Income Security Advocacy Centre

ISAC works to address issues of income security and poverty in Ontario

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About Us

The Income Security Advocacy Centre (ISAC) is a community legal clinic established in 2001 and funded by Legal Aid Ontario. We have a provincial mandate to advance the systemic interests and rights of low-income Ontarians around income security programs and low-wage precarious employment.

We do our work through test-case litigation, policy advocacy, and community organizing. We also provide public education materials and trainings.

We work closely with the sixty local community clinics that make up Ontario’s community legal clinic system. These clinics work every day with the income security challenges that low-income people face. We also work closely with other anti-poverty and social justice groups and organizations, private bar lawyers, academics and researchers.

We are governed by an elected Board of Directors. Our Board represents all regions of Ontario and is composed of members of the low-income community as well as academics, legal experts and service providers. Five of our fifteen Board members must identify as low income and another five must be caseworkers from local community legal clinics.

Our vision for income security includes the following principles:

  • All Ontario residents in need are entitled to income that is adequate to live with dignity and participate in society
  • Principles of equity and equality must be reflected in both the design and the delivery of income support
  • The administration of income support programs must be transparent, fair and accessible.

Since ISAC opened its doors, we have advocated for improvements to the income security of all low-income people in Ontario through reform of programs and benefits systems, rate increases in income security programs, and improvements to minimum wages and employment standards.

See below for our most recent Annual Report.

Note that we do not provide legal services to individuals. If you require legal advice or assistance, please contact your local community legal clinic. You can find out which legal clinic serves your community at the Legal Aid Ontario website.

Annual Reports