Neighbourhood Legal Services (NLS): Landlord Tenant Processes Zine Library (1 position)

Area of law: Housing Law -- Administrative Law

Neighbourhood Legal Services is a non-profit and independent community legal clinic. Their catchment includes Regent Park, St. Jamestown, Cabbagetown, and the Church and Wellesley corridor, and includes over 9000 social housing units. Housing law and eviction prevention are the majority of their intakes, making up close to half their intakes. To learn more about the NLS, check out their website here: https://www.nlstoronto.org/

NLS is seeking a student to help them create a library of plain language guides/zines for common Landlord Tenant Board (LTB) proceedings. With Tribunal Ontario's move to online adjudication, and the elimination of in-person LTB services, many people without reliable internet or telephone access have been left confused and disconnected from the LTB process. The LTB sends a package of text-heavy written explainers with its Notices of Hearing, despite the fact that 4 in 10 Ontarians aged 15 and over do not have the literacy skills they need to meet the demand of modern life. At the same time, NLS only has two lawyers to serve the community. NLS would like to have accessible "zines" (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6cUie23VII&feature=youtu.be) or pamphlets that help clients and community members with low-moderate literacy skills to retain information from meetings after they leave the NLS office, and to provide information to community members who NLS is unable to meet with due to lack of capacity, with a focus on explaining how to navigate LTB processes without access to internet or phone.

The topics of the zines may include: what evidence to gather for different types of evictions (arrears, behaviour and/or damage allegations, personal use evictions, hoarding/clutter-based evictions, illegal act evictions, etc.); how to prepare and submit an evidence package; what are the different types of hearing formats and how to request a change in format or human rights accommodation; how to sign into a hearing and what to expect the day of the hearing; how to Request a Review of a hearing order; and/or what to do in the immediate aftermath of missing a hearing. 

Time Commitment

Students will volunteer 3-5 hours per week. The schedule is flexible and the position is remote. There will be an optional training component that is in-person. 

Required Training

In addition to the PBSC mandatory training, the student will go through a 1-1.5 month training period to get acquainted with housing law and Landlord Tenant Board proceedings, including reviewing an overview memo for housing law, observing the Landlord Tenant Board hearings online, and if desired, shadowing supervisor's intake appointments in-person on Wednesday afternoons (optional). Access to Canva will be provided, which omens with Canva's own tutorial videos. 

Number of Students and Prerequisites

  • How many students? 
    • One student 
  • Can first year law students volunteer? 
    • First year students are encouraged to apply!
  • Should you be bilingual?
    •  Nope! 
  • Any other expectations for this project? 
    • Strong written communication skills are expected. Not required, but a plus: experience with administrative law proceedings and/or the Landlord Tenant Board, proficiency with Canva or visual design, experience working with vulnerable and/or low-income populations.