Community Foundations of Canada and the Law Foundation of Ontario partnered to provide grants to rural, remote and northern communities across Ontario that are facing issues of access to justice. PDCF is one of five Community Foundations that was awarded Together for Justice (T4J) funding in January to distribute to local organizations (see press release).

Lanark County Community Justice, RNJ Youth Services, The Table Community Food Centre, Cornerstone Landing and Lanark County Interval House are using the $25,000 grants to improve access to justice for the populations they serve.

Lanark County Community Justice

Lanark County Community Justice is piloting a pre-sentencing restorative justice program in Perth and District. While urban centres such as Ottawa, Waterloo, Kingston, and many communities supported by the John Howard Society already provide pre-sentencing restorative justice, Perth and District currently lacks this option.

This pilot is working with the Crown Attorney’s office to identify five suitable cases for pre-sentencing restorative justice. Victims/survivors will have a greater voice in the criminal justice process, and offenders will be held accountable in a meaningful, community-based way.

RNJ Youth Services

This project is providing targeted advocacy, education, and support services to rural youth and underserved communities who face barriers within the justice system. Youth in rural areas often experience limited access to legal resources, educational programs, and intervention services, leaving them at increased risk of justice system involvement without adequate guidance or support. Through this project, knowledgeable staff are accessible at key community locations where youth naturally gather—such as youth centres, libraries, and recreational spaces, offering guidance, support, and connections to legal and social services, effectively bringing justice resources directly to the youth.

In addition, RNJ will pilot a program like the Niagara Youth Court Screening Initiative in Lanark County. It is a proven, early-intervention model that embeds specialized screening at the earliest court contact, ensuring that young people are identified for mental health, substance use, learning, and social-support needs before they slip deeper into the justice system.

By focusing on rural and underserved populations, RNJ addresses geographic and systemic inequities, giving young people the tools they need to make informed decisions and access services that support rehabilitation, prevention, and long-term success

The Table Community Food Centre

The Table is creating a community-led public legal education (PLE) initiative grounded in lived experience and local priorities. The People with Lived Experience Advisory (PLEA) Group is guiding the process. The Table has conducted a survey with community partners and the People with Lived Experience Advisory (PLEA) Group to assess local legal needs and identify which public legal education topics would be most helpful.

Using these consultation findings, the Table is developing workshops to be offered at offered out of The Table Community Food Centre. Sessions may focus on topics such as tenant rights, navigating social assistance, will-writing, and/or restorative justice. Each session will include a practical resource package inclusive of a directory of local, provincial, and national supports.

Cornerstone Landing Youth Services

Cornerstone landing is using the Together for Justice Grant to support staff wages that make their work possible. The Cornerstone Landing team provides direct intervention and Housing First supports for youth ages 16–24, empowering them to maintain tenancies, understand their rights as tenants and citizens, and participate fully in their communities. The grant is enabling frontline advocacy, “Know Your Rights” education, and practical supports that translate justice principles into real-world outcomes for rural youth. This project strengthens pathways to housing stability, fairness, and voice—core elements of access to justice.

Lanark County Interval House

Given the gaps in the legal system related to victims of sexual violence and justice system outcomes, as an anti-violence agency, Lanark County Interval House (LCIH) is creating a Justice Pathway Model for survivors of sexual assault.  The scope of this project is to explore healing pathways both within and outside of the formal justice system. This project will include creating clear paths of healing, what to expect from the formal system and activities to assist victims/survivors in choosing their healing pathway.

In addition, Lanark County Interval House has created a part-time role that is designed to offer court support and system navigation specifically related to criminalized and unrepresented victims of intimate partner violence. Dual charging, mandatory charging and legal aid processes, combined with fewer lawyers available in our rural community, additional support would be an asset to clients navigating the system.

LCIH is working with other partner agencies to engage in an educational series related to understanding “rights”, navigating family law, landlord and tenant challenges, restorative justice and intimate partner violence, the intersections and potential model of approach to reduce violence in relationships