Advocacy North for Elders and Seniors is a program run by community legal clinics in Northern Ontario. They offer legal help and advice to elders and seniors who have low incomes and are dealing with legal issues related to their age.  

They offer free and confidential help and advice in these areas: 

• retirement homes and long-term care homes 
• consent and capacity 
• wills and powers of attorney  
• elder abuse  
• consumer rights including scams 

Legal Aid Ontario funds legal clinics across Ontario. There are two types of legal clinics: community legal clinics and specialty legal clinics.

Community legal clinics provide free legal services to people with low incomes who live in their area. Search for the clinic in your area using your postal code. Most help with:

• income assistance
• tenant rights
• employment problems

Some clinics can help with immigration and refugee problems or debt and consumer problems.

Some specialty legal clinics provide free legal services to specific groups of people with low incomes:

• Advocacy Centre for the Elderly
• Aboriginal Legal Services
• ARCH Disability Law Centre
• Black Legal Action Centre
• Centre Francophone du Grand Toronto
• Chinese and South Asian Legal Clinic
• Centre for Spanish Speaking Peoples
• HIV & AIDS Legal Clinic Ontario
• Justice for Children and Youth
• South Asian Legal Clinic of Ontario

Some specialty legal clinics provide free legal services in only certain areas of law:

• Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario
• Canadian Environmental Law Association
• Income Security Advocacy Centre
• Industrial Accident Victims Group of Ontario (IAVGO) Community Legal Clinic
• Injured Workers Community Legal Clinic
• Workers Health and Safety Legal Clinic

Consumer Protection Ontario helps you make a complaint against a business through the Ministry of Government and Consumer Services.

The Ministry deals with complaints against a variety of businesses, including stores, fitness centres and gyms, home renovation companies, wireless and phone companies, payday loan companies, debt settlement companies, and collection agencies.

The centre collects information about identity theft and other kinds of fraud. They have information to help people protect themselves against fraud. If you have been a victim of fraud, you can report this to the centre.

The hotline can give you 30 minutes of free legal help and advice over the telephone on civil law matters, which include:

• employment
• housing
• consumer issues
• Powers of Attorney
• corporate law for charities, non-profits, and small businesses

It doesn’t help with family law or criminal law problems.

The hotline generally accepts calls Monday to Friday between 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

Legal Aid Ontario funds the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly (ACE). It is a community legal clinic that gives services to seniors with low incomes in the areas of:

• Health care consent and advance care planning
• Consumer protection
• Elder abuse
• Health care
• Home care
• Long-term care homes
• Pensions and income
• Retirement homes

ACE does not help with wills or powers of attorney, or give legal advice on estate administration, real estate, criminal law, or family law matters.