Possible legal aid service cuts in B.C. to deal with funding shortfall

Possible legal aid service cuts in B.C. to deal with funding shortfall | iNFOnews.ca
Obeying the rules and keeping the peace will mean no criminal record for a young man guilty of having a consensual affair with a 15-year-old girl. Shannon Quesnel

KAMLOOPS – British Columbia residents needing legal aid may see service cuts beginning as early as November to deal with a funding shortfall.

But the Legal Services Society of B.C. has ruled out one method of dealing with its substantial deficit.

Legal aid lawyers had been told to avoid booking hearings between Feb. 17 and March 31 as a cost-saving measure.

However, that step has not been taken.

Lawyer Graham Kay, the regional representative for the legal aid action committee, says there's no word on what services might be chopped.

He says that in the past, the society has seen breaches and other minor offences not being covered by legal aid.

News from © The Canadian Press, . All rights reserved.
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.

The Canadian Press

The Canadian Press is Canada's trusted news source and leader in providing real-time, bilingual multimedia stories across print, broadcast and digital platforms.

Related Articles