Ed Montigny Volunteers with Health Justice Program (St. Michael’s Hospital) & Pro Bono Students Canada
The Health Justice Program is a community legal aid clinic partnership with the St. Michael’s Hospital Academic Family Health Team (“FHT”). By embedding legal services into the FHT, the Health Justice Program aims to increase access to justice and help improve the social conditions that impact health. For more information, see: http://www.stmichaelshospital.com/programs/familypractice/health-justice-program.php
Pro Bono Students Canada (PBSC) is a national organization working out of most Canadian law schools. PBSC’s mandate is threefold:
1. To train future lawyers by providing practical, supervised learning experiences for students;
2. To increase access to justice for low-income individuals and non-profit organizations; and
3. To promote a culture of pro bono in the profession.
The Health Justice Program and PBSC has partnered with Montigny Law for the 2019-2020 academic year to provide a limited free resource to eligible patients of the St. Michael’s Hospital FHT. Through this partnership student volunteers, supervised by Ed Montigny, will assist with gathering information and then preparing the draft Wills and Powers of Attorney documents, as well as reporting letters. A valuable service is provided to low-income individuals while students receive useful training on legal issues at the same time as they gain insight into the social conditions that affect both health and access to justice for vulnerable populations.