The Residential Dispute Resolution Service’s improved resources and tools make it easier to resolve issues without heading to court

Enough for All Champion works to improve resources for tenants and landlords

The Justice Sector Constellation disbanded in 2022 after almost a decade of bringing together justice sector administration, service providers and stakeholders to address systemic issues within the justice sector. 

The Justice Sector Constellation and its ties to Enough for All helped shift and shape conversations around justice and poverty. The Constellation made significant contributions to educating and engaging Albertans in the many ways poverty and the legal system intersect. The group impacted city bylaws, helped with systems navigation through client journey maps, and provided important educational opportunities through the creation of a Poverty and the Law Module. In particular, the Module has seen enormous success, being incorporated into courses at post-secondary institutions as well as parts of it have been included in the bar exam for lawyers in Alberta and other provinces.

Although the group no longer meets, their work carries on through their member organizations. Enough for All maintains an archive of their work and research below.

This report outlines changes to Calgary’s transit bylaw system that are necessary to address difficulties faced by vulnerable Calgarians in their interactions with Calgary's public transit system.

re-imagining-transit-tickets-a-report-on-calgary_s-transit-bylaw-2.pdf

Re-imagining transit tickets: A report for the Justice Sector Constellation on Calgary’s Transit Bylaw

This Instructor’s Resource is a companion to the Poverty and the Law: Expanding Perspectives online module and uses a variety of individual and group activities to enable learners with different learning styles, to meet the module’s learning outcomes more easily; and expands a learner’s knowledge and experience through a variety of individual and class activities.

Poverty and the Law Instructors Resource 2020-05-20 (1).pdf

Instructor's Resource for Poverty and the Law: Expanding Perspectives

A lack of available childminding services may be a barrier to access to justice. Following up on a needs assessment regarding the childminding needs of Calgarians visiting the Calgary Courts Centre work was done to identify available childcare options for Calgarians visiting the Calgary Courts Center and make recommendations to fill gaps. 

child-minding-options-at-the-calgary-courts-centre-jsc-2020.pdf

child-minding-final-report-calgary-courts-center-2017-11-15-1.pdf

Childminding options at the Calgary Court Centre - Feasibility Study

The Justice Sector Constellation commissioned research to identify barriers to the coordination of justice sector services and develop recommendations to address the barriers identified.  

full-summary-report-cpi-jsc-2018-06.pdf

jssc-executive-summary-report-2018.pdf

Justice Sector Services Coordination for the Socio-Legally Disadvantaged

This study is based on survey research conducted in the City of Calgary with the goal of better understanding the potential social and economic impacts of bylaw fines on citizens. The researchers surveyed 417 people at the Courts and within community agencies that had received bylaw fines in Calgary.

calgary-bylaw-final-report-jsc-2017-11-1.pdf

Everything Comes at a Price: An exploration of the impact of bylaw enforcement practices in the City of Calgary 

This report provides an examination and assessment of public awareness strategies implemented by various organizations that can be extrapolated and utilized by VCC to engage Calgarians on the intersection of poverty and the justice sector. The primary goals of the project include recommending the best methods and practices to educate citizens of Calgary on the correlation between the combined effects of poverty and the justice sector. The research will inform the Justice Sector Constellation (the Constellation) as it seeks to create systematic change in order to improve the process and outcomes for vulnerable people in addressing their legal issues. The method of analysis for this project consisted of collecting statistical data, analyzing response trends in public awareness/engagement campaigns, and evaluating the best practices of current public awareness/engagement campaigns.

final-report-vcc-2017-04-18.pdf

The Justice System and Poverty: Research Report and Assessment

This paper seeks to look at bylaws through a Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms lens, examining the circumstances of low-income Albertans who are most directly impacted by some bylaws. 

the-charter-implications-of-bylaw-aclrc-2017-01.pdf

The Charter Implications of Bylaw Enforcement on People with Low Incomes in Alberta

The Cross-Referral Project was a student-led research project done in collaboration with the Justice Sector Constellation. The project focused on the referral system experienced by clients at the intersection where poverty reduction intersects the legal system. The project’s main goal was to propose recommendations that could be implemented by the Constellation to enable more timely and appropriate referrals of low income clients to justice sector service providers. The project team also attempted to examine gaps where the process could be improved and analyzed a survey report by the Constellation for significant patterns in the referral process.

final-report-cross-referrals-project-jsc-2016-04-26-1.pdf

Cross Connections: Recommendations for improving referrals of low-income

The courthouse greeters and mapping project proposes introducing a volunteer-based program to the Calgary Courts Centre. Volunteers would engage with incoming members of the public (MoP) to provide information and navigational services.

needs-assessment-final-report-elizabeth-fry-2015-05-13.pdf

Courthouse Greeters and Mapping Project Needs Assessment

“Access to justice is not the same as access to legal advice and services either through traditional channels or by means such as online advice. Access to justice means ensuring a decent level (not a poor man’s law) of legal advice and representation for those who cannot afford it on housing issues, on children and family issues and on issues arising from alleged criminal activity. Access to justice is not capable of a crude market solution.”

“To be effective and accessible for Albertans, legal services must be delivered as part of a coordinated and holistic response to local social conditions and needs.”

intervening-at-the-intersection-of-poverty-and-the-legal-system_2013-03.pdf

Intervening at the Intersection of Poverty and the Legal System

Justice Sector Constellation

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The Calgary Domestic Violence Collective has resources to help families navigate the legal system.

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