2018 – 2019 PROJECT LIST

The following is a list of PBSC Projects for the 2018 – 2019 Academic Year. All PBSC Projects have been carefully selected to ensure they provide a valuable legal experience to students. Please refer to the Application Form for application instructions, available on our website: robsonhall.com/probono

PLEASE NOTE: Occasionally projects fall through due to changes in capacity of the organization partner, or availability of a volunteer supervisor. This is beyond the control of the PBSC Program Coordinators.

Age & Opportunity: Power of Attorney Project

Area of : Elder Law Type of Project: Legal Research and Writing & Public Presenta- tion

# of Students: 2-3 Students, All Years Qualifications: N/A

A & O: Support Services for Older Adults (A & O) is a not-for-profit social service agency that offers life-enhancing programs and services to older adults 55+ living in the province of . A & O’s programs and services support and enhance the physical, intellectual, emotional, social and spiritual lives of older persons and actively promote participation in all aspects of community life.

Description: Students will assist in creating a plain language document and potential presentation/webinar that will highlight for Older Adults what a Power of Attorney document is. This can include: • What are my rights when I have a POA? • How do I make changes to a POA? • Where do I go to complete a POA? • Can I change my POA?

Skills you will develop: Legal research, the ability to summarize and communicate legal concepts using plain language, public speaking.

2 A Woman’s Place Legal Clinic: and Domestic Violence

Area of Law: Family Type of Project: Clinical, some Legal Research and Education

# of Students: 1-2 Students, 2L or 3L Qualifications: Must be taking Family Law

A Woman’s Place provides counseling, supports, and legal services to women who are in or have recently left abusive relation- ships.

Description: In addition to those high-risk women we represent, we provide a legal drop-in clinic for women who do not meet our mandate for representation. This clinic allows them to come in and receive information on family law, and help them complete legal aid appli- cations for outside where appropriate.

The project will have 1-2 students attend for 3 hours a week in order to help provide information to women on family law issues and other legal issues related to domestic violence. Before attending appointments, they will be provided with intake forms out- lining the background of the women and what sort of information they are looking for, allowing students the opportunity to re- search or familiarize themselves with the relevant legal principles. Where necessary, the students will discuss the information they intend to provide with the supervising lawyer, prior to meeting with the woman.

The students will then meet with the women, usually for 45 minute sessions. During the sessions they will provide information (not counsel or advice) and seek any additional information from her, as instructed by counsel. Students fill out legal aid applica- tions and occasionally work with an interpreter with certain clients. After the meeting, students will debrief with the supervising lawyer to review information given and to provide feedback for students to use in further client meetings and follow ups.

Students will do some legal research and have the opportunity to present at “Lecture Learns” on the topic of family law and do- mestic violence. During times when clients miss appointments, students will have the opportunity to sit in on a support group where they will observe clients and gain a deeper understanding of client issues. Students may have the opportunity to attend Masters as job shadowing.

Time commitment: 3 hours a week Tuesdays or Fridays.

Additional Information/Requirements: Students must have completed or be registered for Family Law. Must have daytime availability: please include your schedule in your application.

The successful applicants for this volunteer opportunity will be non-judgmental and empathetic. A background in social work, woman’s studies, or experience working with vulnerable individuals is an asset. Due to the needs of the population served by A Woman’s Place, preference will be given to female applicants when working directly with clients.

Skills You Will Gain: Experience working with vulnerable individuals and explaining legal concepts in plain language. IMPORTANT: you must submit your fall AND winter schedules along with your application. If they are not submitted, your ap- plication will be considered incomplete.

3 Canadian Civil Liberties Association: RightsWatch

Area of Law: Civil Liberties, Type of Project: Legal Research and Writing

# of Students: 1 Student, All Years Qualifications: Asset: Constitutional, passion for civil liberties

Description: Rights Watch is an on-line platform dedicated to promoting awareness and dialogue about rights and freedoms in . See: http://rightswatch.ca. PBSC volunteers on the CCLA/PBSC Rights Watch project have the opportunity to produce original and timely content and analysis, and engage with leading experts and other law students dedicated to promoting civil liberties.

There are three distinct aspects of the Rights Watch project:

1) Students’ primary responsibility will be to monitor an assigned area (e.g., in ; in ; US Su- preme Court, etc.) in order to identify and analyze legislative and/or court developments related to civil liberties. Based on their research and analysis, the students will produce blog posts for the Rights Watch webpage. Note that: a. Students will be trained on technical aspects of using the blogging software and receive training from experienced counsel on the legal pitfalls of blogging. b. Monitoring should be done on a weekly basis. CCLA provides a comprehensive monitoring guide with tips for ensur- ing they stay up-to-date on their assigned area. Monitoring may include researching recent Canadian court deci- sions, reaching out to players in the community, and following local media. Where the project supervisor so advises, some students will monitor developments at the European Court of Human Rights, the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, and the UN Human Rights Commission. Some students could also be asked to monitor courts in the U.S., UK, and some other foreign to report on significant developments there with relevance to the Canadian perspective (e.g., surveillance). c. Students are encouraged to engage with their supervisor if they are having trouble identifying interesting issues to write about. Supervisors may also assign specific topics from time to time. d. Students are requested to post to the blog once a week. Posts can be brief (approx. 200-400 words) and include links to relevant source material (cases, , news articles, etc.). Posts should be written in accessible lan- guage and provide commentary on the relevance of the issue. e. Students are encouraged to comment on each other’s blog posts to promote dialogue on civil liberties issues. f. Students do not have to agree with, or reflect, CCLA’s stance on issues to participate in this project, however every blog post must contain a disclaimer stating: This blog post was written by a CCLA-PBSC RightsWatch student. Opin- ions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views of the CCLA or PBSC. g. Students are encouraged to share and post their articles on other platforms. These may include: sharing with their alumni association, and sharing or posting on their personal/chapter/ social media accounts. When post- ing an article in long form on a platform outside of the CCLA Rights Watch blog, students must include the following message: “This article was originally published on the Canadian Civil Liberties Association’s Rights Watch website and was written by a volunteer PBSC student. PBSC and CCLA cannot provide legal advice, and opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect their views. To see the original posting or other articles related to Canadian civil liberties, please visit http://rightswatch.ca/.” 2) CCLA will organize four civil liberties “intensives” over the course of the academic year — webinar style sessions where the students can will learn about timely civil liberties issues and advocacy strategies. During these online sessions, students will have exclusive access to leading practitioners on different civil liberties topics. Each session is approximately one hour in length. Students are required to attend at least three of the four sessions over the course of the year. Efforts will be made to accommodate students’ schedules. 3) In order to promote widespread understanding of and engagement with civil liberties issues in Canada, students will post to social media (i.e., twitter, Instagram, Facebook) about the monitoring, research and analysis they are doing. The original blog posts produced by the students will be promoted through social media and the students may engage with commenters. Stu- dents are requested to post to social media once or twice per week to contribute to dynamic and interactive engagement on right issues.

Requirements: Students selected for this project must participate in an online training session to be held at 3:00 pm 4 EST on Wednesday October 3 or 12:00 p.m. EST on Thursday October 4. (students are required to attend one of the- se two sessions). The training session will last approximately 2 hours. This training will be held in conjunction with training for another CCLA-PBSC project (Talk Rights).

Asset: Student that is self-motivated, engaged with current events and/or politics, enjoys writing and has some experience doing so in an online environment.

Creative Manitoba: Law and

Area of Law: Contract Law, Intellectual Type of Project: Legal Research and Writing & Public Presenta- . tion

# of Students: 2-3 Students, All Years Qualifications: Asset: Interest in Contact law, or experience in the arts.

Description: Students will have the opportunity to research and develop a brochure on contract law issues faced by artists producing work in collaboration with other artists. This includes: how to frame agreements, essential elements of an artist’s contract, protecting copyright, enforcing and contract myths.

Students will spend their time researching the legal information on this topic and developing a downloadable pdf information brochure that, pending lawyer approval, will be passed along to Creative Manitoba Inc. to make available on their resource webpage.

Skills you will develop: Legal research, the ability to summarize and communicate legal concepts using plain language, public speaking.

Community Association: Law Phone-In and Lawyer Referral Program

Area of Law: All areas of law Type of Project: Clinical

# of Students: 5 Students, All Years Qualifications: Excellent listening skills, sympathetic, sensitivi- ty, strong communication/interpersonal skills

CLEA provides public legal education and information programs to Manitobans. One of their main programs is the Law Phone- In and Lawyer Referral.

Description: Student volunteers will assist with CLEA’s Law Phone-In and Lawyer Referral Program. Funded by the Law Society of Manitoba and the Manitoba Law Foundation, this program provides general legal information over the phone in response to callers’ inquiries. Callers are also referred to appropriate law-related agencies where such an agency exists and the situation warrants it, or to a lawyer listed on the Lawyer Referral Panel, for a free initial consultation lasting up to half an hour.

Callers leave voice-mail messages. The supervising attorneys screen the messages for appropriate calls for the students. Students will speak to clients, identify legal issues and in consultation with a supervising attorney, refer clients to the appropriate lawyer or law-related agency or resource. Volunteers for this project will work on-site at the CLEA office at times that do not conflict with class schedules. The office hours for the service are 9 am to 4 pm, Monday through Friday.

Students will also be required to research legal information to answer questions or compose responses to e-mail requests for in- formation.

Skills you will develop: Exposure to a variety of areas of law, working with clients, phone-communication skills.

5 Community Legal Education Association: Accessing en Français

Area of Law: All areas of law Type of Project: Legal Research, Public Legal Education

# of Students: 2 Students, All Years Qualifications: Bilingual; French as first language an asset

CLEA provides public legal education and information programs to Manitobans.

Description: Bilingual students will research and update CLEA’s material titled “Overview of Civil Court Cases in Manitoba” and “First Appear- ance in Criminal Court” and then translate them into French. Students will then record the translation for a narrated PowerPoint presentation, which will be posted on CLEA’s website.

Skills you will develop: Exposure to a variety of areas of law, plain language legal writing in French.

Community Unemployed Help Centre: Review of EI Society Security (SST) Decisions

Area of Law: Labour and Employment Law Type of Project: Legal Research and Writing & Public Presenta- tion

# of Students: 2-3 Students, All Years Qualifications: N/A

Description: Students will review Employment Insurance SST decisions, input those decisions into a database, catalogue decisions and prepare plain language case briefs to summarize the relevant legal issues.

Skills you will develop: Legal research, the ability to summarize and communicate legal concepts using plain language, public speaking. Students may have the opportunity to attend hearings before the SST.

6

Innocence Canada

Area of Law: Criminal Type of Project: Legal Research, Writing with Clinical Elements

# of Students: 1 Student in 2L or 3L from Qualifications: , , Manitoba (4 students total)

Innocence Canada is a Canada, non-profit organization that was founded in 1993 and incorporated in 2000. Innocence Canada’s mandate is to identify, advocate for, and exonerate individuals who have been convicted of a crime they did not commit and prevent wrongful conviction through education and reform. In the years since its inception, Innocence Canada’s team of volun- teers have reviewed hundreds of cases, leading to the successful exoneration of 21 innocent individuals who together spent more than 190 years in prison for crimes they did not commit. Canada’s team are currently reviewing approximately 80 claims of innocence.

Partnership with PBSC: • Innocence Canada offers right-based PLE sessions on topics related to wrongful convictions. • Students will create PLE materials (hereafter referred to as “modules”) directed at different sections in the community, but primarily targeting law students • These modules are intended to be used in law schools throughout the country, as well as for other purposes such as advo- cacy presentations, presentations at conferences, and presentations to other members of the justice sector and the public • Students will be provided with examples of completed modules, as well as templates to use in order to ensure consistent branding • NB: The Lakehead volunteer will be responsible creating the presentation on Indigenous Peoples and Wrongful Convictions. Students from McGill, Western, and Manitoba will choose one of the following: Forensic Evidence, Eyewitness Identifica- tion, Mr. Big Sting Operations, Role of the Crown, Vetrovec Witnesses, Mental Health and Wrongful Convictions, or Race and Wrongful Convictions. • If students complete their module ahead of schedule, they will be invited to choose another topic from the remaining op- tions.

Skills you will develop: Legal research; the ability to summarize and explain legal concepts in plain language.

John Howard Society: Gladue Reporting and Aftercare Program

Area of Law: Criminal Type of Project: Legal Research, Writing with Clinical Elements

# of Students: 1 Student in 2L or 3L Qualifications: Interest in Criminal law

John Howard Society of Manitoba is part of the national coalition of John Howard Societies across Canada, a non-for-profit or- ganization. They provide education and supports to men both in institutions and in the community.

Description: Students will have the opportunity to research issues pertaining to Gladue reporting and aftercare programs, continuing the work of a summer student. This includes researching what comprises a good Gladue Report, appropriate aftercare, what differentiates Gladue court from other courts, and what a good Gladue Report writing training program consists of. Furthermore, students will research how Gladue reporting impacts supervision of federal parolees in different jurisdictions while contrasting how halfway houses operate under Community Release Facilities and Correctional Services Canada. Students wills spend their time researching the legal information on this topic and developing a research memo that, pending lawyer approval, will be used as a resource document by John Howard Society staff.

Skills you will develop: Legal research; the ability to summarize and explain legal concepts in plain language. You will also develop a deeper understand- ing of supervised client interaction.

7 Ka Ni Kanichihk: Criminalization of HIV Non-disclosure

Area of Law: Criminal, Human Rights Type of Project: Legal Research and Writing

# of Students: 3 Students, All Years Qualifications: N/A

Ka Ni Kanichihk is a non-profit, community based, Aboriginal-led human service organization that is committed to providing culturally safe programs to meet the distinct needs of the Aboriginal community.

Description: Students will build on the previous work completed by PBSC students relating to HIV testing and criminalization of non-disclosure.

Students will review recent involving non-disclosure of HIV status and will explore the existence of cases where some- one’s HIV status is used as a means of control/coercion/harassment/sexual exploitation. Students will also review the outcomes of those cases to determine if the harasser/coercer faces criminal consequences. Ka Ni Kanichihk holds the position that HIV is not a crime, nor are the court rooms the healthiest place for addressing this issue. Students will therefore explore alternative measures for addressing HIV criminalization such as using indigenous legal traditions. Students will also look at what is being used in other jurisdictions.

Research has shown that indigenous women are disproportionately impacted by the criminalization of HIV status. A paper was recently published in that speaks to this issue. Students will use this paper as a jumping off point from which to research additional legal issues faced by indigenous women relating to their HIV status, in the Manitoba context using an indige- nous lens. For example, what are the implications of testing which could deter people from being tested? (Ex: stigma, silence for fear of violence)

Skills you will develop: Legal research; the ability to summarize and explain legal concepts in plain language.

8 Manitoba Association for Rights & Liberties: MARL PBSC Communication Interns

Area of Law: Human Rights, Civil Rights Type of Project: Legal Research and Plain Language Writing

# of Students: 2-3 Students, All Years Qualifications: N/A

The Manitoba Association for Rights and Liberties envisions a society where diversity is valued, liberties are respected, and rights are lived. MARL takes action in education and advocacy for human rights and civil liberties toward greater social justice in the province.

Description: PBSC students would work at the MARL office for 3-5 hours once every two weeks, between the months of September to Novem- ber, and January to March. At the beginning of the year, students will generally discuss which issues they are personally interest- ed in and what priority areas are for MARL. This list will guide the work throughout the year, although the students and MARL are not bound by it.

Under the direction of the MARL Director, students will undertake short research and writing projects that assist with accomplishing the above mentioned two strategic goals. Issues, legislation and policy, and human rights stories that will be ex- plored will be chosen with direction from the MARL Board of Directors, as well as personal and group interest of the MARL Execu- tive Director and the PBSC students.

At the beginning of each session, students will meet with the ED to discuss any issues that have arisen since the last session, and finalize a work plan for the day. At the end of the day the students will meet with the ED and provide an update of their progress. If the work is not completed that day, students may conduct their work from home the following week, and some projects may span larger amounts of time. While the MARL ED is not a lawyer, all work will be supervised, edited, and reviewed by two volun- tary MARL , who will also help in setting goals, parameters, and subjects for the project.

Every two weeks, students will review and explore the issue at hand, researching relevant details to the Manitoba , as well as within other provinces, federally, internationally, and within relevant case law.

Skills you will develop: Legal Research and plain language legal writing.

Manitoba Law Reform Commission: Parental Responsibility & Children’s Moral Culpability

Area of Law: Legislation, Law Reform Type of Project: Legal Research and Writing

# of Students: 3-4, all years Qualifications: N/A

MLRC is an independent law reform agency established by The Law Reform Commission Act. The Commission’s duties are to inquire into and consider any matter relating to law in Manitoba with a view to making recommendations for the improve- ment, modernization and reform of law.

Students will be assisting the Commission with a project titled “Parental Responsibility & Children’s Moral Culpability”. Interest- ing issues to be considered as part of this project will include: what legal defences exist for parent’s liability for the actions of chil- dren? What are the appropriate limitations? How should a minor’s moral culpability be defined and reflected in our ? Stu- dents will be conducting research on legislation which allows victims of youth crime to recover damages from parents whose mi- nor children have been involved in deliberately taking, damaging or destroying property. In Manitoba, the legislation that governs these circumstances is The Parental Responsibility Act, although other Manitoba Acts contain provisions with similar purposes. Students will assist the Commission with this project by reviewing the legislative history of the in various jurisdictions, summarizing authorities, and conducting a comparative analysis of the laws in different jurisdictions. This infor- mation will assist Commission staff in preparing a final report on this topic which may recommend changes to Manitoba’s current legislation.

Skills You Will Gain: Legal Research & Writing 9

Manitoba Métis Federation: Manitoba Metis Protector Fund Research Project

Area of Law: Type of Project: Legal Research and Writing & Public Presenta- tion

# of Students: 1-2 Students, All Years Qualifications: N/A

The MMF is establishing the Manitoba Metis Protector Fund (MMPF), the mandate of which is to provide financial and other sup- ports for legal as well as political and social advocates in the protection of human, civil, and aboriginal rights of the Mani- toba Metis Community.

The MMPF motto is “when the smallest or weakest citizen in the Metis Nation has his or her rights infringed, the Metis Protector Fund will be there to help.” The MMPF when fully developed will have, in addition to a financial account, management and ad- ministrative staff, and other supports, including legal and policy expertise.

Description: To assist in the MMPF development, the PBSC student(s) will create a research memo on whether other legal counsel funds exist in Canada and what these funds look like. In addition to this question, students will research the legal issues to undertake a com- parative analysis of First Nations, Inuit and Metis Nation individuals and collectives. This information will be used to identify common and divergent advocacy considerations, approaches and the possible MMPF applications.

Skills you will develop: Legal research, the ability to summarize and communicate legal concepts using plain language.

MS Society of Manitoba: Family Law Issues Facing MS Patients

Area of Law: Family Law Type of Project: Legal Research and Writing

# of Students: 3-4 Students, All Years Qualifications: Asset: has taken, or will be taking, Family Law

The MS Society provides services to people with multiple sclerosis and their families and funds research to find the cause and cure for this disease. It is the only national voluntary organization in Canada that supports both MS research and services.

Description: Students will develop and deliver plain language documents and public legal education workshops to persons living with Multiple Sclerosis on legal issues specifically pertaining to family law.

While divorce rates for MS patients are the same as the national average, MS presents specific challenges in the context of family law – challenges that actually affect women four times more than men when one takes into consideration how pregnancy can accelerate the debilitating disease. Students will be asked to research these issues as well as any others that may arise in the con- text of family law; the possibility of divorce, custody, visitation rights, and the application of alimony and maintenance payments retroactively for MS patients who are no longer gainfully employed and require assistance from their former spouse.

Skills you will develop: Legal research, plain-language legal writing, and public speaking.

10 New Directions for Children, Youth, Adults and Families: Corporal Punishment

Area of Law: Human Right’s Law Type of Project: Legal Research and Writing

# of Students: 2-4 Students, All Years Qualifications: N/A

New Directions is a large non-profit organization offering a wide variety of social services to the Manitoban community in areas of counseling, assessment, support, prevention, training and education, and residential support.

Description: Students will conduct research to be used by the RAP (Resources for Adolescent Parents) program at New Directions. This pro- gram offers young women who are pregnant or have children the support they need to keep going to school.

Classroom students and RAP staff are researching the Truth and Reconciliation Commission of Canada Call to Action #6. #6 is a call upon the Canadian Government to repeal Section 43 or the Criminal Code of Canada. One of the things they wish to do is influ- ence the law in Manitoba/Canada around corporal punishment.

Section 43: Correction of child by force states that “Correction of child by force “Every schoolteacher, parent or person standing in the place of a parent is justified in using force by way of correction toward a pupil or child, as the case may be, who is under his care, if the force does not exceed what is reasonable under the circumstances.”

Students will research the history of the law on corporal punishment in Canada and Manitoba, as well as any relevant case law, and will ideally answer the following questions: - Why has it never changed to include no hitting at all? - What is the law in other countries that do not allow corporal punishment? - How can the law be changed?

Skills You Will Develop: Legal research and plain language legal writing

11 New Directions for Children, Youth, Adults and Families: Social Media and Foster Parents

Area of Law: Privacy Type of Project: Legal Research and Writing

# of Students: 2-4 Students, All Years Qualifications: N/A

New Directions is a large non-profit organization offering a wide variety of social services to the Manitoban community in areas of counseling, assessment, support, prevention, training and education, and residential support.

Description: Students will conduct research to be used by the Family Connections program at New Directions. This program assists individuals and their families to manage experiences and behaviors that make it difficult to stay together. The program also assists in the de- velopment of new skills to remove barriers in order to have stronger and healthier connections. The supports are intended to ensure families can stay together, facilitate reunification, or promote continued meaningful connections for children and youth with their family and natural support network.

Students will conduct research on social media policies of organizations that are similar to New Directions, and will compare New Directions’ social media policy to policies at similar organizations with similar legal mandates. Students will also research applica- ble case law.

Students will provide information on the following questions: - Is it ok for foster parents (who are on contract with New Directions) to use Messenger/Facebook (or other social media platforms) to communicate with the children in their care, who are in the CFS system? - Is it ok for Direct Support Workers (employed by us) to use messenger/FB to communicate with the children in their care (children in the CFS system). - What are some potential concerns to be aware of should New Directions decide to create a social media account(s) for the purpose of communication with clients? - What confidentiality concerns arise from the use of social media? - How can staff or foster parents use information they find on social media: for example, what if the child speaks about il- legal activity on social media? What are legal obligations to report information? - Does the Child and Family Services Act restrict social media use?

Skills You Will Develop: Legal research and plain language legal writing.

12 Public Interest Law Centre: Mediation Brief for Human Rights Complaints Relating to the Gaps in Services for Adults with Physical Disabilities in Manitoba

Area of Law: Human Rights Law, Constitu- Type of Project: Legal Research and Writing tional Law

# of Students: 1-2 student, All Years Qualifications: Interest in Human Rights Law and a back- ground in policy and/or legislative research and writing is beneficial

Public Interest Law Centre (PILC) is an office unique to Canada, and takes on test cases for public interest groups and low- income individuals. It focuses on consumer, poverty, environmental, Indigenous and challenges. PILC was established in 1982 and has had significant victories enhancing the lives and law for all Manitobans.

Description: On 19 July 2016, the Public Interest Law Centre filed two human rights complaints at the Manitoba Human Rights Commission on behalf of their clients, Tyson and Amy. The complaints allege that Manitoba Health, Seniors and Active Living, Manitoba Families and the Regional Health Authority have failed to provide adequate services for Tyson and Amy as well as other adults with significant physical disabilities contrary to ss. 9(1), 9(3) and 13(1) of the Manitoba Human Rights Code (“Code”).

The Cerebral Palsy Association (CP Association) has been supporting Tyson and Amy in their complaint. Together, the CP Associa- tion and PILC will be launching a public relations campaign called “Locked out of Life” to raise awareness about the ways in which the system creates barriers for adults with disabilities and prevents their participation in society.

In June 2018, our clients received the Investigative Reports which find that there is a prima facie case of individual and systemic discrimination. The next steps in the process is to continue working on the public relations campaign as well as to prepare for the settlement discussions.

The PBSC student would be asked to assist with tasks relating to the public relations campaign and settlement discussions by re- searching and preparing background memoranda. The student would also be involved in drafting a mediation brief and would attend meetings with the clients as well as community events relating to the human rights complaint.

Skills you will develop: Working with a legal organization (PILC), legal/policy research as well as legal writing.

13 Public Interest Law Centre: Research into legal tools available for Hydro affected First Nations to address provincial licensing decisions

Area of Law: , Consti- Type of Project: Legal Research and Writing tutional Law

# of Students: 1-2 students, All Years Qualifications: Interest in Human Rights Law and a back- ground in policy and/or legislative research and writing is beneficial

Public Interest Law Centre (PILC) is an office unique to Canada, and takes on test cases for public interest groups and low- income individuals. It focuses on consumer, poverty, environmental, Indigenous and Charter challenges. PILC was established in 1982 and has had significant victories enhancing the lives and law for all Manitobans.

Description: Since the onset of major Manitoba Hydro development on the Nelson River in the early 1960s, there have been profound and adverse affects on First Nation people lands and water. Despite the evolution of environmental law, there continue to be ongoing adverse effects flowing from annual Provincial Government licensing decisions including the Augmented Flow Program which en- able Manitoba Hydro to exceed allowable limits set out in its Water Power licenses.

Working with traditional knowledge holders, youth and traditional land users, the research team will explore the lawfulness of ongoing licensing activities as well as potential legal tools to better protect the lands, waters and people of the Nelson River.

The PBSC student would be asked to assist in preparing a legal analysis exploring the lawfulness of the Augmented Flow Program as well as potential tools to better protect traditional lands. Those tools may include but not be limited to the doctrine of public trust, and new federal assessment legislation.

Skills you will develop: Working with a legal organization (PILC), legal/policy research as well as legal writing.

14 Public Interest Law Centre: Assisting with Closing Submissions for the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls National Inquiry

Area of Law: Human Rights Law, Constitu- Type of Project: Legal Research and Writing tional Law

# of Students: 1-2 students, at least one Qualifications: Interest in Human Rights Law and a back- upper year ground in policy and/or legislative research and writing is beneficial

The Public Interest Law Centre represents the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs in the National Inquiry into Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls. The AMC has been an active participant in the Inquiry and has attended the following in-person hearings:

• May 14-17, 2018 : Expert hearing on Human Rights in Quebec City • May 28th – June 1st, 2018: Institutional Hearing on Government Services in Calgary, • June 11th – 13th, 2018- Expert Hearing on Racism in Toronto, ON

In addition, the Inquiry has also held the following hearing: • June 25th – June 29th, 2018: Practices and Policies Hearing in Regina, Saskatchewan.

On June 5th, 2018, the federal government granted the National Inquiry a short extension of six months to June 30, 2019. The National Inquiry is expected to conclude its research and submit its final report by April 30, 2019. The Commission has decided to hold the following additional four hearings between September – December 2018: 1. Colonial Violence – socio-economic, health impacts, wellness 2. The Family: Child Welfare, Supports to family, Domestic Violence 3. Oversight and Accountability in/of the System 4. Sexual Exploitation/Human Trafficking/Sexual Violence It is anticipated that the closing arguments for the Inquiry process will be held in December 2018.

Description:

The PBSC student would be asked to assist in preparing for the written and oral closing arguments of the Assembly of Manitoba Chiefs in the National Inquiry. The tasks would involve reviewing transcripts, gathering and conducting research, drafting a mem- orandum and attending meetings to obtain client instructions.

15 Sex Workers of Winnipeg Action Coalition: Decisions SWWAC - Sex workers and police interaction

Area of Law: Human Rights Law, Criminal Type of Project: Legal Research and Writing & Public Presenta- Law tion

# of Students: 3 Students, at least one up- Qualifications: N/A per year student

The goal of the Sex Workers of Winnipeg Action Coalition (SWWAC) is to make things safer for sex workers. Their mission is to promote the human and labour rights of sex workers. Their membership includes sex workers, activists, researchers, health care people, and other allies from Winnipeg.

Their vision is to see sex work decriminalized and destigmatized, for everyone to have autonomy over the work they do and their working conditions, and that our group be a space where people learn, grow, and share. Their beliefs are that initiatives aimed at sex workers must be focused on harm reduction, evidence-based, and directed by sex workers themselves. In December 2014, Bill C-36 was enacted into Canadian law. This law, known as the Protection of Communities and Exploited Per- sons Act, amended the criminal code, making it illegal to purchase sex, illegal for advertisers to let sex workers advertise sex for sale, and illegal (in most circumstances) to receive money that relates to sex work. However, it does not make selling sex illegal, and those who sell sex cannot be charged with a crime for advertising their services. Students will conduct legal research for SWWAC regarding police interactions with sex workers in the context of the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act, keeping in mind the beliefs of SWWAC which include the support of human and labour rights of those who work in the sex industries. SWWAC also supports the full decriminalization of sex work.

Description: Students will focus their research on the following issues: • Statistics on arrests from the enforcement of the Protection of Communities and Exploited Persons Act, including out- comes (if available) on human trafficking and/or exploitation charges relating to sex work. • Including (wherever possible from statistics and/or case law) a follow through from each arrest to outcome (charged, charged with a lesser offence, court, diversion, conviction, etc..) • Police raids/sting operations: • In which jurisdictions in Canada have these operations taken place? For example, Operation Northern Spotlight in Ontario • What have these operations entailed? • Are there any potential Charter arguments regarding police raids/sting operations of sex workers? What about raids which include immigration status checks? • Have these operations had an impact on immigration status? • Have these operations lead to illegal searches of sex workers? • After Bedford, which was a successful Charter challenge brought forward by sex workers, the Criminal Code was amend- ed via Bill C-36. However, these changes still present problems for sex workers. Students will research and summarize case law where Charter challenges or human rights issues have been raised post Bill C-36 • Given that selling sex is not illegal, what are the rights and requirements of sex workers when interacting with the police? For example, how much information, if anything, are they expected to volunteer? What questions do they not have to answer? • Given that selling sex is not illegal, are police still enabled by the (and/or case law) to monitor sex work- ers?

Skills you will develop: Legal research, the ability to summarize and communicate legal concepts using plain language, public speaking.

16 Welcome Place - Manitoba Interfaith Immigration Council Country Conditions

Area of Law: Type of Project: Legal Research and Writing

# of Students: 2 Students, All Years Qualifications: Immigration Law would be an asset

The mission of Manitoba Interfaith Immigration Council Inc. is to welcome and provide settlement services for refugees and immigrants living in Manitoba. MIIC is Manitoba’s largest refugee settlement agency.

Description: Students will work to create a research memo that compiles country condition information about the following countries; Eritrea, Somalia, Nigeria, Ghana/Senegal and Ethiopia/Djibouti. This document will be utilized by volunteers and refugee claimants to bet- ter understand what information should be included in narratives and basis of claims based on an individual’s specific circum- stances as well as the claimant’s country. Students will also be required to research what other documents claimants may include in their basis of claim as supportive evidence of country conditions in their hearing before the Refugee Protection Division.

Welcome Place - Manitoba Interfaith Immigration Council Immigration Law Training Manual

Area of Law: Immigration Law Type of Project: Legal Research and Writing

# of Students: 2 Students, All Years Qualifications: Immigration Law would be an asset

The mission of Manitoba Interfaith Immigration Council Inc. is to welcome and provide settlement services for refugees and immigrants living in Manitoba. MIIC is Manitoba’s largest refugee settlement agency.

Description: The mission of Manitoba Interfaith Immigration Council Inc. is to welcome and provide settlement services for refugees and im- migrants living in Manitoba. MIIC is Manitoba’s largest refugee settlement agency.

Description: Students will assist in creating a brochure or similar document which will be made available to clients. The brochure will provide information pertaining to the types of evidence that they should be trying to obtain in preparation for their hearing (e.g. affida- vits, letters of support, witness evidence). The brochure will also aid clients and volunteers in trouble shooting situations where changes have to be made to an existing basis of claim in the event that they notice an omission or error prior to the hearing. Help- ful information includes; what kind of questions to expect and how much detail should be provided in the answers as well as what to do if the client does not understand the questions being asked of them at their hearing (i.e. telling the presiding member that they do not understand, asking for clarification and inquiring on what kind of information the presiding member is looking for from their answer).

Skills you will develop: Legal research; the ability to summarize and explain legal concepts in plain language.