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The Legal Clinic Services

Housing

Tenants have the right to complain if the landlord:

• Interfered with your enjoyment of the place you rent.
• Harassed you.
• Entered your apartment illegally.
• Did not do maintenance and repairs.

Call the Legal Clinic if:

• You want information about your legal rights.
• You are having problems with your landlord and you want to file a complaint.
• You receive a ‘Notice to Terminate a Tenancy’. (You do not have to move.)
• You receive a ‘Notice of Hearing’.
• You are going to a Landlord and Tenant Board hearing.
• There will be Tenant Duty Counsel (legal help) available at the Landlord and Tenant Board.

Click here for more information about your legal rights as a tenant.

Click here for the Landlord and Tenant Board or to get copies of tenant applications.

Click here for tips from the Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario concerning Landlord Tenant Board matters.

Social Assistance

For Ontario Works (OW) or the Ontario Disability Support Program (ODSP)

Call the Legal Clinic if: 

• You are having problems with an application, suspension or cancellation of benefits.
• You are being denied benefits.
• You are requesting an Internal Review.
• You want to appeal a decision to the Social Benefits Tribunal.

Click here for more information on The Social Benefits Tribunal

If you are not happy with a decision about your social assistance you must make a written request for an Internal Review within 30 days of receiving the decision to the office where the decision was made. That office must respond in writing within 10 days. If they do not change their decision, you have 30 days to file an appeal to the Social Benefits Tribunal. If they do not respond, you have 40 days from the day you requested your Internal Review to file your appeal. You should receive an acknowledgement letter and a Notice of Hearing. Documents for the hearing must be given to the office that made the decision and to the Social Benefits Tribunal 30 days before the hearing in cases involving medical evidence of disability and 20 days before the hearing in all other cases.

Click here for more information on social assistance.

Additional information can also be found at these sites:

Ontario Works

Ontario Disability Support Program

Social Benefits Tribunal

Human Rights

Call the Legal Clinic if:

• You believe or suspect you have been discriminated against.  The Legal Clinic will explain the grounds for discrimination and what actions you can take through the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario.

If you have a human rights complaint, you have one year from the date of the incident to file your complaint with the Commission.

There are sixteen grounds of discrimination under the Ontario Human Rights Code:

• race
• ancestry
• place of origin
• colour
• ethnic origin
• citizenship
• creed (religion)
• sex (including pregnancy)
• sexual orientation
• handicap
• age (18 to 65 in employment, and 16 and over in occupancy of accommodation)
• marital status
• family status
• same-sex partnership status
• receipt of public assistance (in accommodation only) and record of offences (in employment only).

Discrimination can be in the provision of service, accommodation or employment. You can obtain information and assistance from the Human Rights Legal Support Centre by clicking here or telephoning 1-800-387-9080.

You can also find more information about further legal resources available regarding human rights by clicking here.

Canadian Pension Plan Disability (CPP-d)

Call the Legal Clinic if:

• You are having difficulty getting benefits.
• You wish to appeal a decision.
• You are going to a Review Tribunal

Click on this link if you are being denied CPP-d:

If you are denied CPP-d, you have 90 days from the date of the decision to ask Human Resources Development Canada (HRDC) for a review of the decision. You may wish to provide additional medical information for the review. If you are denied again, you may appeal that decision to the Office of the Commissioner of Review Tribunals. You have 90 days from the date of the reconsideration decision to make an appeal. All the documents that you want to rely on at the hearing should be submitted 30 days before the hearing. If you are denied CPP-d at the Office of the Commissioner of Review Tribunals, you can appeal that decision within 90 days to the Pensions Appeal Board.

Click on these links for more information on:

Federal, provincial, and territorial benefit programs and services for individuals
www.canadabenefits.gc.ca

Old Age Security and Canada Pension Plan
www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/sc/oas/pension/oldagesecurity.shtml

Office of the Commissioner of Review Tribunals
www.ocrt-bctr.gc.ca/index-eng.html

Pension Appeals Board
www.pab-cap.gc.ca/

Employment Insurance ( EI )

Call the Legal Clinic if:

• You are having difficulty applying for Employment Insurance.
• You are appealing a decision.
• You quit your job with “just cause”.
• You were fired but want to find out if you could still receive benefits.

If you are having difficulty getting your Record of Employment call the Human Resources Telecentre at 1-800-206-7218.

Click on these links for more information on:

Employment Insurance
www.servicecanada.gc.ca/eng/sc/ei/index.shtml

EI General Appeals Site
www.ei-ae.gc.ca/en/home.shtml

EI Appeals - Board of Referees
www.ei-ae.gc.ca/en/board/home.shtml

EI Appeals – Office of the Umpire
www.ei-ae.gc.ca/eng/umpire/umpire_home.shtml

Other Areas of Law

The Legal Clinic will endeavour to provide referrals on all other areas of law. Please see our section on referrals for detailed information on resources that are available for persons seeking advice on areas of law that the Legal Clinic does not practise.