CLEONet goes online
Now, for the first time, Ontario’s community organizations and legal clinics have one central online place they can visit to find community legal education resources, news, and events.
On November 14, 2005, Community Legal Education Ontario (CLEO) and over 100 guests from legal clinics and community organizations across the province gathered to celebrate the launch of CLEONet.
For those who couldn’t join us, here are a few highlights followed by some pictures:
The Honourable R. Roy McMurtry, Chief Justice of Ontario, spoke about the role public legal education plays in advancing equality before the law and welcomed CLEONet as an important tool in helping low-income and disadvantaged communities access justice. Janet Leiper, Chair of Legal Aid Ontario’s Board of Directors, also delivered rousing remarks about CLEONet and the power of clear, accessible legal education materials to make the law meaningful to people facing barriers, such as poverty.
Pamela Cross, Legal Director of METRAC (Metropolitan Action Committee on Violence Against Women and Children) and a member of CLEONet’s Advisory Group, gave a moving keynote address talking about the power of the Internet in giving people in crisis access to vital legal information. Drawing on her years working with women who have experienced violence, Pam noted that it’s often both unclear and unreliable legal information that is available to poor people. She believes that CLEONet will play an important role in expanding access to justice, building on CLEO's reputation for providing clear and accurate information to low-income and disadvantaged communities.
Fiona MacCool, CLEONet’s Project Manager, unveiled the web site and delivered a lively, interactive tour of CLEONet highlighting specific community legal education resources, showcasing the work of featured community agencies, and profiling some hot news stories. Fiona encouraged organizations to share their news and resources with CLEONet, sign up for CLEONet’s e-mail bulletin, and join CLEONet in a content partnership.
It was a wonderful celebration of the work done so far and a true "launch" into cyberspace for CLEONet: an online clearinghouse for community legal education in Ontario.
Pictures from the CLEONet Launch, November 14, 2005
Click a picture below to see a larger view.
