved and refused appeals Number (%) |
Approved appeals Number (%) |
Refused appeals Number (%) |
||||||||||
| N.L. | Footnote – of Table 11 | Footnote – of Table 11 | Footnote – of Table 11 | Footnote – of Table 11 | Footnote – of Table 11 | Footnote – of Table 11 | Footnote – of Table 11 | Footnote – of Table 11 | Footnote – of Table 11 | Footnote – of Table 11 | Footnote – of Table 11 | Footnote – of Table 11 | Footnote – of Table 11 | Footnote – of Table 11 | Footnote – of Table 11 | Footnote – of Table 11 | Footnote – of Table 11 | Footnote – of Table 11 |
| P.E.I. | 1 | 100% | 1 | 100% | 0 | 0% | 1 | 100% | 1 | 100% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| N.S. | 101 | 100% | 77 | 76% | 24 | 24% | 71 | 100% | 54 | 76% | 17 | 24% | 30 | 100% | 23 | 77% | 7 | 23% |
| N.B. | 22 | 100% | 12 | 55% | 10 | 45% | 10 | 100% | 9 | 90% | 1 | 10% | 12 | 100% | 3 | 25% | 9 | 75% |
| Que. | 687 | 100% | 415 | 60% | 272 | 40% | 288 | 100% | 211 | 73% | 77 | 27% | 399 | 100% | 204 | 51% | 195 | 49% |
| Ont. | 9,939 | 100% | 9,716 | 98% | 223 | 2% | 1,137 | 100% | 1,001 | 88% | 136 | 12% | 8,802 | 100% | 8,715 | 99% | 87 | 1% |
| Man. | 132 | 100% | 56 | 42% | 76 | 58% | 107 | 100% | 46 | 43% | 61 | 57% | 25 | 100% | 10 | 40% | 15 | 60% |
| Sask. | 36 | 100% | 36 | 100% | 0 | 0% | 36 | 100% | 36 | 100% | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Alta. | Footnote – of Table 11 | Footnote – of Table 11 | Footnote – of Table 11 | Footnote – of Table 11 | Footnote – of Table 11 | Footnote – of Table 11 | Footnote – of Table 11 | Footnote – of Table 11 | Footnote – of Table 11 | Footnote – of Table 11 | Footnote – of Table 11 | Footnote – of Table 11 | Footnote – of Table 11 | Footnote – of Table 11 | Footnote – of Table 11 | Footnote – of Table 11 | Footnote – of Table 11 | Footnote – of Table 11 |
| B.C. | 1,244 | 100% | 632 | 51% | 612 | 49% | 326 | 100% | 85 | 26% | 241 | 74% | 918 | 100% | 547 | 60% | 371 | 40% |
| Yuk. | 5 | 100% | 4 | 80% | 1 | 20% | 5 | 100% | 4 | 80% | 1 | 20% | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| N.W.T. | 10 | 100% | 8 | 80% | 2 | 20% | 10 | 100% | 8 | 80% | 2 | 20% | 0 | 0 | 0 | |||
| Nvt. | Footnote – of Table 11 | Footnote – of Table 11 | Footnote – of Table 11 | Footnote – of Table 11 | Footnote – of Table 11 | Footnote – of Table 11 | Footnote – of Table 11 | Footnote – of Table 11 | Footnote – of Table 11 | Footnote – of Table 11 | Footnote – of Table 11 | Footnote – of Table 11 | Footnote – of Table 11 | Footnote – of Table 11 | Footnote – of Table 11 | Footnote – of Table 11 | Footnote – of Table 11 | Footnote – of Table 11 |
| Canada | 12,177 | 100% | 10,957 | 90% | 1,220 | 10% | 1,991 | 100% | 1,455 | 73% | 536 | 27% | 10,186 | 100% | 9,502 | 93% | 684 | 7% |
| Type of matter | Total Number (%) |
|||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Criminal Number (%) |
I&RFootnote 1 of Table 12 Number (%) |
Civil Number (%) |
Criminal and Civil (combined)Footnote 2 of Table 12 Number (%) |
|||||||
| Male 17 and under | 12,232 | 7% | 313 | 1% | 16,331 | 29% | 416 | 2% | 29,292 | 10% |
| Male 18-34 | 79,215 | 44% | 21,199 | 54% | 12,130 | 21% | 9,108 | 41% | 121,652 | 41% |
| Male 35-49 | 62,532 | 35% | 14,205 | 36% | 15,958 | 28% | 9,494 | 43% | 102,189 | 34% |
| Male 50+ | 25,648 | 14% | 3,505 | 9% | 12,254 | 22% | 3,199 | 14% | 44,606 | 15% |
| Total Males | 179,627 | 100% | 39,222 | 100% | 56,673 | 100% | 22,217 | 100% | 297,739 | 100% |
| Female 17 and under | 3,883 | 8% | 239 | 1% | 17,096 | 18% | 305 | 3% | 21,523 | 12% |
| Female 18-34 | 23,004 | 47% | 10,436 | 49% | 32,463 | 35% | 4,698 | 41% | 70,601 | 40% |
| Female 35-49 | 17,375 | 36% | 7,766 | 37% | 31,023 | 33% | 5,279 | 47% | 61,443 | 35% |
| Female 50+ | 4,600 | 9% | 2,652 | 13% | 13,316 | 14% | 1,059 | 9% | 21,627 | 12% |
| Total Females | 48,862 | 100% | 21,093 | 100% | 93,898 | 100% | 11,341 | 100% | 175,194 | 100% |
| Other 17 and under | 1,262 | 15% | 7 | 0% | 1,000 | 22% | 1,964 | 22% | 4,233 | 18% |
| Other 18-34 | 4,067 | 47% | 749 | 49% | 1,643 | 37% | 4,021 | 44% | 10,480 | 44% |
| Other 35-49 | 2,123 | 25% | 612 | 40% | 1,182 | 26% | 2,306 | 25% | 6,223 | 26% |
| Other 50+ | 1,179 | 14% | 153 | 10% | 638 | 14% | 810 | 9% | 2,780 | 12% |
| Total OtherFootnote 3 of Table 12 | 8,631 | 100% | 1521 | 100% | 4,463 | 100% | 9,101 | 100% | 23,716 | 100% |
| Total 17 and under | 17,377 | 7% | 559 | 1% | 34,427 | 22% | 2,685 | 6% | 55,048 | 11% |
| Total 18-34 | 106,286 | 45% | 32,384 | 52% | 46,236 | 30% | 17,827 | 42% | 202,733 | 41% |
| Total 35-49 | 82,030 | 35% | 22,583 | 37% | 48,163 | 31% | 17,079 | 40% | 169,855 | 34% |
| Total 50+ | 31,427 | 13% | 6,310 | 10% | 26,208 | 17% | 5,068 | 12% | 69,013 | 14% |
| Canada | 237,120 | 100% | 61,836 | 100% | 155,034 | 100% | 42,659 | 100% | 496,649 | 100% |
| Total criminal and civilFootnote 1 of Table 13 Number (%) |
Criminal | CivilFootnote 3 of Table 13 | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total criminal adult Number (%) |
Adult | YouthFootnote 2 of Table 13 | Total criminal youth Number (%) |
||||||||||||||
| Male | Female | Other | Male | Female | Other | Male | Female | Other | Total civil Number (%) |
||||||||
| N.L. | 517 | 100% | 444 | 1% | 353 | 91 | Footnote * of Table 13 | 5 | Footnote * of Table 13 | Footnote * of Table 13 | 7 | 0% | 22 | 44 | Footnote * of Table 13 | 66 | 1% |
| P.E.I. | 78 | 100% | 62 | 0% | 22 | 39 | Footnote * of Table 13 | Footnote * of Table 13 | Footnote * of Table 13 | Footnote * of Table 13 | 6 | 0% | Footnote * of Table 13 | 6 | Footnote * of Table 13 | 10 | 0% |
| N.B. | 686 | 100% | 426 | 1% | 304 | 122 | Footnote * of Table 13 | 35 | 5 | Footnote * of Table 13 | 40 | 1% | 72 | 148 | Footnote * of Table 13 | 220 | 2% |
| N.S. | 2224 | 100% | 1695 | 4% | 1152 | 538 | 5 | 96 | 28 | Footnote * of Table 13 | 126 | 4% | 126 | 275 | Footnote * of Table 13 | 403 | 4% |
| Ont. | 18,368 | 100% | 14,109 | 37% | 10,363 | 3,622 | 124 | 569 | 284 | 11 | 864 | 31% | 1,235 | 2,085 | 75 | 3,395 | 33% |
| Man. | 9,978 | 100% | 7,334 | 19% | 5,482 | 1,818 | 34 | 343 | 137 | Footnote * of Table 13 | 480 | 17% | 753 | 1,397 | 14 | 2,164 | 21% |
| Sask. | 12,091 | 100% | 8,790 | 23% | 6,265 | 2,177 | 348 | 718 | 309 | 41 | 1,068 | 38% | 490 | 1,598 | 145 | 2,233 | 22% |
| B.C. | 6,077 | 100% | 4,362 | 12% | 3,205 | 1,151 | 6 | 135 | 72 | Footnote * of Table 13 | 207 | 7% | 481 | 1,024 | Footnote * of Table 13 | 1,508 | 15% |
| N.W.T. | 846 | 100% | 618 | 2% | 498 | 100 | 20 | 8 | Footnote * of Table 13 | Footnote * of Table 13 | 8 | 0% | 60 | 157 | Footnote * of Table 13 | 220 | 2% |
| Canada | 50,865 | 100% | 37,840 | 74% | 27,644 | 9,658 | 538 | 1,913 | 839 | 54 | 2,806 | 100% | 3,243 | 6,734 | 242 | 10,219 | 100% |
| List of offencesFootnote 1 of Table 14 and appeals | Total casesFootnote 2 of Table 14 Number (%) |
Total in-year expenditures (fees and disbursements) Dollars (%) |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Homicide | 2,351 | 1% | 43,965,924 | 11% |
| Sexual Assault | 10,683 | 4% | 30,215,045 | 8% |
| Robbery | 7,561 | 3% | 16,153,701 | 4% |
| Kidnapping | 1,734 | 1% | 4,643,010 | 1% |
| Arson | 918 | 0% | 1,571,277 | 0% |
| Narcotics | 16,042 | 6% | 27,792,718 | 7% |
| Theft, Break and Enter, Possession of Stolen Property | 49,623 | 19% | 57,171,421 | 15% |
| Impaired Driving | 7,515 | 3% | 8,176,543 | 2% |
| Other Driving Offences | 3,130 | 1% | 4,165,826 | 1% |
| Assault | 56,459 | 22% | 65,462,826 | 17% |
| Breach of Probation | 24,119 | 9% | 16,110,637 | 4% |
| Administration of Justice | 13,288 | 5% | 19,760,078 | 5% |
| Proceedings under Part XX.1 Criminal Code (Mental Disorder) | 1,694 | 1% | 443,713 | 0% |
| Proceedings under the Extradition Act | 2 | 0% | 0 | 0% |
| Other OffencesFootnote 3 of Table 14 | 66,863 | 25% | 89,565,620 | 23% |
| Subtotal – Offences | 261,982 | 100% | 385,198,339 | 100% |
| Appeals: | ||||
| a. Crown | 98 | 0.0% | 549,599 | 0.1% |
| b. Eligible Person Requested | 284 | 0.1% | 1,328,734 | 0.3% |
| c. Proceedings under Part XX.1 Criminal Code (Mental Disorder) | 0 | 0.0% | 0 | 0.0% |
| d. Proceedings under the Extradition Act | 3 | 0.0% | 1,758 | 0.0% |
| Subtotal – Appeals | 383 | 0.1% | 1,879,506 | 0.5% |
| Total – Criminal Legal Aid - Adults | 262,367 | 100% | 387,078,430 | 100% |
| List of offencesFootnote 1 of Table 15 and appeals | Total volume of casesFootnote 2 of Table 15 Number (%) |
Total in-year expenditures (fees and disbursements) Dollars (%) |
||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Homicide | 152 | 1% | 2,128,504 | 7% |
| Sexual Assault | 1,895 | 8% | 3,786,808 | 13% |
| Robbery | 1,956 | 8% | 2,748,752 | 9% |
| Kidnapping | 85 | 0% | 141,907 | 0% |
| Arson | 135 | 1% | 275,044 | 1% |
| Narcotics | 510 | 2% | 1,275,884 | 4% |
| Theft, Break and Enter, Possession of Stolen Property | 2,841 | 12% | 3,011,590 | 10% |
| Impaired Driving | 169 | 1% | 283,804 | 1% |
| Other Driving Offences | 112 | 0% | 216,685 | 1% |
| Assault | 6,968 | 30% | 6,907,274 | 23% |
| Breach of Probation | 763 | 3% | 392,228 | 1% |
| Administration of Justice | 621 | 3% | 1,247,046 | 4% |
| Proceedings under Part XX.1 Criminal Code (Mental Disorder) | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% |
| Proceedings under the Extradition Act | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% |
| Other OffencesFootnote 3 of Table 15 | 7,287 | 31% | 7,423,769 | 25% |
| Subtotal – Offences | 23,494 | 100% | 29,839,295 | 100% |
| Appeals: 4 | ||||
| a. Crown | 1 | 0% | 143 | 0% |
| b. Eligible Person Requested | 1 | 0% | 296 | 0% |
| c. Proceedings under Part XX.1 Criminal Code (Mental Disorder) | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% |
| d. Proceedings under the Extradition Act | 0 | 0% | 0 | 0% |
| Subtotal – Appeals | 2 | 0% | 439 | 0% |
| Total – Criminal Legal Aid – Youth | 23,503 | 100% | 29,839,734 | 100% |
| CertificatesFootnote 1 of Table 16 issued in the fiscal year Number (%) |
Expenditures for certificates issued in the fiscal year Dollars |
Certificates carried over from previous fiscal year Number (%) |
Expenditures for certificates issued in a previous fiscal year Dollars |
Total number of certificates (previous and current fiscal year) Number (%) |
Total expenditures Dollars (%) |
|||||
| Alberta | ||||||||||
| Private Bar | 678 | 99% | 1,162,780 | 150 | 67% | 183,478 | 828 | 91% | 1,346,258 | 75% |
| Staff Lawyer | 6 | 1% | 10,767 | 73 | 33% | 442,686 | 79 | 9% | 453,453 | 25% |
| Specialized Clinics | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 |
| Totals | 684 | 100% | 1,173,547 | 223 | 100% | 626,164 | 907 | 100% | 1,799,711 | 100% |
| British Columbia | ||||||||||
| Private Bar | 3,822 | 100% | 5,498,174 | 1938 | 100% | 4,188,546 | 5,760 | 100% | 9,686,720 | 100% |
| Staff Lawyer | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 |
| Specialized Clinics | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 |
| Totals | 3,822 | 100% | 5,498,174 | 1938 | 100% | 4,188,546 | 5,760 | 100% | 9,686,720 | 100% |
| Manitoba | ||||||||||
| Private Bar | 619 | 96% | 91,352 | 64 | 52% | 77,687 | 683 | 88% | 169,039 | 62% |
| Staff Lawyer | 29 | 4% | 13,398 | 60 | 48% | 91,973 | 89 | 12% | 105,371 | 38% |
| Specialized Clinics | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 |
| Totals | 648 | 100% | 104,750 | 124 | 100% | 169,660 | 772 | 100% | 274,410 | 100% |
| New Brunswick | ||||||||||
| Specialized Clinics | 95 | 100% | 206,363 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | 95 | 100% | 206,363 | 100% |
| Totals | 95 | 100% | 206,363 | 0 | Footnote – of Table 16 | 0 | 95 | 100% | 206,363 | 100% |
| Nova Scotia | ||||||||||
| Private Bar | 37 | 12% | 88,273 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | 37 | 7% | 88,273 | 10% |
| Staff Lawyer | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 |
| Specialized Clinics | 268 | 88% | 787,572 | 206 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | 474 | 93% | 787,572 | 90% |
| Totals | 305 | 100% | 875,845 | 206 | Footnote – of Table 16 | 0 | 511 | 100% | 875,845 | 100% |
| Newfoundland and Labrador | ||||||||||
| Private Bar | 3 | 3% | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | 5324 | 3 | 3% | 5,324 | 2% |
| Staff Lawyer | 83 | 97% | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | 277,681 | 83 | 97% | 277,681 | 98% |
| Specialized Clinics | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 |
| Totals | 86 | 100% | 0 | 0 | Footnote – of Table 16 | 283,005 | 86 | 100% | 283,005 | 100% |
| Ontario | ||||||||||
| Private Bar | 44,761 | 81% | 25,414,059 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | 44,761 | 83% | 25,414,059 | 66% |
| Staff Lawyer | 1,870 | 3% | 5,630,565 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | 1,870 | 3% | 5,630,565 | 15% |
| Specialized Clinics | 8,826 | 16% | 7,446,743 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | 8,826 | 16% | 38,491,367 | 19% |
| Totals | 55,457 | 100% | 38,491,367 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | Footnote – of Table 16 | 55,457 | 100% | 58,848,362 | 100% |
| Quebec | ||||||||||
| Private Bar | 8,480 | 78% | 1,438,770 | 4,446 | 100% | 4,402,673 | 12,926 | 85% | 5,841,443 | 51% |
| Staff Lawyer | 293 | 3% | 517,357 | Footnote – of Table 16 | 0% | Footnote – of Table 16 | 293 | 2% | 517,357 | 5% |
| Specialized Clinics | 2,065 | 19% | 5,073,765 | 0 | 0% | 0 | 2,065 | 14% | 5,073,765 | 44% |
| Totals | 10,838 | 100% | 7,029,892 | 4,446 | 100% | 4,402,673 | 15,284 | 100% | 11,432,565 | 100% |
| Canada | ||||||||||
| Private Bar | 58,400 | 81% | 33,693,408 | 6,598 | 95% | 8,857,708 | 64,998 | 82% | 42,551,116 | 67% |
| Staff Lawyer | 2,281 | 3% | 6,172,087 | 133 | 2% | 812,340 | 2,414 | 3% | 6,984,427 | 11% |
| Specialized Clinics | 11,254 | 16% | 13,514,443 | 206 | 3% | 0 | 11,460 | 15% | 13,514,443 | 21% |
| Totals | 71,935 | 100% | 53,379,938 | 6,937 | 100% | 9,670,048 | 78,872 | 100% | 63,049,986 | 100% |
| Total lawyers providing legal aid services Number (%) |
Type of lawyer providing legal aid services | |||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Private bar lawyersFootnote 1 of Table 17 | Staff lawyersFootnote 2 of Table 17 | Other lawyers (e.g., Executive Director)Footnote 3 of Table 17 | ||||||||||||||||||
| Criminal | I&RFootnote 4 of Table 17 | Other civil | Criminal and civil | TOTAL Number (%) |
Criminal | I&R | Other civil | Criminal and civil | TOTAL Number (%) |
Criminal | I&R | Other civil | Criminal and civil | TOTAL Number (%) |
||||||
| N.L. | 80 | 1% | Footnote – of Table 17 | Footnote – of Table 17 | Footnote – of Table 17 | 15 | 15 | 19% | Footnote – of Table 17 | Footnote – of Table 17 | Footnote – of Table 17 | 61 | 61 | 76% | Footnote – of Table 17 | Footnote – of Table 17 | Footnote – of Table 17 | 4 | 4 | 5% |
| P.E.I. | 35 | 0% | 13 | 8 | 4 | 25 | 71% | 4 | 4 | 1 | 9 | 26% | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 3% | |||
| N.S. | 328 | 4% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 216 | 216 | 66% | 0 | 4 | 0 | 102 | 106 | 32% | 0 | 1 | 0 | 5 | 6 | 2% |
| N.B. | 166 | 2% | 39 | 0 | 40 | 28 | 107 | 64% | 26 | 0 | 13 | 0 | 39 | 23% | 4 | 1 | 14 | 1 | 20 | 12% |
| Que. | 2,170 | 24% | Footnote – of Table 17 | Footnote – of Table 17 | Footnote – of Table 17 | 1,694 | 1,694 | 78% | Footnote – of Table 17 | Footnote – of Table 17 | Footnote – of Table 17 | 408 | 408 | 19% | Footnote – of Table 17 | Footnote – of Table 17 | Footnote – of Table 17 | 68 | 68 | 3% |
| Ont. | 3,385 | 37% | 1,238 | 336 | 902 | 468 | 2,944 | 87% | 176 | 28 | 78 | 132 | 414 | 12% | 1 | 0 | 1 | 25 | 27 | 1% |
| Man. | 350 | 4% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 288 | 288 | 82% | 22 | 0 | 17 | 17 | 56 | 16% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 6 | 6 | 2% |
| Sask. | 219 | 2% | 0 | 0 | 124 | 124 | 57% | 0 | 0 | 86 | 86 | 39% | 0 | 0 | 9 | 9 | 4% | |||
| Alta. | 1,192 | 13% | 615 | 74 | 354 | 1,043 | 88% | 69 | 0 | 80 | 0 | 149 | 13% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | |
| B.C. | 1,145 | 13% | 447 | 80 | 438 | 149 | 1,114 | 97% | 5 | 1 | 20 | 2 | 28 | 2% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 3 | 3 | 0% |
| Yuk. | 19 | 0% | Footnote – of Table 17 | Footnote – of Table 17 | 7 | 7 | 37% | 1 | 0 | 10 | 11 | 58% | 0 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 5% | |||
| N.W.T. | 35 | 0% | Footnote – of Table 17 | Footnote – of Table 17 | 26 | 26 | 74% | 5 | 4 | 0 | 9 | 26% | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0% | |||
| Nvt. | Footnote – of Table 17 | Footnote – of Table 17 | Footnote – of Table 17 | Footnote – of Table 17 | Footnote – of Table 17 | Footnote – of Table 17 | Footnote – of Table 17 | Footnote – of Table 17 | Footnote – of Table 17 | Footnote – of Table 17 | Footnote – of Table 17 | Footnote – of Table 17 | Footnote – of Table 17 | Footnote – of Table 17 | Footnote – of Table 17 | Footnote – of Table 17 | ||||
| Canada | 9,124 | 100% | 2,352 | 490 | 1,742 | 3,019 | 7,603 | 83% | 308 | 33 | 216 | 819 | 1,376 | 15% | 5 | 2 | 15 | 123 | 145 | 2% |
| Total legal aid plan personnel Number (%) |
Lawyers providing legal aid | Non-lawyers | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Total lawyers Number (%) |
Private bar lawyersFootnote 1 of Table 18 | Staff lawyersFootnote 2 of Table 18 | Other lawyersFootnote 3 of Table 18 | Total non-lawyers Number (%) |
Intake workerFootnote 4 of Table 18 | Support StaffFootnote 5 of Table 18 | Para-legalFootnote 6 of Table 18 | Legal assistantFootnote 7 of Table 18 | Articling studentFootnote 8 of Table 18 | OtherFootnote 9 of Table 18 | |||||
| N.L. | 151 | 100% | 80 | 53% | 15 | 61 | 4 | 71 | 47% | 15 | 22 | 4 | 24 | 5 | 1 |
| P.E.I. | 42 | 100% | 35 | 83% | 25 | 9 | 1 | 7 | 17% | 0 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| N.S. | 430 | 100% | 328 | 76% | 216 | 106 | 6 | 102 | 24% | 17 | 18 | 1 | 63 | 3 | 0 |
| N.B. | 214 | 100% | 166 | 78% | 107 | 39 | 20 | 48 | 22% | 13 | 10 | 0 | 7 | 2 | 16 |
| Que. | 2,774 | 100% | 2,170 | 79% | 1,694 | 408 | 68 | 604 | 21% | 73 | 488 | 0 | 26 | 17 | 0 |
| Ont. | 4,146 | 100% | 3,385 | 82% | 2,944 | 414 | 27 | 761 | 18% | 183 | 546 | 20 | 2 | 10 | 0 |
| Man. | 455 | 100% | 350 | 77% | 288 | 56 | 6 | 105 | 23% | 25 | 25 | 4 | 37 | 13 | 1 |
| Sask. | 300 | 100% | 209 | 70% | 124 | 76 | 9 | 91 | 30% | 0 | 76 | 0 | 9 | 2 | 4 |
| Alta. | 1,382 | 100% | 1,192 | 86% | 1,043 | 149 | 0 | 190 | 14% | 79 | 56 | 0 | 51 | 4 | 0 |
| B.C. | 1,327 | 100% | 1,145 | 86% | 1,114 | 28 | 3 | 182 | 14% | 41 | 133 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Yuk. | 29 | 100% | 19 | 66% | 7 | 11 | 1 | 10 | 34% | 1 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 0 | 4 |
| N.W.T. | 45 | 100% | 35 | 78% | 26 | 9 | 0 | 10 | 22% | 0 | 8 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 2 |
| Nvt. | Footnote – of Table 18 | Footnote – of Table 18 | Footnote – of Table 18 | Footnote – of Table 18 | Footnote – of Table 18 | Footnote – of Table 18 | Footnote – of Table 18 | Footnote – of Table 18 | Footnote – of Table 18 | Footnote – of Table 18 | Footnote – of Table 18 | Footnote – of Table 18 | Footnote – of Table 18 | Footnote – of Table 18 | Footnote – of Table 18 |
| Canada | 11,295 | 100% | 9,114 | 81% | 7,603 | 1,366 | 145 | 2,181 | 19% | 447 | 1,390 | 37 | 223 | 56 | 28 |
| Name Initiative(s) | Objective | Timeline | Beneficiary | Expected Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Newfoundland and Labrador — Technological | ||||
| Improved technological efficiencies | Make virtual meetings more accessible in all offices and increase technological efficiency to better respond to client needs. | 2023-04-01 (permanent) | Employees/Clients | Improve accessibility of justice by utilizing virtual courts with clients that may not have the financial means to travel. |
| Procure and deploy a new practice management system (PMS) called LAIN | Deploy new PMS to meet the evolving demands of the legal system and its clients and stakeholders. | 2023-04-01 - 2026-03-31 (permanent) | Employees/Clients | Improve productivity and enhance client service delivery with a more efficient electronic client data system. |
| Newfoundland and Labrador — Service delivery | ||||
| Improved service delivery | Increase workforce development by investing in education and training of staff. | 2023-04-01 (permanent) | Employees/Clients | Investing in the knowledge of our workforce will increase efficiency in completing assigned files and ensure staff are effectively assisting clients. |
| Hire additional staff | Hire additional solicitors and support staff to address the backlog in criminal files. | 2023-04-01 (temporary) | Clients | Increase the number of files assigned and completed. |
| Nova Scotia —Technological | ||||
| Case Management Review - Phase 1 (exploring options) | To determine options for new CMS system including expected cost | First phase - November 2023-March 2024 (temporary) | NSLA staff, certificate lawyers, clients and larger justice system. | Modernized case management system that would support improved client service by creating a more efficient and responsive system. Remove redundant administrative tasks, thereby reducing administrative burdens. Develop integrations in case management and certificate management system to remove redundant administrative tasks and improve certificate processes for certificate lawyers. |
| Technology - Adobe | To provide technological tools to support staff in the delivery of client service. | April 2023 (permanent) | NSLA staff and client service delivery | Enables staff to more efficiently and effectively support lawyers in client service delivery. |
| Nova Scotia — Service delivery | ||||
| Financial Eligibility Pilot; Centralized Intake Pilot | To assess the cost of raising income thresholds and the impact on clients. | Financial Eligibility Pilot - July 2023-March 2024 Centralized Intake Pilot - July 2023 (permanent) |
NSLA staff, NSLA clients and the larger justice system. | For the financial eligibility pilot expected outcomes centered around making the financial eligibility process more transparent, fair, flexible, inclusive and sustainable. For the system, to reduce the number of self represented litigants before the courts. The pilot focused on the Sydney, Cape Breton offices with a 10% increase in applicants financially approved for service with only 9% having to enter into contribution agreements. The centralized intake process reduced administrative burdens on regional office staff; improved overall efficiency by reducing processing times for applications. |
| Mental Health Legal Services Navigator (MHLSN) | To support all NSLA Lawyers and certificate lawyers in identifying and accessing resources and supports available in communities for clients with complex mental health issues. | September 2023 (permanent) | Larger justice system, clients and NSLA staff and certificate lawyers. | Supports all NSLA lawyers and certificate lawyers in identifying and accessing resources and supports available in communities for clients with complex mental health needs. Created a hub of community resources and supports for staff to access on behalf of clients with complex mental health needs. 23% of organizations the MHLSN has connected with support Indigenous or African Nova Scotian populations. Accepts referrals from lawyers (staff and certificate lawyers) to work with clients. Of the 65 referrals received during reporting period, 6.15% were African Nova Scotian and 15.38% were Indigenous clients. Increased training and resources for all NSLA staff and created a community of Support Roundtable that has 25 community members. |
| Additional staffing to address Jordan delay | Reduce backlog; increase staff capacity; improve staff wellness and reduce Jordan delay. To support mental health legal services for Wellness Courts, IPTA and Criminal Code Review hearings and regular criminal court proceedings. Added 4.6 legal assistants and 2.6 lawyers (criminal & youth). | 2023 (permanent and temporary) | NSLA clients, staff and the larger justice system | Responsive to Jordan delay and improving client service delivery by increasing critical staffing; addressing criminal legal aid backlog and improving wellness for staff working at capacity.The floating duty counsel position increased staffing ensured continuity of service for duty counsel and non-custodial duty counsel services; improved wellness of staff; increased representation for clients and helped to improve efficiencies of court processes; reducing delay and adjournments.The Mental Health criminal lawyer supported duty counsel and criminal lawyers by developing a young adult practice for those who have mental health needs (ages 18-24). With the MHLSN, piloted a program of connecting with clients at Dartmouth Intake Court to connect individuals with NSLA more quickly; reducing warrants being issued in non-custodial matters. |
| Treaty Education Training | Two-day training session to assist lawyers and staff with new ways of seeing and understanding. | April 2023 (permanent) | NSLA clients and staff | Responsive action to the Truth and Reconciliation Calls to Action in providing increased cultural competence that is trauma informed. |
| Business Process Improvement Training | To empower staff to find "quick wins" to develop business process improvements in their daily work process. | April 2023 (permanent) | NSLA staff, clients and Justice system | Training taken through Service Nova Scotia improves our efficiency and makes our services better for staff, clients and the system overall. As of March 31, 2024, 29% of staff had received training. |
| Language Line | Provides immediate access to interpreter services in the delivery of client services by phone or video. | December 2023 (permanent) | NSLA clients and staff | Language Line services are available in every office and for duty counsel services. Improves client service delivery and creates a more inclusive and welcoming environment for clients. Language Line also extends to the translation of court documents, client letters and promotional materials. Language Line provides comprehensive data reporting on utilization, including call handling times and languages used. Language Line services were used 525 times (506 audio & 19 video), covering 40 different languages with an average time to connect of 29 seconds. |
| Increased criminal certificates issued to private lawyers to deal with delay | To assist with backlogs where staff lawyers were at max capacity | April 2023 (temporary) | Justice system and clients | Reduction in pressure on staff lawyers and ensured clients received representation as matters proceeded. That also assisted the justice system overall. Some certificates issued to African Nova Scotian Justice Institute to provide culturally competent services to clients. |
| Virtual professional development, including annual general meeting | To ensure staff received appropriate professional development to satisfy bar requirements and maintain high level of competency. | April 2023 (permanent) | NSLA staff, certificate lawyers | The use of Microsoft Teams enables staff and private bar to participate remotely; creating flexibility in the delivery of professional development and removing barriers that might otherwise exist in participating. Enables legal assistants’ greater flexibility in participating in training. |
| New Brunswick — Service delivery | ||||
| Private bar criminal certificate | To meet the increased number of certificates. | 2023-24 (temporary) | Clients | Consistency in service delivery. |
| Criminal contact lawyer | To cover staff shortages. | 2023-24 (temporary) | ||
| Prince Edward Island – Service delivery | ||||
| Development Phase of Vulnerable Persons Lawyer Position. | Provide additional assistance targeted at people with mental health issues. | Permanent | Marginalized and vulnerable people. | More resources being directed to assist with criminal matters and other issues identified and arising from criminal charges. |
| Dedicated Lawyer for Criminal Code Review Board Matters | Consistent representation for cases that remain open for lengthy periods of time involving mentally ill clients. | April 1, 2023 (permanent) | Marginalized and vulnerable people. | More resources being directed to assist with criminal matters and other issues identified and arising from criminal charges. |
| Quebec — Technological | ||||
| Programme eMAJ | Digital transformation of the legal aid network | 2026-12-26 (5-year investment) | Clients and staff and private bar lawyers. | Service improvements; simplifying procedures. |
| Acquisition of computer hardware | Upgrading of equipment and staff mobility | 2024-03-31 Permanent | Staff and clients. | |
| Quebec — Service delivery | ||||
| Specialized court | Sexual violence representation | 2025-06-30 (temporary) | Clients | Service improvements |
| Projet visio-comparution | Reduced court time | 2024-03-31 (permanent) | Clients | |
| Grand Nord service d'enquête sur mise en liberté | Legal representation services | 2024-03-31 (permanent) | Clients | |
| Mise en œuvre du Rapport Latraverse | Itinerant court improvement | 2025-06-30 (temporary) | Indigenous and Inuit clients | |
| Projet Centaure | Gun control | 2024-03-31 (permanent) | Citizens | Fighting gun violence |
| Itinerant court (Grand Nord) | Legal representation services | 2024-03-31 (permanent) | Indigenous clients | Service improvements |
| Lexius - criminal | Process digitization | Permanent | Everyone | Service improvements |
| Adaptability and Restorative Justice Programs | Support services | Permanent | Everyone | Improved services offered to vulnerable clienteles |
| Ontario — Service delivery | ||||
| Continuation of criminal COVID measures for in-custody individuals: Coverage for block fee bail hearings, increased hours for bail, waiver of financial eligibility testing, coverage for Myers detention reviews, etc. | To continue assisting individuals in custody in a timely manner (post-COVID environment presents challenges to accessing individuals in custody, and remand rates are very high) | Ongoing (Waiver of financial for in-custody individuals continues as temporary measure. Other COVID measures are permanent features of LAO's tariff). | Clients: improved services and access to justice, reduction in in-custody population, reduction in unnecessary court appearances; Justice system partners: reduced and more meaningful appearances, fewer in-custody appearances, fewer adjournments for administrative purposes, increased representation and efficiency. | LAO is aiming to ensure that the most vulnerable clients have access to services during the pandemic. LAO aims to keep assisting the courts by ensuring that bail supports are available and that clients are afforded legal representation at the earliest opportunity. |
| Support for Judge-led Intensive Case Management Court (JICMC) and Lawyer applications for JICMC | LAO supports the Judge-Led Intensive Case Management Court (JICMC) with time-limited certificates for accused individuals without retained counsel whose matters are more than twelve months old and who have had their cases adjourned to the JICMC. Clients do not need to contact LAO directly; their lawyer will initiate and complete the application on their behalf. No financial testing is applied to these certificates. |
October 2021 and ongoing (temporary) | Clients: ensure limited but timely representation is available in JICMC courts without the need for eligibility testing. | Increased access to representation and increased efficiency in JICMC courts. |
| Tariff Reform Phase 1 (October 2023): Increasing the hourly rates for roster lawyers and the amount paid for block fees; increasing the number of hours allocated under the hourly tariff; and allowing per diem duty counsel to bill according to their certificate tier rate. | Improved LAO's billing structure to ensure that lawyers are prepared to take on legal aid work, and that per diem duty counsel rosters remain active. | Permanent (tariff reform changes continue in 2024/25) | Client: Ensure that clients have access to timely representation, and that roster lawyers are available to take on certificates, thereby improving services and access to justice. Roster lawyers: To incentivize lawyers to take on criminal legal aid work, especially for the most marginalized and vulnerable accused persons. |
Increased access to representation, promote legal aid work among the private bar, and assist courts addressing backlogs. |
| Increased Gladue program funding | LAO increased base funding by 18% to the three Indigenous organizations (Nishnawbe-Aski Legal Services, Aboriginal Legal Services, and Grand Council #3) that provide Gladue services. | Permanent | Clients: Improved access to Gladue reports for Indigenous accused. | More "fit and appropriate" sentences for Indigenous accused that consider the impact of colonialism, as well as alternatives to incarceration, and contribute to a reduction in the over-incarceration of Indigenous persons. |
| Increased funding for Impact of Race and Cultural Assessment Reports (IRCAs) | LAO entered into a 2-year agreement with the Sentencing Parole Project (SPP) to produce 155 IRCAs to address the current backlog in court ordered IRCAs. | October 2023 to April 2026 (temporary) | Clients: Improved access to IRCA reports for Black accused. | More "fit and appropriate" sentences for Black accused that consider the impact of anti-Black racism, as well as alternatives to incarceration, and contribute to a reduction in the over-incarceration of Black accused persons. |
| Additional coverage for judicial pre-trials (JPTs) to help reduce court backlog | Beginning April 27, 2024, roster lawyers will be able to bill for additional judicial pre-trials for criminal matters before the OCJ at any stage, regardless of how many are required. Currently, criminal roster lawyers can invoice LAO for three judicial pre-trials for OCJ proceedings: one inherent JPT, available to bill from the account page, before the case is set down for trial, and two that may be added after the matter is set down for trial |
Permanent (starts April 2024) | Provide coverage and compensation for roster lawyers to seek, and attend, an additional judicial pre-trial in order to resolve disclosure or other issues that prevent the matter from being set down for trial. | LAO coverage supports a backlog reduction strategy as trial matters can proceed as scheduled as disclosure issues will now have been addressed by way of a prior JPT. |
| Expedited application process for Habeas Corpus certificates for bail matters. | Starting in October 2023, to support efficiency in bail courts, Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) now has an expedited process for habeas corpus application certificates. The new application is to be submitted in cases where a client was ready to proceed with a bail hearing, but the hearing was adjourned due to court or Crown unavailability. |
Permanent (starts October 2023) | Client: Improved access to roster lawyers to bring a habeas corpus application to challenge delays in proceeding with bail heading. Roster lawyers: Expedited and streamlined process to obtain LAO authorization to bring a habeas corpus application to challenge delay in bail proceedings. |
More timely bail hearings for in-custody accused. |
| Completion of the Anti-Racism Action Plan (ARAP) project and development of anti-racism training for bail proceedings. | LAO reported on a federally funded study on the impact of Indigeneity and race on bail outcomes (ARAP Project) The report recommended data collection improvements and better training for staff and the private bar in addressing race and Indigeneity in bail proceedings. LAO completed development of anti-racism training and information to address racism and anti-Indigenous bias in bail court. |
Start: April 2021 End: December 2023 (implementation of recommendations ongoing) (temporary for now) |
Improved understanding of role of racism and anti-Indigenous bias in bail decision-making. Development of anti-racism training material to improve results for Black and Indigenous clients in bail court. | Aimed at achieving racial equity in bail proceedings and improving justice outcomes for Black and Indigenous clients. |
| Criminal Youth and Criminal Mental Health Training series for staff and private bar lawyers | Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) introducing optional enhanced training for members of LAO’s criminal law roster and staff to further their knowledge and quality of service when providing criminal legal aid services to youth clients charged under the YCJA and to clients experiencing mental health issues. | Permanent (the training is available on LAO's lawyer resource page, LAOLAW). | Client: Ensures that youth clients, and clients with mental health issues, will have access to roster and staff criminal defence lawyers who can provide quality representation. Roster and staff lawyers: Provides an opportunity to further knowledge and quality of service when providing criminal legal aid services to youth charged under the Youth Criminal Justice Act (YCJA), and to accused persons experiencing mental health issues. |
Improved quality of representation for legally aided youth charged under the YCJA and accused dealing with mental health issues. |
| Manitoba – Technological | ||||
| Increase availability of video and other technology | Better contact with clients. | On-going (permanent) | Staff, Clients, Stakeholders | Increased productivity and reduced travel. |
| Increase bandwidth to service move to paperless environment | Reduce use of paper while increasing efficiency. | Increased productivity and reduced paper consumption. | ||
| Manitoba — Service delivery | ||||
| Increase in travel disbursement | Transport counsel to under-served locations | 2023/24 (permanent) | Clients, court system | Clients across the province receive the same level of services; courts operate more smoothly when clients are represented. |
| Staff development | Increase awareness of Indigenous issues | 2023/24 (temporary) | Staff, Clients, Stakeholders | Staff have a greater understanding of the issues that Indigenous people face in the justice system and the wider community. |
| Renovate space for easier accessibility | Allow greater access for clients/visitors living with disabilities | April 2023 (permanent) | Clients | Easier access to LAM spaces for all users. |
| Increase in staff capacity | Recruitment and retention programs | 2023/24 (permanent) | Clients, staff | Greater capacity for legal services. |
| Improvements to Thompson office | Make office space more welcoming to Indigenous and people living with disability | January 2023 (permanent) | Clients, staff, stakeholders | All users of the space feel welcomed and are able to work in the space. |
| Address backlog of cases | Increased enhanced DC to facilitate early disposition of cases | 2023/24 (temporary) | PB, clients | Quicker turnaround of cases; clearing the backlog |
| Increase in private bar capacity | Incentive PB to take more cases | |||
| Saskatchewan —Technological | ||||
| Hire IT Staff: IT Director/Manager IT Support Officer IT LAIN/SharePoint Officer |
Modernize and digitize Legal Aid Saskatchewan’s (LAS) IT infrastructure to meet the demands. | October 2021 to no end date (permanent) | Applicants and staff. Clients/applicants will benefit with an individual managing the IT for LAS. | Improved IT services with someone directly responsible for managing IT. |
| IT Cloud processing and SharePoint migration. O365 support and maintenance. Cyber security implementation. Other IT security costs. |
Modernize and digitize the IT infrastructure to meet the demands. | June 2021 to no end date (permanent) | Applicants and staff. Clients /applicants will benefit with access with staff through better IT. | This initiative is intended to move the organization from processes that are either paper or hybrid paper/electronic to more electronic-based processes. |
| Saskatchewan — Service delivery | ||||
| Hire Staff Lawyer Positions | To reduce waitlists and backlogs for criminal legal aid services. | September 2021 to no end date (permanent) | Clients/applicants will benefit with more prompt legal services. | Reduced wait times and backlogs. |
| Contract Private Bar (PB) to assist with backlogs due to Covid | To reduce waitlists and backlogs for criminal legal aid services. | April 2023 to March 2024 (temporary) | ||
| Restructuring of head office staff for administrative support of improved service delivery | To improve management, oversight and risk management. | April 2021 to no end date (permanent) | Applicants and staff/private bar. Clients/applicants will benefit with additional support from head office for the service delivery by staff and private bar lawyers. | Improved overall management of the legal aid system. |
| Alberta — Technological | ||||
| Modernize, maintain, operate, support, and enhance systems, processes, and equipment - including client record management and case management | Simplify systems, enhance capabilities —including improved support for remote/virtual work. | Ongoing (permanent) | Clients, private bar, and staff. | A modernized and enhanced system and equipment that better supports client record and case management, and remote/virtual work. |
| British Columbia — Technological | ||||
| Online Application for Criminal Clients — Legal Aid British Columbia (LABC) | Allow lawyers to submit legal aid applications on behalf of criminal clients through an online portal. Applications are assessed automatically, speeding up the approval process, which creates efficiencies for lawyers and LABC staff and benefits the clients. The project was initiated in 22/23 and will be completed in 23/24. | 2022-23, 2023-24 (permanent) |
Legal aid lawyers, LABC, legal aid clients | Lawyers can submit applications online, reduced timeline for application approval, reduced staff time for relevant applications. |
| Duty Counsel Scheduling (LABC) | Modernize the process of scheduling Duty Counsel lawyers across the province by adopting scheduling software. The project was initiated in 22/23 and will be completed in 23/24. | 2022-23 to 2023-24 (permanent) |
Duty Counsel lawyers, LABC | Reduced efforts needed for scheduling for both LABC and Duty Counsel Lawyers. |
| British Columbia — Service delivery | ||||
| Legal Services Transition Project Team (BCFNJC) | Strategy 5 of the BC First Nations Justice Strategy commits to the establishment of a newly created First Nations Legal Services agency under the control of the BCFNJC to ensure more effective access to justice for Indigenous people and design legal aid services for Indigenous people that are better, more effective, and more culturally informed. The Legal Services Transition Project Team was established to develop the architecture for this new model. This work has included: - Community Engagement and Stakeholder Consultation - Legislation/Policy Research and Analysis - Service Design The work was initiated in 22/23 and will be continued forward to 23/24. |
2023-24 (temporary) | Indigenous Legal Aid Clients / BC First Nation Justice Council | Guided by the work completed by the Project Team a workplan will be developed to transition legal aid services from LABC to the BCFNJC and implement a new legal aid service model for Indigenous people. |
| Criminal Justice Navigators (LABC) | Criminal Justice Navigators assist clients with time-sensitive matters in accessing help more quickly and give Intake workers space to focus on assessing applications and providing contracts for clients who are more likely to be eligible for legal aid. By providing clients with ongoing assistance for complex issues outside the responsibility of Intake workers and legal aid lawyers, Criminal Justice Navigators can address each client's underlying needs and connect them to support organizations in their communities, along with helping them through their entire journey via regular check-ins and general support. This aims to improve client legal outcomes which are often strongly correlated with issues like addictions, housing, and mental health. | 2022-23, 2023-24 | Criminal Justice Navigators (LABC) | Criminal Justice Navigators assist clients with time-sensitive matters in accessing help more quickly and give Intake workers space to focus on assessing applications and providing contracts for clients who are more likely to be eligible for legal aid. By providing clients with ongoing assistance for complex issues outside the responsibility of Intake workers and legal aid lawyers, Criminal Justice Navigators can address each client's underlying needs and connect them to support organizations in their communities, along with helping them through their entire journey via regular check-ins and general support. This improves client legal outcomes which are often strongly correlated with issues like addictions, housing, and mental health. |
| Safer Community Action Plan Research Project | Funding supported a research project assessing the needs of, and legal aid services for, criminal clients with complex needs. | 2023-24 (temporary) | Legal aid criminal law clients | Improved understanding of client needs and identify recommendations for service enhancements. |
| Yukon – Technological | ||||
| Continued development of a customized File Management System (database). | To increase organizational efficiency and employee productivity and gain the ability to capture and report statistics related to service delivery. | 2020-21 to 2024-25 | Clients, organization (YLSS), employees, and territorial and federal governments. | Organized data. |
Specialized courts
Specialized or problem-solving courts focus on a particular type of offence or accused. They typically involve an interdisciplinary team that is focused on addressing the underlying causes of offending bringing the accused into contact with the criminal legal system. The following section provides information on the specialized courts operating in Canada. Figure 25 provides an overview of the service delivery models available at specialized courts across Canada.
Figure 25
Specialized courts are used in all provinces and territories and provide invaluable services to legal aid clients.
Text version
This is an infographic showing two graphs in the style of organizational charts. The first one has three levels: the top level has three boxes in dark orange. The first box says “mental health/wellness community courts”. Below this box are three medium orange boxes. The first one says: “full legal representation”, the second one says “duty counsel”, and the third one says “expanded duty counsel”.
Under the box that says “full legal representation” there is a turquoise box with the following jurisdictions: Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Northwest Territories and Yukon.
Under the box that says “duty counsel” there is a turquoise box with the following jurisdictions: Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta, British Columbia, Northwest Territories and Yukon.
Under the box that says “expanded duty counsel” there is a turquoise box with the following jurisdictions: New Brunswick, Ontario, Manitoba, British Columbia and Yukon.
The second dark orange box at the top of the infographic reads “drug treatment courts”. Below this box are three medium orange boxes. The first one reads “full legal representation”. Under this box is a turquoise box listing the following jurisdictions: Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta.
The second medium orange box reads “duty counsel”. Under this box is a turquoise box listing the following jurisdictions: Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta, British Columbia.
The third medium orange box reads “expanded duty counsel”. Under this box is a turquoise box listing the following jurisdictions: Ontario, Manitoba, British Columbia.
The last dark orange box at the top of the infographic reads “First Nations / Gladue courts”. Below this box are three medium orange boxes. The first one reads “full legal representation”. Under this box is a turquoise box listing the following jurisdictions: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta.
The second medium orange box reads “duty counsel”. Under this box is a turquoise box listing the following jurisdictions: Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta, British Columbia.
The third medium orange box reads “expanded duty counsel”. Under this box is a turquoise box listing the following jurisdictions: New Brunswick, Ontario, Manitoba.
The second part of the infographic also has three dark orange boxes on top.
The first one is labeled: “youth courts”. Under this box are three medium orange boxes. The first one says “full legal representation”. Under this box is a turquoise box listing the following jurisdictions: Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Yukon, Northwest Territories, Yukon, Nunavut.
The second medium orange box says “duty counsel”. Under this box is a turquoise box listing the following jurisdictions: Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon, Nunavut.
The third medium orange box says “expanded duty counsel”. Under this box is a turquoise box listing the following jurisdictions: New Brunswick, Ontario, Manitoba.
The second dark orange box is labeled: Domestic Violence Courts. Under this box are three medium orange boxes. The first one says “full legal representation”. Under this box is a turquoise box listing the following jurisdictions: Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta, Yukon, Northwest Territories.
The second medium orange box says “duty counsel”. Under this box is a turquoise box listing the following jurisdictions: Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, New Brunswick, Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta, British Columbia, Yukon.
The third medium orange box says “expanded duty counsel”. Under this box is a turquoise box listing the following jurisdictions: New Brunswick, Ontario, Manitoba.
The last dark orange box in this infographic is labeled: Unified Family Courts. Under this box are three medium orange boxes. The first one says “full legal representation”. Under this box is a turquoise box listing the following jurisdictions: Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Quebec, Ontario, Manitoba, Saskatchewan, Alberta.
The second medium orange box says “duty counsel”. Under this box is a turquoise box listing the following jurisdictions: Newfoundland and Labrador, Nova Scotia, Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta.
The third medium orange box says “expanded duty counsel”. Under this box is a turquoise box listing the following jurisdictions: Ontario, Manitoba.
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