In response to the Pro Bono Ontario (“PBO”) that it will be closing its Law Help Centres in Toronto and Ottawa effective December 14, 2018, the lawyers of Kelly Santini LLP have written to the Minister of Justice of Canada, Attorney General of Ontario and the Tresurer of the Law Society of Ontario, urging the centres continue to receive the funding needed to continue offering their services to the public.  The Law Help Centres provide services and advice to self-represented litigants, many of whom are members of marginalized communities, who would otherwise have no or only limited access to justice.

The lawyers of the firm  know from experience that the service provided by the Law Help Centres reduces delays in our court system and assists self-represented litigants, advancing the stated objective of both the government and the Law Society of Ontario.  A study commissioned in 2017, 1 found that Pro Bono Ontario’s services to unrepresented litigants provides a $10 return for every one dollar invested. The estimated cost savings and economic benefits provided by PBO’s services in FY 2015-2016 amounted to $5.76 million for the government and litigants.

The letter was signed by: