Juripop is back in the Montreal metro with free legal consultations

Juripop is launching Justice Month under the theme Together for Access to Justice, between empowerment and collective strength. This edition also marks the return of free legal clinics in the metro, on four Thursdays in March at the Place-des-Artsm metro station. The return of these clinics are well welcomed in a context where the justice system cannot meet the demand, where inflation is particularly hard on Quebecers.

After nearly three years of pause imposed by the pandemic, nearly twenty volunteer jurists will be present in the metro during the month of March. Juripop and its volunteer jurists will offer free 15-minute consultations to anyone who needs legal information. This is a way to democratize the justice system, make it accessible, and make the population aware of the different resources that offer services throughout the year.

The legal clinics will be held at the Place-des-Arts metro station on the first four Thursdays of March, from March 2 to March 23, from 12:00 to 6:00 p.m. Here are a few situations that the volunteer lawyers were able to respond to in the past:

• An individual presents himself with his will to know if he should have it changed and, if so, how;
• A citizen who received a notice of lease renewal and rent increase would like to know if the increase or request is justified;
• A person who wonders if he or she is entitled to higher support payments.

The return of legal clinics in the metro is made possible by the support of the Chambre des notaires du Québec, the main partner of Justice Month, and the Société des transports de Montréal (STM). In addition, this year, Juripop will be proudly accompanied by the Centres de justice de proximité de Montréal et de la Montérégie, the Public Curator and Éducaloi.

Launched in 2016, Justice Month is an annual event for organizations that aim to improve access to justice. Juripop’s flagship activities in this programming are the Metro Clinics and the Closing Colloquium.

This year, the theme of the closing symposium of the Month of Justice will be Access to Justice, between empowerment and collective strength. This is an opportunity for about a hundred workers from organizations working for access to justice in Quebec to meet and reflect on how to inform better and equip individuals in order to make them autonomous in their quest for justice, but also how to promote mutual aid and citizen solidarity in this process.

“I am delighted with the return of legal clinics in the metro. In the current socio-economic context, this initiative is all the more important because an answer to a simple question can have a huge impact on the lives of people in precarious and vulnerable situations. I congratulate and thank the jurists participating in this activity and I invite the population to come in great numbers!” – Me Pascale Pageau, Ad. E., President of Juripop

“In a context of rising costs of living where the population has less and less financial means to learn about its rights, we are very happy to announce the return of legal clinics in the metro. These clinics have demonstrated that a short meeting with a notary or a lawyer can make a big difference in a person’s life. We are confident that this year again, this series of activities will help hundreds of citizens in a variety of areas of law.” – Me Sophie Gagnon, Executive Director of Juripop

“The Chambre des notaires is proud to be associated with Juripop for Justice Month. I invite the population to take part in the free legal clinics in the metro. I also invite all organizations working to improve access to justice to join the closing conference. Justice Month is an important initiative of Juripop, but I would like to highlight their sustained efforts throughout the year which directly improve access to justice for many citizens.” – Me Hélène Potvin, President of the Chambre des notaires

“As part of Justice Month, the STM is proud to once again partner with Juripop to host these free legal clinics at the Place-des-arts station, after a three-year absence in the metro due to the pandemic. This partnership with Juripop illustrates the STM’s values of inclusion and accessibility. This initiative is very relevant; as proof, nearly 500 people have benefited from legal advice and support thanks to the clinics offered by this organization in 2019.” – Nathalie Clément, Executive Director, Service Planning and Delivery and Customer Experience, at the STM.