The Income Security Advocacy Centre (ISAC) is a community legal clinic funded by Legal Aid Ontario. We were established in 2001 with a provincial mandate to advance the systemic interests and rights of low-income Ontarians around income security programs, through test-case litigation, policy advocacy, and community organizing.
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 challenges faced by low-income people relying on Ontario’s income security programs. 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 programs 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.
Annual Report
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