Edmonton low-income legal clinic sees call volumes double since 2020

A non-profit that helps low-income Edmontonians get free legal advice has seen escalating call volumes and staff say the spike highlights how affordability issues affect access to justice. 

Staff at the Edmonton Community Legal Centre are expecting to exceed 38,000 intake calls by the end of the year — up almost 30 per cent compared to last year's numbers, and more than double the number of calls the organization received in 2020.

The ECLC deals with civil, family and immigration law, as well as consumer debt negotiation and issues around social benefits. The organization helps people who don't qualify for help through Legal Aid Alberta, but still might not be able to afford a lawyer.

The centre also helps with issues that legal aid doesn't take, like landlord-tenant issues and wills.

A much smaller subset of the calls to ECLC lead to an appointment with a volunteer lawyer.

According to data provided by the centre, they typically run around 2,000 legal advice clinics with clients each year. For 2023, that number is tracking slightly higher, at 2,177 as of the final week of November.

But the ECLC will still refer callers to other resources for issues outside the centre's scope, and staff are noticing escalating needs.

"Not only is the volume increasing, but I would say the complexity of issues that people are dealing with," ECLC director of operations Jennifer Smyth said.

She said part of the increase probably comes from the impact of the pandemic. People fell behind on debt and mortgage payments, lost jobs or saw family relationships deteriorate — and they're dealing with legal problems as a result, or considering a claim.

But there are also people coming to ECLC for legal help who are turned away because their income is technically too high to meet the centre's eligibility, yet they're still having trouble affording a lawyer.

"Everyone's feeling it, unless you're really, really high income," Smyth said.

She said staff try to refer people to more affordable options in these cases too. But for many people dealing with the escalating cost of living, they can't find room in their budget for legal fees if a problem comes up.

'A dire situation'

Anna Lund, a University of Alberta law professor, said concerns about cost barriers in access to justice are nothing new.

It's why legal clinics like ECLC exist, especially since Legal Aid Alberta mostly deals with criminal matters, and there isn't an equivalent system for civil cases.

She also volunteers at ECLC, mostly advising people dealing with bankruptcy or foreclosure.

Lund points out that's just one example of a situation where someone needs legal guidance when they can least afford it, and that can make it harder to understand their legal remedies and protections.

"What does it mean to have a legal system where low- and middle-income people don't have access to it and can't assert their rights — that's kind of a dire, dire situation that I think arguably damages and undermines the rule of law," Lund said.

Lund said ECLC's escalating call volume could point to more people experiencing legal issues, or facing challenges with systems that are getting more legally complex.

But it also could mean more people are aware of the service and how to access support.

MyLe Le Chalifoux, ECLC's client services manager, said she frequently hears about how people are struggling to meet all their needs, and they have to turn to multiple services and resources for help, including the legal centre.

"Income support gives far less money than what people need to survive. The food bank is busy. There's not enough affordable housing," she said.

"Resources on a larger level — it's not sufficient ... While ECLC is able to assist people with this area of their life — their legal issues — we're able to help relieve some of that stress, there's this whole other bigger picture that we don't always get to see."