The past few weeks have been busy as I attended the Gladue team training in Ottawa, collaborated with the ALS Board to create our Strategic Plan, and prepared for our AGM in December. As an organization, ALS understands the importance of receiving feedback from our front-line workers, being client-focused, and reporting back to the community.This […]
Read more »On Nov. 8-9, Aboriginal Legal Services (ALS) Gladue Program travelled to Ottawa for an in-person training session and retreat.The fall training theme focused on Culturally Relevant Recommendations as Alternatives to Incarceration and the Importance of Healing, and Intergenerational Wellness.When preparing Gladue Letters, and Gladue Reports, Gladue Caseworkers and Gladue Writers canvass alternatives to incarceration for […]
Read more »The “Road to Your Name” fall program held four weekend workshops in the community of Six Nations of the Grand River from September to November.The teachings focused on the Great Law of Peace of the Haudenosaunee. In the Mohawk language, it’s called the Kayenerenkó:wa. Our Indigenous Knowledge Helper, Tehahenteh, facilitated the program with support from […]
Read more »On the evening of Oct. 27, the Giiwedin Anang team hosted a spooktacular children’s Halloween party at our Bellwoods Ave. location. Many of our dedicated staff, including our senior staff lawyer, child protection lawyer, receptionist, traditional teacher, supervised access worker and the Giiwedin Anang supervisor facilitated a wonderful evening.The evening’s events included a bouncy castle, […]
Read more »I recall many years ago in my search for identity, I heard a teaching saying that we are all connected. My colonized mind questioned this, as I thought we were all individuals. I was assimilated through the education system to have linear thinking and to believe we were all our own individuals. I didn’t question […]
Read more »The ALS Clinic team engages in law reform and advocacy. In September, I twice had the opportunity to provide submissions to the Senate of Canada’s Standing Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs (the Committee). ALS will be invited or seek opportunities to make submissions to such committees when bills are before parliament and undergoing review […]
Read more »The critically acclaimed podcast and TV documentary Thunder Bay, hosted by Ryan McMahon, is back with a two-part series entitled Post Mortem. These episodes focus on the role of coroners in investigating suspicious deaths in Thunder Bay and across the province.The episodes feature Caitlyn Kasper, one of the lawyers at ALS. Caitlyn’s perspective was sought […]
Read more »When we think about the re-invigoration of Indigenous justice practices, we often think of First Nations or remote communities where traditions and connections to the land have always existed and where knowledge keepers are ready to share their wisdom when they are asked. It must be acknowledged however, that more and more Indigenous people live […]
Read more »The Giiwedin Anang Council is a transformational Indigenous Family Dispute Resolution (IFDR) program. We provide our holistic services for Indigenous families in crisis. Our original focus has always been for children and families involved in the in the child welfare system. Over the last decade, we have expanded our services to offer a Healthy Boundaries […]
Read more »Aboriginal Legal Services is now providing criminal and child protection services to Indigenous clients in Toronto. ALS has long advocated for funding to provide much-needed representation to adults and youth facing charges under the Criminal Code and to parents whose children are involved with child protection agencies.The mass incarceration of Indigenous people is a crisis […]
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