Canadian Public Legal Education (PLE) organizations

Public Legal Education (PLE) organizations can be found in every province and territory in Canada.  Learn more about your local PLE organization by clicking on your region.

National | Alberta | British Columbia | Manitoba | New Brunswick | Newfoundland & Labrador | Northwest Territories | Nova Scotia | Nunavut | Ontario | Prince Edward Island | Quebec | Saskatchewan | Yukon Territory

 

National

The Public Legal Education Association of Canada (PLEAC)

PLEAC is the national association for public legal education in Canada. Founded in 1987, PLEAC is a non-profit organization with the following goals: to support communication and cooperation between individuals and groups interested in public legal education; to encourage the development of knowledge and skills in this field; and to act as a national voice and advocate on issues that concern PLEAC members.

Alberta

Centre for Public Legal Education Alberta

The Legal Resource Centre of Alberta Ltd. operates as the Centre for Public Legal Education Alberta. Its mission is to enhance the accessibility and quality of justice realized in Canada. It addresses its mission by creating learning opportunities and building learning communities that facilitate the creation, management, exchange, and integration of knowledge among people within the justice system and between them and the general public. Delivery of legal information to the public is primarily through publications and topic-specific websites; some are specifically for Alberta, others have a national focus.

British Columbia

Clicklaw (BC)

Clicklaw is a website aimed at enhancing access to justice in British Columbia. It features legal information and education, but it is not a site of laws. Instead, Clicklaw features legal information and education designed for the public from 24 contributor organizations, as well as selected others.

Justice Education Society (BC)

The Justice Education Society is dedicated to improving access to the justice system through hands-on, targeted, two-way education between the public and those working in the system. This non-profit organization operates out of British Columbia and provides programs and resources that serve the general public, youth, persons with disabilities, Aboriginals and immigrants in British Columbia, throughout Canada and around the world. These services are designed to help communities better understand how our justice system works and their role in the system.

Legal Services Society of British Columbia

The Legal Services Society of British Columbia is an independent, non-profit organization, created by statute. Its mandate is to foster public legal education and provide effective legal services to low income B.C. residents, particularly those people experiencing legal problems that threaten their liberty, security, and livelihood.

People's Law School (BC)

The People’s Law School provides legal information on a variety of topics in plain language to the people of British Columbia. This is done through publications, events and presentations, Justice Theatre presentations to BC schools, speakers on law-related issues for community groups and working with ethnic media.

Manitoba

Community Legal Education Association of Manitoba (CLEA)

Community Legal Education Association (CLEA) is a not-for-profit organization, which provides Manitobans with information about the law. CLEA has existed since 1984. The Association operates the Law Phone-In & Lawyer Referral Program, a variety of community programs (Speakers Bureau, Community Legal Intermediary Training Course, annual law conference), and School's Program (Speakers in the Classroom, Youth Criminal Justice Act Teaching Kit and Mock Trial Kits). Pamphlets, booklets, and education kits are available to order or download. The Association’s website also includes over 300 Frequently Asked Questions on a variety of legal topics.

New Brunswick.

Public Legal Education and Information Service of New Brunswick

PLEIS-NB is a non-profit organization and a registered charity with a mandate to develop a variety of bilingual educational products and services about the law for the public in order to promote access to the legal system. The goal is to assist the public in identifying and understanding their legal rights and responsibilities with a view to improving their ability to deal with legal matters.

Newfoundland and Labrador.

Public Legal Information Association of Newfoundland

Public Legal Information Association of Newfoundland (PLIAN) is a non-profit organization dedicated to educating people about legal issues. Services include: Lawyer referral service, Legal information line, School visits, Community information sessions, and Publications.

Northwest Territories.

Law Society of the Northwest Territories

The Law Society of the Northwest Territories' mandate is to ensure the public is well served by a legal profession that is independent, responsible and responsive.

Nova Scotia

Legal Information Society of Nova Scotia

The Legal Information Society of Nova Scotia (LISNS) is a non-profit organization that provides Nova Scotians with information and resources about the law. The Legal Information Society programs include: a legal information line and lawyer referral service (toll free in Nova Scotia); publications (pamphlets/booklets/videos); Dial-a-Law (pre-recorded legal information); a speakers bureau.

Nunavut

Nunavut Legal Aid

Nunavut Legal Aid responsible for providing legal services to financially eligible Nunavummiut in the areas of criminal, family and civil law.

Ontario

Community Law School (Sarnia-Lambton) Inc.

Community Law School (Sarnia-Lambton) Inc. is a nonprofit, registered charitable organization dedicated to public legal education. The organization offer workshops, seminars, educational materials, and live and online courses to train frontline workers, community advocates, consumers, grassroots organizations, and members of poor and marginalized communities in a variety of social welfare and consumer protection laws.

Community Legal Education Ontario (CLEO)

CLEO is a community legal clinic, founded in 1974, that specializes in public legal education. Most of the materials are in the form of booklets, pamphlets, fact sheets and manuals, and can be viewed online, or ordered from CLEO. Topics include social assistance, landlord and tenant law, refugee and immigration law, workers' rights, family law, elder abuse, consumer rights, women's issues and laws affecting young people. Most publications are available in French, and some are available in other languages.

Family Law Education for Women (FLEW)

Are you having family difficulties? Dealing with issues like divorce, custody or support? Plain language legal information on women's rights under Ontario family law is available in 11 languages and in multiple formats. You can choose from English, French, Arabic, Chinese (traditional, smplified), Farsi, Punjabi, Somali, Spanish, Tamil and Urdu. FLEW has partnered with a number of community agencies to adapt our materials for specific communities of women: Aboriginal women ; Francophone Women; Immigrant Domestic Workers and Caregivers; Jewish Women; Muslim Women; Women of Christian Faiths; Women with Disabilities and Deaf Women.

Ontario Justice Education Network

OJEN is dedicated to promoting understanding, education, and dialogue to support a responsive and inclusive justice system. Its objectives include: fostering public understanding of the justice system; and developing, coordinating, or delivering public legal education information and programs to students and others. OJEN has over 200 classroom resources available at no cost, in English or French. They also offer a wide range of community and school programs.

Your Legal Rights (CLEO)

A project of Community Legal Education Ontario / Éducation juridique communautaire Ontario (CLEO), Your Legal Rights is a website of free legal information for people in Ontario. This site has free, practical, and easy-to-find legal information produced by hundreds of organizations across Ontario, covering a wide range of legal topics, in a variety of formats, and available in dozens of languages. It also provides questions and answers to everyday legal problems, an interactive map of key legal and social services across Ontario, public legal education training webinars for service providers and the latest headlines and community events about the law and access to justice.

Prince Edward Island

Community Legal Information Association Of Prince Edward Island (CLIA PEI)

The Community Legal Information Association of Prince Edward Island, Inc. (often called CLIA) is a non-profit corporation and a registered charity. CLIA's goal is to provide Islanders with understandable, useful information about our laws and our justice system. Services include an inquiry line, lawyer referral service, speaker’s bureau and a wide range of publications.

Québec

Éducaloi (English)

Éducaloi is a non-profit organization whose mission is to inform Quebecers of their rights and obligations by providing legal information in everyday language.

Saskatchewan

Public Legal Education Association of Saskatchewan

The Public Legal Education Association of Saskatchewan (PLEA) is a non-profit, non-government organization that exists to educate and inform the people of Saskatchewan about the law and legal system. PLEA can help members of the public by providing general legal information, suggesting resources, and telling people about different options for obtaining legal advice.

Yukon Territory

Yukon Public Legal Education Association (YPLEA)

The Yukon Public Legal Education Association (YPLEA) is a non-profit organization devoted to providing legal information to the public and promoting increased access to the legal system. The goal of the Association is to help the public to identify and understand their legal rights and responsibilities in order to improve their ability to deal with legal matters. Services include Law Line (legal information by telephone) and Publications and Forms (some downloadable, some through the office).