From the first week to the first year.

Five things need to happen between someone arriving in Canada and someone feeling at home with its laws. Here is each one, in order.

How LegalLanding works

Sections 1 to 5

Reaching people early

1

Meet newcomers where they already are

We work through settlement agencies, colleges and universities, faith centres and community groups. That lets us reach people in their first months in Canada, before most legal problems start.

Plain-language sessions

2

Teach the everyday law

Community Legal Navigators run small group sessions. Each session is

  1. (a)led by someone who shares the group's language and background;
  2. (b)built around real situations, such as renting, work, driving, buying and family life; and
  3. (c)free of legal jargon, with time set aside for questions.

Timely messages

3

Send guidance when it is needed

People get a short explainer by text or WhatsApp at the moment it applies: a first lease, a new job, a letter from a government office. Every message ends with a way to reach a navigator for questions.

Early intervention

4

Step in before things escalate

When someone faces a possible charge, the first hours matter. Navigators help them understand their rights and connect them with a lawyer or legal clinic, before a misunderstanding turns into a record.

Lasting knowledge

5

Leave people confident

The aim is for people to understand how the system fits together well enough to explain it to their own family and friends.

Standards we hold ourselves to

  1. (a)Every explainer is checked against current Canadian law and cites its source.
  2. (b)Sessions are led by people from the communities they serve.
  3. (c)We give legal information, not legal advice, and refer people to lawyers and clinics when they need advice.
  4. (d)When we don't know something, we say so.