The head of the local community legal clinic is shocked by provincial government decision to cut funding to Legal Aid Ontario.
The province will cut LAO funding by 30% to 35% percent which will lead to a drastic change in how the Community Advocacy and Legal Centre offers its services.
CALC Executive Director Michelle Leering tells Quinte News it will also put up a roadblock in funding some innovative programs, looking into why people with financial struggles get into legal trouble.
Leering says their funding accounts for about 18% to 20% percent of LAO’s budget.
She adds that the cuts are not only surprising, but raise a number of other concerns as well.
Leering says they’re starting to inform their clients about what the potential impacts may be if the services are reduced, although it’s tough to say exactly at this point.
