Services in Ontario
Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP)
Francophone legal advice lines
Legal Aid Ontario (LAO) has 4 free regional advice lines that give legal information and advice in French by phone to people living in:
- Greater Toronto Area
- Southwestern Ontario
- Eastern Ontario
- Northern Ontario and parts of central Ontario including Barrie, Parry Sound, and Muskoka and Kawartha Lakes regions
The advice lines do not help with family law or criminal law matters.
Ontario Social Assistance Office Finder
Use the office finder to look up the Ontario Works or Ontario Disability Support Program office that serves your area.
Legal clinics
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:
Website
legalaid.on.ca/services/legal-clinicsContact Information
Phone: 416-979-1446 Toll-free: 1-800-668-8258 TTY: 416-598-8867 Toll-free TTY: 1-866-641-8867Tribunals Ontario – Social Benefits Tribunal (SBT)
The tribunal makes decisions on appeals about Ontario Works (OW) and the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP). It’s not part of OW or ODSP and can decide that an OW or ODSP decision is wrong.
Go the website to get appeal forms and information about making an appeal.
Website
tribunalsontario.ca/sbtContact Information
Phone: 416-326-0978 Toll-free: 1-800-753-3895 Toll-free TTY: 1-800-855-0511 (Bell Relay Service)ABLE2 – Reach Legal Referral Services
If you live in the Ottawa or Champlain region and have a disability, ABLE2’s Reach Legal Referral Services may be able to help. They can refer you to a lawyer or paralegal for up to 3 hours of free legal advice in any area of law. But they cannot help with urgent legal issues.
If ABLE2 cannot help, they may refer you to community resources.
Book a meeting online, or call 613-761-9522 extension 452 or 453. You can also email reachlegalreferral@able2.org.
Website
able2.org/programs/reach-legal-servicesContact Information
Phone: 613-761-9522 extension 452 or 453