Professionals Making A Difference
Vancouver, April 23, 2009 - On Monday, the umbrella organization Access to Justice is hosting a town hall forum in response to recent cuts made to legal aid services in British Columbia.
In January of this year, the Legal Services Society announced major reductions in staffing and services effective April 30, despite increasing demand. The cuts will have a devastating impact on B.C.’s most vulnerable citizens and contribute to increased backlogs in the court system. Responses from stakeholders in the justice system spawned the creation of the Access to Justice campaign group.
Monday night’s event, Renewing Our Commitment to Legal Aid, is an open discussion between justice stakeholders and the general public, focusing on creating an ideal legal system. “We’re going to bring attention to the effects of the complete downturn in legal aid services in British Columbia over the last decade” explains Jim Russell, First Vice President of the Professional Employees Association, one of the ten organizations sponsoring the forum. “When next week’s cuts happen, those most vulnerable in our society will lose services that they rely on for many different reasons. The loss of the family clinic in Vancouver is of special concern.”
The discussion is being moderated by CBC’s Mark Forsythe. Featured speakers include Shelagh Day, Melina Buckley, Shashi Assanand, and Stephen Owen.
The event will also include the premiere of the short documentary film Justice For All? The film is a look into the consequences that the recent cuts to legal aid have had on those in need of these invaluable services. “The film tells real stories from real clients and exposes the flaws of our justice system” says Kyle Russell, the film’s producer. “The insight provided by these individuals shows the immediacy of a need to address these issues.”
The event starts at 7:00PM in the Alice Mackay room at the main branch of the Vancouver Public Library at 350 West Georgia and is open to anyone who wishes to attend. More information about the campaign and issues can be found at http://www.accesstojustice.ca
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For more information, please contact:
Barinder Rasode
Labour Relations Officer
Professional Employees Association
604.581.6662 (office)
604.880.1588 (cell)
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