How northern legal clinics are supporting victims of sexual harassment in the workplace

Community legal clinics across northern Ontario are working together to address sexual harassment in the workplace by providing free legal advice and support to victims, one of the organizers said.

Scott Florence, sexual harassment and workplace worker with the Sudbury Community Legal Clinic, said the initiative is a relaunch of a program that started in 2020. 

Four of the legal clinics in the north — Algoma Community Legal Clinic in Sault Ste. Marie, Keewaytinok Native Legal Services in Moosonee, Kinna-aweya Legal Clinic in Thunder Bay, Sudbury Community Legal Clinic — are part of this project, providing free public legal education to people, organizations and institutions.

Under the project, Florence said people can either call a toll free number or just knock on the door of their local community legal clinic, who will then advise them how to proceed.

"We know that across northern Ontario, we have a lot of smaller communities, more isolated communities, and getting legal services is not always easy and obtainable," Florence told CBC Sudbury on Tuesday.

"So, this project really wants to ensure that everybody across the north knows that they have options, that they have rights and that they've got some place to go to find out more."

The initiative is part of a province-wide two-year project, which is funded by the Department of Justice of Canada.

Florence said there is no income minimum to get the free legal advice that will happen through the toll free number.

Nearly one in two women and one in three men report experiencing sexual harassment in the workplace in their lifetime, according to Stats Canada reporting from 2024.

"This can be a hard topic to discuss," Florence said.

"People can feel shame, they can be uncertain about where to go or what to do. This project gives people the free legal advice, education and support that they need to help them understand how to deal with sexual harassment if they have experienced it; or, how to be an ally, or, how to make change in the workplace as an employer."

'It's a social issue'

Meanwhile, Algoma Legal Clinic paralegal Jill Hewgill says she hopes this initiative will encourage people to seek free legal advice and support.

"Sexual Harassment in the workplace isn't just a legal issue, it's a social issue," Hewgill said. 

"By involving all the community legal clinics in the north, we're hoping to bring more people forward to seek legal advice, and to provide them with information and guidance as well as resources to support them."

People experiencing sexual harassment in the workplace can call 1-833-677-5146 for free legal advice, or visit shapeyourworkplace.ca, or contact their nearest community legal clinic to be referred to speak to someone directly.