PDCF is one of five community foundations in Ontario to be chosen for the Together for Justice pilot sponsored by The Law Foundation of Ontario and Community Foundations of Canada.

PDCF is administering $180,000 in grants from The Law Foundation of Ontario to support 6 local projects that will increase access to justice in our communities.

“We’re excited by the opportunity to tap into the knowledge and networks of community foundations and to help increase the legal literacy, capacity and connections of organizations who are tackling access to justice in rural, remote and northern Ontario communities”

– Noah Aiken-Klar, Director of Grants and Program for the Law Foundation of Ontario.

Local projects being funded through the Together for Justice pilot include:

• support for Cornerstone Landing’s housing advocacy for young people,
• public legal education workshops to be organized and conducted by The Table Community Food Centre,
• a pre-sentencing restorative justice process within the Crown Attorney’s office run by Lanark County Community Justice,
• a “Justice in Reach” program for youth which will embed RNJ Youth Services staff in spaces where youth gather so that they can provide guidance, support, and connection to legal and social services to youth in need, and
• a Healing Pathway Model created by Lanark County Interval House which will help survivors of sexual assault heal both within and outside of the legal system.
• Finally, a collaborative project which will be led by Lanark County Community Justice but involve several local organizations, will bring the concept and practice of restorative justice and trauma informed advocacy to our broader community.

As part of the Together for Justice pilot, PDCF is hosting three roundtable discussions to surface and collect information about the barriers and opportunities regarding access to justice in our communities. This information will be passed along to The Law Foundation of Ontario and inform their future granting practices. PDCF has already hosted one discussion which was attended by grantee organizations, the OPP, the Lanark County Sexual Assault and Domestic Violence program, and Stephanie Gray, coordinator of the Community Safety and Wellbeing Plan. If your organization is interested in contributing to the discussion at a future roundtable, please contact Executive Director, Victoria Gibb-Carsley at executive.director@pdcf.ca.