Free Legal Resource Fair During Saskatchewan’s Second Annual Access to Justice Week

By Alan Kilpatrick

On October 19th, the Saskatoon Public Library’s Francis Morrison Central Library Branch hosted a Free Legal Resource Fair in recognition of Saskatchewan’s Second Annual Access to Justice Week.

During the busy come-and-go tradeshow, members of the public had the opportunity to learn about their legal rights and connect with a variety of non-profit, government, and community legal service providers in Saskatoon.  The fair’s participants included the Saskatoon Open Door Society, Saskatoon Polices Services, Community Legal Assistance Services for Saskatoon Inner City, Public Legal Education Association of Saskatchewan, Law Society of Saskatchewan Library, Government of Saskatchewan’s Family Law Information Centre, Saskatchewan Office of Workers’ Advocates, and the Pro Bono Student University of Saskatchewan Chapters.

Volunteer lawyers from the Family Law Information Centre and Pro Bono Law Saskatchewan offered free legal information drop-in sessions for members of the public requiring family law assistance.  Members of the public were entitled to up to 30 minutes to ask questions about family law relevant to their situation

The Free Legal Resource Fair coincided with an enlightening lecture sponsored by McKercher LLP in the Francis Morrison Branch’s Film Theatre: How can your library help you access legal information?  Janet Freeman, a law librarian from the British Columbia LawMatters program, spoke about how public libraries can connect the public with legal information and can fill gap in access to legal information, education, and referrals.

Thank you to the organizations and partners who helped make the fair a real success!