Geraldton Visit August 2017

Event Date: 
Monday, August 14, 2017 - 8:30am EDT to Tuesday, August 15, 2017 - 4:30pm EDT
Event Location: 
Geraldton, Ontario

On August 14th and 15th, staff and caseworkers from Lakehead University Community Legal Services visited the town of Geraldton, Ontario, to provide legal assistance and information to residents.
On August 14th, we held an ID Clinic, in partnership with the Geraldton office of Kinna-Aweya Legal Clinic.
We were able to help some of the local individuals with an application for a birth certificate, which is often a necessary component to accessing a multitude of social services, banking services, access to housing, food banks and much more. We will be taking all necessary steps to ensure applications are properly processed, dealing with any issues that may arise, and ensuring the birth certificates are put in the hands of the clients.
After the ID clinic, we had the opportunity to meet with some potential clients in the region as well.
On Tuesday, August 15th, clinic law students observed proceedings at the Provincial Offences court in Geraldton. This was a useful opportunity for students to see how court works in some Northern Ontario communities. There were a few interesting cases which prompted discussion and learning opportunities.
Finally, in the afternoon, we attended at the local “People Advocating for Change through
Empowerment” (PACE) office, to do a presentation on Tenants’ Rights. Our caseworkers advised the attendees about what tenants have a right to expect from their landlords, and what they can do if the landlords aren’t respecting those rights. The presentation was very well-received.
Lakehead University Community Legal Services is planning further visits to the Greenstone area, with future ID Clinics and Public Legal Education presentations on the way!

Keep an eye on the Events
section of our website (https://www.lakeheadu.ca/academics/departments/law/clinic/events) for more details on upcoming Public Legal Education initiatives.