February 1, 2005
Families in crisis will have greater access to legal services, due to a $4.6 million increase in funding to the Legal Services Society (LSS).
Attorney General Geoff Plant made the announcement saying:
"This funding allows low income families to get help when they are going through a divorce or separation, or experiencing domestic violence. We recognize that these circumstances can be very challenging for families to deal with on their own. This increase will help them get access to legal counsel and other legal services that they may need."
The funding is earmarked for four programs: additional family legal services in cases involving domestic violence; the provincial family duty counsel program; a new Supreme Court family duty counsel program; and a limited Supreme Court Family Referral program. These programs support government’s plan to provide alternative methods to resolving disputes and encourage people to work together to solve their problems collaboratively.
"The government’s commitment to increase the base funding for legal aid is very good news, particularly for family clients who are at risk and whose legal problems are too complex to resolve without legal help,” said acting LSS board chair Bruce Hardy. “Once the board meets in February to re-work its budget on the basis of this new funding, the society will announce further details about its programs."
Increases to family legal aid funding will be used to:
- Extend family referral services for families at the greatest risk and whose issues cannot be resolved through mediation because of the high level of conflict involved.
- Expand family duty counsel to the Supreme Court, and continue the program at the provincial court level. Family duty counsel will be available in provincial and Supreme Courts throughout the province to give advice to unrepresented clients on issues such as family relations, maintenance and child protection.
- Support clients with problems outside the range of current family coverage. A new referral program will provide support on Supreme Court matters including drafting legal documents, and limited legal advice and negotiation services.
In addition, the BC Liberal Government has also committed $800,000 in 05/06 to continue funding immigration legal aid for eligible individuals who need help initiating refugee claims. The $1.7 million annual budget to provide these legal services is cost-shared with the federal government.
