Pictured here: Osgoode Hall Law School on York University’s Keele Campus. 

Poverty law front and centre at York’s Osgoode Hall Law School

By Elaine Smith

Osgoode Hall Law School students with an interest in poverty law have opportunities to support community members in lower income Toronto neighbourhoods through two well-regarded legal services clinics – the (PCLS) and Community & Legal Aid Services Program ().  

Osgoode students were quite instrumental in establishing Parkdale Community Legal Services in 1971, which was the first community-based legal clinic in Ontario. Funded by Legal Aid Ontario and Osgoode, it is a flagship program that cemented the law school’s social justice tradition.  

Each year, 40 upper-year students take an academic seminar on poverty law and for one term serve as caseworkers at the clinic four days per week. Under the guidance of supervising lawyers, Osgoode students deliver front-line legal services to low-income members of the Parkdale-Swansea community.   

They are assigned to one of four clinic divisions: Housing Rights; Workers’ Rights; Social Assistance, Violence and Health; or Immigration. Each summer, 20 students are hired as paid employees of the clinic. During their academic term, they serve as peer leaders in their division. 

“Parkdale Community Legal Services is unique because its work encompasses both legal representation on client files and community organizing to support systemic change,” said Fay Faraday, PCLS’s Academic Director.  

The Community & Legal Aid Services Program is funded by Legal Aid Ontario, the Law Foundation of Ontario, and a �첥��Ƶ student levy. Their clients are either students (domestic or international) or individuals from very low-income situations. The program offers assistance with immigration, criminal and administrative law, centring largely on housing-related issues. 

“We’re a last resort,” said Scarlet Smith, CLASP’s director. “People come to us when they have no one to speak for them and no representation. Our talented staff lawyers and law students are devoted to providing excellent representation. It is not unusual for our students to attend hearings more prepared than practising lawyers, as our focus is on learning and our hours of preparation can far exceed what a private lawyer can justifiably bill on a file.” 

At CLASP, 17 to 20 upper-year students commit a full year to the program. They receive training each May and work as CLASP employees throughout the summer. Come fall, they work for academic credit and, also oversee first-year students who volunteer for a semester, assisting with research and casework. CLASP also has a roster of 50+ volunteer student interpreters to draw on as needed. Students are involved in files right from the initial intake calls through to the completion of the files while receiving valuable mentorship from CLASP’s staff lawyers.  

“They manage the cases,” said Smith. “Everything they do goes through our supervising lawyers, but the students themselves meet with clients, conduct research, draft submissions and even examine witnesses at hearings and trials. They are the face of these cases and provide exceptional representation.” 

While Osgoode students enter the clinics as novices, they leave with a solid grounding in poverty law.  

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Just as the motto represents the timeless notions of pursuit, perseverance, resilience, and innovation, the recipients must demonstrate either perseverance and fortitude in overcoming personal barriers in pursuit of a university education or demonstrate leadership in progressive and sustainable development initiatives. The awards are not academic- or merit-based. 

The Tentanda Via Award recognizes up to 60 students annually who meet the award’s criteria – 45 domestic students and 15 international students. Domestic award winners receive $10,000, which is renewable annually for three additional years. International undergraduate recipients will receive an award value of $30,000 which is renewable annually for three additional years.  

“One of the priorities of our current University Academic Plan is ‘From Access to Success,’ a commitment to providing access so that no talent is left behind,” said Karen Warner, manager of scholarships and bursaries at York. “These awards are an attempt to provide talented students with post-secondary opportunities. They work to counteract some of the barriers students who are racialized or who have lower incomes may have encountered, and for leaders, they are tied to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals.” 

For 2022-2023, 24 domestic awards and 16 international awards were given out. A committee reviews student statements and supporting documentation, creating a shortlist before final decisions are made. In addition to choosing students who meet the criteria, the committee aims to distribute awards across faculties and geographic regions. 

“The bar for these awards is high,” Warner said. “Many students face challenges, but we are looking for something exceptional.” 

For example, one of the awardees wrote about being sexually exploited and abused as a child. Today, however, this student is an advocate for other victims of abuse and volunteers for organizations that promote mental health awareness or support sexual or domestic abuse survivors.  

Another awardee spoke about finding movement a wonderful antidote to anxiety and they decided to focus on helping injured athletes balance their mental and physical health needs. A third discussed a belief in the arts and humanities as a catalyst for change, something reflected in the volunteer work they continue to do. Finally, a student who suffered from childhood cancer created an organization called Project Lightbox, which puts together and distributes personal Lego projects to hospitalized and less privileged children on a quarterly basis, a project that has earned awards and brought smiles to young faces. 

The Tentanda Via Award recognizes students who have overcome such challenges, as well as those whose leadership can help to galvanize the student body toward making an impact.  

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