LAO proposes three-year increase to financial eligibility thresholds

Published: December 11, 2024

Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) is proposing a three-year increase to its financial eligibility thresholds to allow more low-income Ontarians to access legal aid services and support the province’s goal to reduce the backlog in criminal courts.

Under this proposal, LAO will raise its current financial eligibility thresholds for family and criminal duty counsel services and criminal certificate eligibility to $45,440 for families of up to four individuals. This increase will allow more people to receive advice from duty counsel lawyers in court, or to hire a legal aid lawyer if they are facing criminal charges.

The increase will also help lower the number of unrepresented individuals in courts and help ensure a more sustainable justice system. With the support of defense counsel, more clients can have their cases resolved faster, eliminating the stress of handling legal matters on their own.

LAO is inviting feedback on its proposal to raise its financial eligibility thresholds for duty counsel and criminal certificate services. LAO is also proposing to increase its asset thresholds for duty counsel and criminal certificate services to $15,000, regardless of family size. The consultation will be open from Dec. 11, 2024 to Jan. 9, 2025 and submissions will be accepted in writing.

If you are interested in taking part in LAO’s public consultation on the proposed financial eligibility increases, visit the consultation webpage for more information.