Parkdale Community Legal Services (PCLS) is one of Legal Aid Ontario’s network of community legal clinics providing poverty law services. PCLS is also a teaching clinic for Osgoode Hall Law…
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What’s Behind the “Renters’ Bill of Rights”?
Recent government housing announcements have received significant media attention. Last week, the federal government announced $15 billion in new loans for private rental housing construction and other measures branded as…
Continue ReadingACLCO Tribute to Ron Ellis
At the Association of Community Legal Clinics of Ontario, we are most saddened by the recent passing of Dr. Ron Ellis, one of the architects of the Ontario community legal clinic…
Continue ReadingEmployment Standards decision prohibits temp agencies from charging employees $25,000+ in fees
Meredith Wilson-Smith A recent Employment Standards decision declared that yet another temporary help agency may not charge its employees for terminating their contracts –– and must pay them for their…
Continue ReadingParkdale Community Legal Services at 50: Defining our Future
A Symposium to mark the 50th Anniversary of Parkdale Community Legal Services The origin of Parkdale Community Legal Services, now more than 50 years ago, was grounded in a vision…
Continue ReadingEvictions against tenants of 394 Dovercourt dismissed
In 2017, the low-rise apartment building at 394 Dovercourt Road sold to a corporate landlord. After the sale, the new owner issued form N13 eviction notices to all tenants claiming…
Continue ReadingApply to Join PCLS’ Board of Directors
Parkdale Community Legal Services (PCLS) works to tackle poverty law issues through a combination of community development, organizing, and action facilitated by legal representation, summary legal advice, and community legal…
Continue ReadingPCLS Supports Swansea Mews Tenants
Parkdale Community Legal Services supports the organizing of Swansea Mews tenants who are demanding that their landlord, Toronto Community Housing, stop its attempts to push tenants out their homes and…
Continue ReadingPress release: Constitutional challenge to remove damages caps from the Canadian Human Rights Act
For Immediate release: June 13th, 2022 Constitutional challenge to remove damages caps from the Canadian Human Rights Act Nelligan Law is representing Parkdale Community Legal Services (“PCLS”) in a constitutional…
Continue ReadingPCLS Board of Directors Welcomes New Clinic Director
The Board of Directors of Parkdale Community Legal Services is thrilled to announce the appointment of Kara Gillies as Clinic Director beginning April 11, 2022. Kara brings over twenty years’…
Continue ReadingIn memory of Ray Kuszelewski (July 1951 – January 2022)
We are saddened to learn that Ray Kuszelewski passed away unexpectedly on January 11, 2022. Ray worked for many years at PCLS as the Landlord and Tenant lawyer and was…
Continue ReadingFighting Toronto renovictions
This article was originally published by The Lawyer’s Daily (www.thelawyersdaily.ca) a division of LexisNexis Canada. In 2020, condominium developers Evan Johnsen and Neil Spiegel purchased the fully tenanted, 26-unit apartment…
Continue ReadingJob Posting: Full-time Experienced Community Organiser
Unique job opportunity to work for positive social change! Full-time Experienced Community Organiser Download PDF of job ad here Please apply by Tuesday March 8, 2022 at 5 pm The…
Continue Reading50th Anniversary Panel Series
Watch recordings of our past panels below: Panel 1 Looking Back: Critical Campaigns and Cases, January 27, 7:30-9:00 PM Panel 2 Community and Movement Lawyering, February 24, 7:30 – 9:00 PM Panel…
Continue ReadingJob Posting: Clinic Director
CLINIC DIRECTOR – PARKDALE COMMUNITY LEGAL SERVICES Download job ad (pdf) Role Summary Parkdale Community Legal Services is seeking a collaborative, inspiring Clinic Director committed to working alongside community members,…
Continue ReadingMedia Release: Temporary Agency’s $30,000 Charge Against Workers Who End Their Employment Deemed Illegal by Ontario Labour Relations Board
The Ontario Labour Relations Board ruled in a March 12, 2021 decision that temporary work agencies cannot charge its workers a fee when they end their work assignments. The decision…
Continue ReadingMedia Release: Income Security Advocacy Centre and Parkdale Community Legal Services welcome the Supreme Court’s landmark decision for gig workers
Toronto: In a ground-breaking decision released this morning, the Supreme Court of Canada made it easier for workers to challenge unfair contractual terms imposed by companies that hire them, whether…
Continue ReadingPCLS Supports Tenant Organizing during COVID-19
These are challenging and unprecedented times, and recent weeks have been hard on many of us. It has been particularly hard on the communities we serve, who have been disproportionately…
Continue ReadingReport: Demanding the Right to the City and the Right to Housing (R2C/R2H): Best Practices for Supporting Community Organizing
Download the Report The goal of this report was to examine how to promote the Right to the City (R2C) and the Rightto Housing (R2H) through strategic legal and organizing…
Continue ReadingOntario government fails to restore legal aid funding and weakens access to justice in proposed legislation
On December 9, 2019, the government introduced the Smarter and Stronger Justice Act (Bill 161) that eliminates legislative protections and governmental obligation to provide legal aid services and access to…
Continue ReadingThe Right to Housing is Not Abstract
Join us on December 11 as we launch our report entitled Demanding the Right to Housing! The right to housing is not abstract. In Toronto’s Parkdale neighbourhood tenants are demanding…
Continue ReadingReport Launch: Demanding the Right to Housing
Report Launch: Demanding the Right to Housing Wednesday, December 11, 6:30-8:00pm Metro Hall, 55 John Street, Room #310 Professor Martine August of University of Waterloo and Cole Webber of PCLS…
Continue ReadingA Talk with Tenants: How to Beat Back a Rent Increase
PCLS interviews tenant organizers Laura and Reema about how tenants challenged their landlord’s above guideline increase and won. Kevin Laforest, lawyer at Scarborough Community Legal Services, also weighs in. Don’t…
Continue ReadingLearning the Law with Purpose: A Student Perspective
First year of law school was rough… As I found myself at Bay Street firm tours and networking events in uncomfortable conversations and shoes, I felt out of place and…
Continue ReadingPCLS 45% Budget Cut Puts Community And Student Program At Risk
Dear community members, allies, supporters, friends, alumni, This week on Wednesday June 12th, PCLS received a one-million dollar budget cut from our core funder, Legal Aid Ontario (LAO). The cut is…
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