Legal Aid Ontario is defunding the African Canadian Legal Clinic.

The decision affecting the legal aid clinic, which has served Toronto’s Black community for over 20 years, was announced Wednesday afternoon by the five-member clinic committee of LAO’s board of directors.

At the same time, LAO’s president and CEO, David Field, said in a statement that the agency will immediately work with community members “to establish a new community-based organization to deliver legal aid services to Ontario’s Black community.”

In the meantime, he said LAO will provide legal services through the Human Rights Legal Support Centre, lawyers in private practice, and LAO’s test case program.

Finding that the ACLC “remains in fundamental breach of its statutory obligations” in the wake of external audits, the clinic committee will suspend funding at the end of September, or at a later date that can be agreed on by the clinic and LAO.

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