On August 12, 2019, the federal government announced that it would provide $25.7 million in one-time funding for immigration and refugee law services in Ontario for the fiscal year of April 1, 2019 to March 31, 2020. Based on this funding, beginning on August 16, 2019, legal aid coverage for immigration and refugee law services will resume at levels offered prior to April 15, 2019 (when services were reduced due to the provincial government cut to Legal Aid Ontario’s budget).
While HALCO welcomes the federal government’s announcement, we remain concerned that this funding has only been approved for one year. In addition, this funding does not address the significant funding cuts made by the government of Ontario to community legal clinics. We will continue to oppose these cuts and to provide updates.
HALCO continues to provide free legal services, including immigration and refugee law services, for people living with HIV in Ontario. We encourage people living with HIV to contact us about services, including immigration and refugee law services: 416-340-7790 or toll-free 1-888-705-8889. You can find more information on our website: https://www.halco.org/contact-us.
Legal Aid Ontario’s announcement: https://legalaid.on.ca/en/news/newsarchive/2019-08-16_restoring-refugee-services.asp
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s announcement: https://pm.gc.ca/en/news/news-releases/2019/08/12/increased-legal-support-help-reduce-delays-asylum-claims
This announcement is also available on our website in pdf: https://www.halco.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/Immig-Ref-2019Aug.pdf