LAO social media policy

1. Purpose

This policy outlines Legal Aid Ontario’s (LAO) principles, expectations, and protocols for the use and management of social media platforms operated on behalf of the organization. LAO uses social media to inform, engage, and interact with the public in a manner that is consistent with its mandate and values.

2. Guiding legislation and principles

LAO’s use of social media is governed by the Public Service of Ontario Act, 2006. and is informed by the Ontario Public Service social media guidelines. All LAO social media activity reflects and upholds the organization’s commitment to:

• Inclusivity and accessibility
• Equal and respectful treatment of all individuals
• Professionalism in all public communications
• Nonpartisanship and neutrality

3. Content moderation

LAO reserves the right to remove comments or public interactions on its social media accounts that:

• Contain racist, discriminatory, violent, hateful, bullying, harassing, sexually explicit or inflammatory language or images
• Include confidential or identifying information about LAO clients, staff, or specific legal matters
• Violate privacy legislation or expose sensitive or privileged information regarding LAO’s staff, business operations, or client matters.

LAO may also restrict public users who repeatedly violate these expectations.

4. Service limitations

LAO does not process complaints through social media. Information on how to submit a complaint is available on LAO’s website.

Individuals requiring legal assistance should contact:
416‑979‑1446 (Toronto)
1‑800‑668‑8258 (outside Toronto)

5. Corporate social media accounts

All corporate social media accounts are managed by LAO’s Communications Department.

• Bluesky: @legalaidontario.bsky.social
• Facebook: Legal Aid Ontario – Aide Juridique Ontario
• Instagram: @legalaid.on.ca
• LinkedIn: Legal Aid Ontario
• X (Twitter): @LegalAidOntario / @AideJuridiqueON
• YouTube: Legal Aid Ontario

6. Following and engagement

A “follow,” “like,” “share,” or similar interaction from an LAO account does not constitute endorsement of any individual, organization, position, or opinion.

7. Media inquiries

All media inquiries must be directed to: media@lao.on.ca

8. Feedback on digital activity

Questions or feedback regarding LAO’s digital presence may be sent to the Communications department at: communications@lao.on.ca

9. French-language services

LAO is committed to providing communications in both official languages.

• All content published on official LAO social media platforms is posted in English and French.
• Posts sharing information from LAO’s bilingual website will also be available in both languages.
• Reposts or shared third‑party content may appear only in the language of the original post.
• French-language posts will not link to English‑only content unless a language disclaimer is provided.