Public Legal Education (PLE)

Learn about public legal education and how it helps people understand the law. This section explains what PLE is, how legal information is shared with the public, and why it is important for access to justice. It also highlights resources and organizations that provide legal education. Use the links in this section to learn more about PLE and available resources.

BearPaw Legal Education and Resource Centre

The BearPaw Legal Education & Resource Centre (BearPaw Education) is a program offered by Native Counselling Services of Alberta and funded by the Alberta Law Foundation aimed at helping Aboriginal people navigate the legal system and gain awareness of their legal rights. The BearPaw Education’s mandate is to promote awareness of the legal rights and obligations of Aboriginal people living in Alberta and to enhance Aboriginal peoples’ connection and access to justice. 

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Calgary Legal Guidance - Education Sessions

Calgary Legal Guidance provides free legal advice for individuals with low income. If you need legal information and advice on: Family issues; Criminal issues; Civil issues; Restraining Orders; Emergency Protection Orders etc; Social Benefit issues; and; an evening course on Do Your Own Divorce.

Calgary Legal Guidance runs many workshops and presentations in the community on a variety of legal topics such as:

  • Family Law
  • Wills & Estates
  • Landlord & Tenant

If you are an organization or agency that would like a presentation on a legal topic please contact Kim Feodoroff at  403.716.6476.

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Centre for Public Legal Education Alberta

The Legal Resource Centre of Alberta Ltd. operates as the Centre for Public Legal Education Alberta. Its mission is to enhance the accessibility and quality of justice realized in Canada. It addresses its mission by creating learning opportunities and building learning communities that facilitate the creation, management, exchange, and integration of knowledge among people within the justice system and between them and the general public. Delivery of legal information to the public is primarily through publications and topic-specific websites; some are specifically for Alberta, others have a national focus.

 

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Just Between You and Me: A Peer Public Legal Education and Information (PLEI) Programme for Women in Family Violence Situations : Final Report

The “Just Between You and Me” project was designed to provide Public Legal Education and Information (PLEI) peer support to women who had experienced family violence and assess its validity as a model for PLEI delivery. The goal of the project was that the peers would then share this information within their own networks of family, co-workers and communities, using resources already developed and existing in their areas. This PDF (56 pages, 2004) is available for free download.

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Making Family Violence Law Information Available to People in Rural Areas

In February 2002, the Department of Justice Canada contracted with the Muriel McKing Fergusson Centre for Family Violence Research to develop an inventory of strategies and methods used in sharing family violence law information with people living in rural areas. The inventory categorizes the various methods and makes recommendations regarding most promising practices. Ultimately this inventory is intended to serve as a blueprint for agencies that deliver family violence information in rural areas. This PDF (59 pages, 2002) is available for free download.

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MOSAIC: Multilingual Legal Publications

The Latin American Community Council and MOSAIC, in partnership, have implemented this online multilingual legal resource to provide comprehensive and critical legal information in Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Korean, Persian, Punjabi, Spanish and Vietnamese to Canadian newcomers and community workers in British Columbia.

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National Self Represented Litigants Project (NSRLP)

The National Self-Represented Litigants Project (NSRLP) is committed to advancing understanding of the challenges and hard choices facing the very large numbers of Canadians who come to court without counsel. The Project works to promote dialogue and collaboration among all those affected by the self-represented litigant phenomenon, both justice system professionals and litigants themselves. They publish resources designed specifically for SRLs, as well as research reports that examine the implications for the justice system.

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Office of the Child and Youth Advocate (Alberta)

The Office of the Child and Youth Advocate (OCYA) is an independent office of the Legislative Assembly of Alberta, mandated to work with vulnerable young people. 

This includes young people receiving or attempting to access services under the Child, Youth and Family Enhancement Act and the Protection of Sexually Exploited Children Act; or who are involved with the youth justice system. 

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Portage College Public Legal Education

The Portage College Public Legal Education Program is a public service initiative offered in partnership with the Alberta Law Foundation. The program offers learning opportunities to individuals, families, and communities throughout North Eastern Alberta through the provision of information, resources, and education on a variety of legal topics. All requests for information are confidential. The program also offers legal education presentations and seminars throughout North Eastern Alberta in communities, agencies, and schools. For program updates and workshops see: https://mailchi.mp/db001ef43930/portage-college-public-legal-education-newsletter-2543565

 

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The Theory and Practice of Public Legal Education in Canada

This website is dedicated to the development of the theory and practice of public legal education in Canada. It not only draws together physical and electronic resources dealing with PLE, it also provides a virtual space in which PLE providers can generate, articulate, share, and manage knowledge about public legal education.

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