Dates set for legal aid reform hearings

By Emily Jackson, Vancouver Sun August 4, 2010

The dates and locations for public hearings on legal aid reform in B.C. have been announced.

The Public Commission on Legal Aid will hold hearings in 11 communities in September and October to gather input from British Columbians on the future of legal aid. The hearings will be held in Vancouver, Surrey, Chilliwack, Kelowna, Williams Lake, Nanaimo, Victoria, Prince George, Terrace, Kamloops and Cranbrook. Legal aid services, which provide free legal counsel to those who can’t afford it, are facing serious funding problems, said Stephen McPhee, steering committee chairman of the Public Commission on Legal Aid. Based on the hearings, the commission will make recommendations about the direction of legal aid in the province. Vancouver’s hearing is scheduled for Oct. 7. Submissions to make presentations at the hearings are now being accepted. For more information, visit www.public-commission.org.

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