Public Legal Education Resources

Public Legal Education is an international movement to make law accessible to the public. We have compiled Canadian Public Education resources that are of use to service providers, advocates, educators and to those researching a particular legal issue. We have also included international resources as guidance for those developing Public Legal Education programs.

The People’s Law School – Vancouver based public legal education centre.  Contains plain language legal information in multiple languages, as well as educational resources and programs.

SPARC BC Sprout Resources for Social Change – Practical guides and tools for community development.  Includes a collection of documents designed to facilitate learning about the practice of community-based research methods and development strategies.

Shared Learnings on Homelessness – Practical tools, resources and information sharing for frontline staff, managers and volunteers working to address the problem of homelessness in their communities. Use this site to find out about initiatives in cities, towns and rural areas across Canada. Link to others working within the homelessness sector, share your experiences and learn from theirs.

Teaching Tools for Issues Related to Homelessness – A set of learning modules prepared by the Toronto Disaster Relief Committee, covering Homelessness and Structural Issues, Poverty, Health, Rural Homelessness, Family Homelessness, Homelessness and the Criminal Justice System, Oppressions and Isms Affecting Homelessness, and Political Action.

Click Law BC – Click Law provides legal information, education and help for the public.  Contains articles and plain language legal information on a number of subjects, including tenancy rights, health, family law, and welfare and pension benefits.

Clicklaw Legal Education Resources – Educational resources focussed on British Columbia.

The Justice Education Society of British Columbia – Formerly the Law Courts Education Society of BC, contains a trove of educational resources for those looking to understand the legal system in British Columbia.

A Guide to Administrative Law in British Columbia – Contains video tutorials on how to prepare for administrative tribunals, oral hearings, and phone hearings.

Resources for Community Workers – From the Legal Services Society (LSS), publications and resources useful for community workers and advocates.

Poverty Law Primer -[PDF]- From the Legal Services Society (LSS), comprehensive guide to poverty law in British Columbia.  Issues, legislation, procedures and checklists related to social assistance, housing, debt and collections, foreclosure, bankruptcy, and employment insurance.

ACJ Net – Access to Justice Network – resources and news stories relating to public justice.

Public Legal Education Association – Saskatchewan – PLE resources for the general public and for school programs.
Public Legal Education and Information Service of New Brunswick – New Brunswick – Vast library of publications on legal topics, including information for those seeking to represent themselves in court.  Excellent example of a well-organized PLE program.
Online Poverty Law Course – From Probono BC – Designed for lawyers working in poverty law, but valuable for advocates and community workers as well.  ). The course provides an overview of welfare law, income assistance and disability assistance, effective skills for interviewing poverty law clients, reconsideration applications, tribunal proceedings and judicial review applications. Each self-paced module includes quick links to resources, a case study and quiz.

BC Human Rights Coalition – Promotes public education about human rights issues throughout BC, works to improve and enforce human rights legislation and advocates for individuals with human rights complaints.

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