Saskatchewan’s first Black legal clinic touts success

Court of King's Bench in downtown Regina. (Sierra D'Souza Butts/CTV News)

A new service is offering supports to Black Canadians in navigating the legal system.

The Truly Alive Youth and Family Foundation (TAYFF) launched the Saskatchewan Black Legal Clinic earlier this spring.

The free-of-charge clinic assists clients at all levels of the justice system – from understanding rights, offering counsel, accessing legal aid or even helping when clients face the point of arrest, pre-sentencing or go through rehabilitation.

Chief executive officer Anthony Olusola said the clinic is the first of its kind in Saskatchewan.

“We approach our support from a multifaceted intervention strategy [so] that we journey with you,” Olusola told CTV News.

He said the clinic is needed to address the gaps and disparities faced by Black people in Canada’s justice system.

According to Statistics Canada, Black people accused of crimes were 24 per cent less likely to be found guilty than white Canadians accused of crime, yet were 36 per cent more likely to receive a long-term custodial sentence of two years or more.

“Black individuals have a unique experience, if you will, with the justice system, and it’s not only peculiar to Saskatchewan, but nationally,” Olusola told CTV News.

“Some of these are premised upon understandings of civic duties and responsibilities [and] finding and having the right representation when they come in contact with the justice system.

“[This includes] lawyers who represent them to cultural nuance, understanding legal framework, understanding legal terms, knowing their own right protection and civic responsibilities, as well as fundamental human rights.”

Olusola said all of these factors play a critical role in determining whether someone encounters the right support and knowledge when dealing with the justice system.

The TAYFF CEO explained that the clinic is in many ways a continuation of the organization’s work with Correction Service Canada. Truly Alive offers programs for rehabilitation, personal betterment, one-on-one counselling as well as community re-entry for offenders.

Olusola said the organization also helps people understand which programs they’re eligible for and provides services like helping released offenders gain employment.

People can sign up to receive support through TAYFF’s website, whether that means counselling, accompaniment to a court date or other forms of help.

The clinic was established with funds from the Government of Canada through its justice navigation initiative.

“Do not wait until something goes wrong, and that’s why we have our monthly webinars across different topics,” Olusola said.

The Saskatchewan Black legal clinic currently operates across the province, including in Melfort, Regina, Swift Current, Prince Albert and Moose Jaw.

Olusola said the clinic also does important work in addressing potential language barriers in legal matters.

“We’re really glad that most law firms have been reaching out to say ‘Come with me to better support my client,’” he said.

“We’re also having community members come to us and say ‘Finally, we have a place that we can call our own, where we feel safe, where we can talk about issues from a place of trust and not to be overly guarded because we don’t always know that those that reach out to support us are really out to support us in some instances.’”

Truly Alive is set to host a town hall in Saskatoon on July 31 centered around issues of justice as it relates to the various Black communities.

Olusola says the clinic’s work has also been positively received from many of its justice partners.