The Human Rights Legal Support Centre is pleased to announce it has secured a $4.5M Strategic Grant from The Law Foundation of Ontario to be used over the next three years! This marks the largest single funding injection from a grant-making organization in the HRLSC’s 17 year-history.

This grant will help advance critical new initiatives in support of our stakeholder-informed five-year strategic plan, Realizing Human Rights Together, while also increasing the Centre’s capacity to provide legal services and expand experiential learning.

We are excited that this funding will help significantly enhance the HRLSC’s ability to provide legal support services through the addition of a new Early Intervention and Mediation Services (EIMS) unit. This will allow us to better respond to evolving client needs with the recent introduction of mandatory mediation at the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario (HRTO).

Making up the largest portion, the grant will fund the following EIMS positions: 

  • 1 Sr Counsel/Legal Manager;
  • 2 Legal Counsel;
  • 3 Legal Support Representatives; and
  • 2 Human Rights Representatives

The Law Foundation of Ontario Strategic grant will also support:

  • Increased outreach designed to better engage equity-denied communities, empower those most vulnerable to discrimination with information, tools, and resources to support their navigation of the human rights system, and improve access to our legal services;
  • New technological tools aimed at streamlining and increasing client access (including online access) and enhancing data analytics for better informed decision-making; and
  • The hiring of our first ever Resource Development Specialist to develop and expand HRLSC resources, partnerships, and revenue generation opportunities. 

These strategic investments reflect the HRLSC’s ongoing commitment to improving service access, quality, equity, and efficiency, while building a more resilient and sustainable organization that is best positioned to fulfill its statutory mandate and meet the needs of Ontarians facing discrimination.

We want to thank the Executive Team, Board, and Staff who worked tirelessly to secure this funding that will significantly advance HRLSC’s strategic vision and mission.

This Strategic grant furthers The Law Foundation of Ontario’s strategic priority to collaborate and build knowledge to strengthen the access to justice sector. We are deeply grateful to the Foundation for this support.