The Yukon Legal Services Society, also known as Yukon Legal Aid, is receiving $241,000 in additional funding to expand its capacity to provide professional legal services to Yukoners.
The new funding will allow the society to address an increasing volume of complex cases by hiring a senior criminal law practitioner. It will also help with increased administrative costs associated with a higher demand for the society’s services.
Funding for Yukon Legal Services Society is cost-shared between the Government of Yukon and the Government of Canada. For the 2018–2019 fiscal year, the total funding received from both governments will be $2.58 million. That includes $989,000 that the Government of Yukon will receive from the federal government under the Access to Justice Services Agreement.
Yukon Legal Aid provides essential professional services to Yukoners to ensure they have access to justice. Additional funding will provide operational stability for this vital public service to Yukoners in need.
Minister of Justice Tracy-Anne McPhee
With this new funding, we hope to hire a senior lawyer, purchase a new database for statistical reporting, update our website and start working towards some of our other high-priority items – such as improving our services to Yukon communities. This is a great start to resolving our resource challenges.
Yukon Legal Services Society Board of Directors chair Suzanne Duncan
Until 2016, the federal government had not increased funding for legal aid services to the Government of Yukon for over ten years.
Sunny Patch
Cabinet Communications
867-393-7478
sunny.patch@gov.yk.ca
Catherine Young
Communications, Justice
867-667-8050
catherine.young@gov.yk.ca