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We're proud to serve a wide variety of clients. Below, find profiles of some of them.

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AIS joins WoodGreen – a case study on organizational integration

A Tudor style, 3-storey walk-up apartment building with 13 units built in 1995. A landscaped rear patio, and large trees add to the appeal of this building located within 10 minutes of the beaches.

An east end café was the setting for an energetic conversation between a leader of a small supportive housing program and the CEO of a large community service organization. Accommodation, Information and Support Inc. (AIS) a pioneer of the supportive housing model for persons with mental health challenges and WoodGreen Community Services, a systems leader in providing innovative solutions to challenging social issues, began a conversation about the mutual benefits of joining forces. Despite the global pandemic, we continued with our plans and completed a voluntary integration on April 1, 2020 into a single corporation, WoodGreen Community Services. We felt it was an opportune time to leverage our combined expertise to better serve clients, who need us now more than ever, with intensive mental health and supportive housing supports. Continue reading “AIS joins WoodGreen – a case study on organizational integration”

St. Clare’s celebrates opening 22 new deeply affordable housing units

The new building with its cut-steel artwork adorning the balconies.

St. Clare’s Multifaith Housing Society is a charitable organization that provides affordable mixed-income housing in downtown Toronto. St. Clare’s was formed in 1998 by people who knew that the only way to end homelessness was to build affordable housing. This summer, St. Clare’s celebrated the opening of 22 new deeply affordable units in Toronto’s Kensington Market neighborhood.

Continue reading “Client Profile: St. Clare’s celebrates opening 22 new deeply affordable housing units”

A shattered supply chain and unprecedented online demand; how Coach House Books has weathered the pandemic

Coach House Books’ Heidelberg printing press

Having some time at home — okay, a lot of time at home — during the pandemic has reminded many Canadians how edifying, relaxing, and downright satisfying it is to read a good book. The pandemic also reminded a lot of us how important it is to support smaller and local businesses. So, as people settled into lock-down, demand for Coach House books was high. But with a shattered supply chain, it was difficult for them to meet that demand.

Coach House Books publishes literary fiction, poetry, and non-fiction, and is one of only three publishers in Canada to print their own books; they have a Heidelberg press in their office, an old coach house in an alley at Bloor and Spadina in downtown Toronto. But the shut-down order issued by the province in mid-March meant that they had to close down the printing shop — at a time when only half of their Spring 2020 books had been printed. Those titles have now been rescheduled for times throughout the rest of the year.

Continue reading “A shattered supply chain and unprecedented online demand; how Coach House Books has weathered the pandemic”

How the Centre for Independent Living in Toronto is navigating COVID‑19

Audrey King, a Direct Funding program participant since 1995, and her attendant, Louis George wearing face shields as part of the personal protective equipment used to keep each other safe.

Through the first months of the COVID-19 pandemic, information about where to find precious commodities like masks and gloves and other personal protective equipment (PPE) items was shared and traded by many, particularly by individuals with disabilities who need regular physical assistance with activities of daily living like showering and dressing. Many people checked with traditional sources like medical supply stores, online retailers and big box stores, but not everyone would think to order surgical masks from their local convenience store to be delivered the same day, no less, via a food delivery and takeout app.

This unique suggestion came from one Toronto man in a Zoom call with a few dozen other participants of the Direct Funding program, which is administered by the Centre for Independent Living in Toronto (CILT). The participants are funded by the program to hire and manage the workers who assist them through the day; since it is impossible to maintain physical distance when one person is helping another to take a shower, PPE is critical for the health and safety of both individuals.

Continue reading “Client Profile: How the Centre for Independent Living in Toronto is navigating COVID‑19”

Parkdale Neighbourhood Land Trust

PNLT members and supporters celebrate the purchase of a 15-unit rooming house in Parkdale, the first affordable housing project of the land trust.

Parkdale Neighbourhood Land Trust (PNLT) was forged from the collective vision of community members and non‑profit organizations active in the Parkdale neighbourhood of Toronto: to create an organization focused on preserving affordability, diversity and community‑owned assets.

As a result of steep increases in land values in Toronto, the neighbourhood has seen significant changes. Parkdale is home to a high concentration of affordable housing, including rental, social and supportive housing, and rooming houses. As rising prices see progressively more affluent residents moving in, PNLT’s goal is to ensure that everyone, particularly those with fewer resources and lower incomes, can also benefit from the changes in the neighbourhood.

Continue reading “Client Profile: Parkdale Neighbourhood Land Trust”

rabble.ca

A table with a rabble.ca banner, covered in pamphlets with a large hand-painted sign behind which reads 'Beautiful CHAOS'.

Founded by Judy Rebick in 2001, rabble.ca is an on‑line magazine for the Canadian progressive community. It was built on the efforts of journalists, writers, artists and activists across the country and has a unique role of reporting on stories from civil society, providing a counterbalance to corporate-owned media. For over 18 years, rabble has amplified the voice of social movements and grassroots activism across the country. rabble.ca is proud to say that, despite the crowded landscape of progressive on‑line news sources, it gets up to 450,000 visitors monthly – numbers that continue to grow. It attracts these numbers by featuring some of the best new and emerging progressive voices in Canada.

Iler Campbell and rabble.ca have a relationship dating back to its inception when they consulted us on the inevitable legal issues that arise for any new non‑profit, and definitely for a progressive news organization that occasionally dips its toe into controversial waters. We remain on standby to provide what we hope is quick and useful advice on legal issues faced by rabble.ca as a mature organization.

Beginning in March 2012, we were proud to say “yes” to rabble.ca’s offer for Iler Campbell to contribute a monthly column, “pro bono”. Former Iler Campbell lawyer, Paula Boutis, kicked things off with an article on election law. Since then, we’ve written on topics as wide ranging as: environmental issues, housing, international labour standards, medically assisted death, impact investing, the legal profession, cannabis, non‑profit governance, Canada’ prison system, and human rights.

As well as providing content for rabble’s website, these articles also feature on our firm blog where we hope that they contribute to much‑needed debates on all of these topics. To see them all as they appear on the Iler Campbell blog, click here.

September 2019 marked our 90^th column from 17 different lawyers and articling students who have been at the firm, including the eight who currently comprise Iler Campbell LLP. We couldn’t be prouder!

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