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PLE Theory & Practice

Public Legal Education (PLE) began to take shape in Canada in the late 1960s and early 70s as various agencies responded to the legal information needs of activists, protesters, drop-outs, and the otherwise disenchanted who saw that the law was affecting their lives in a direct way. While many of the first efforts in meeting these needs were short term and ad hoc, by the mid-70s several provinces sported organizations that existed for the sole purpose of providing PLE.
Today, PLE has become an integral part of the Canadian legal landscape. It is a nation-wide enterprise that enables Canadians to learn more about virtually any aspect of the law through a variety of formats and at varying levels of sophistication. PLE makes access to legal knowledge a realistic expectation for thousands of Canadians. That knowledge is often the key to accessing and engaging effectively with the justice system; whether as citizens, litigants, witnesses, or jurors.
Lois Gander - Director, Legal Studies Program

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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Related Categories: Family law general resources PLE Research Research reports and institutes Rural Albertans