Legal Aspects

This resource aims to improve income security for low income Ontarians through law reform and educational resources. It provides access to public legal education materials, submissions to government, related legislation and other publications. There is also a list of links to other related social assistance and advocacy organizations.

This page on the Ontario Government site offers information on making choices about personal care including treatment and services, food, living arrangements and housing, clothing, hygiene and safety. There is also a downloadable wallet card on which seniors can have important information and contacts.

This publication explains the concept of elder abuse, provides a summary of key laws relevant to elder abuse and neglect in Canada and list the key agencies to contact across the country.

This is a valuable resource for anyone living in supportive housing, or currently using attendant services or home care. This document outlines the different types of attendant care, and provides important contact information for you to make complaints about your attendant/home care.

CLEO is a community legal clinic that specializes in public legal education. Most of its publications are written for people with low incomes, and other disadvantaged groups, including immigrants and refugees, seniors, women and injured workers. Community legal clinics, agencies and organizations also use its publications to help clients with legal problems. Topics include social assistance, landlord and tenant law, refugee and immigration law, workers' rights, family law, elder abuse, consumer rights, women's issues and laws affecting young people. Most publications are available in French, and some are available in other languages. Many publications are free, and there is no charge for delivery. 

This booklet informs about services available through Community Care Access Centres (CCAC) and what you can do if you are not happy with your home care services, or you are not getting the services you want. This resource also outlines who is eligible to receive services, and how to go about filing complaints.

This website provides information about mental incapacity and the related law in Ontario, including Power of Attorney, living will and guardianship.

This booklet provides information on Powers of Attorney, including Continuing Powers of Attorney for Property, and Power of Attorney for Personal Care. Included in the booklet are instructions on how to fill out legal forms to give others your Powers of Attorney.

This document provides legal information for elderly people about informed consent, mental capacity and establishing a substitute decision making process for elders.

This directory lists community legal clinics across Ontario by region, and provides their addresses and phone numbers.

This resource provides you with a printable, wallet-sized document detailing your Substitute Decision-Maker (SDM) or Power of Attorney consent to treatment information.

HALCO is a non-profit, community-based legal clinic that provides free legal services to persons living with HIV/AIDS in Ontario. It also advocates for a society where laws and the legal system help reduce discrimination, stigma, poverty and injustice faced by people living with HIV/AIDS.

The Advocacy Centre for the Elderly is a community based legal clinic for low income senior citizens. ACE provides direct legal services to low-income seniors, public legal education, and engages in law reform activities.

This website provides legal information about the rights of people with disabilities in employment situations. With this resource you can find information about all aspects of your legal representation, including: legal services for people who receive attendant services, education law, and services for persons with intellectual disabilities. 

This webpage lists resources that help to explain legal aspects of access to personal health information, and legal issues related to end-of-life care.

This resource discusses the importance of making a will and other end-of-life arrangements that can be carried out by family and friends of a loved one after they have died.

This website provides information about creating a living will and establishing a power of attorney. It includes links to related documents.

This is a guide based upon the Residential Tenancies Act, 2006, Statutes of Ontario. Here you will find answers to questions you may have on your lease, eviction as well as your rights as a tenant.

This resource provides information to employers on the Ontario Human Rights Code. The Ontario Human Rights Commission plays an important role in preventing discrimination and promoting and advancing human rights in Ontario.

The book offers a simple and effective framework for leaving caretakers concrete, unambiguous, and legally binding instructions about your wishes for your last days. It includes a Compassionate Care Protocol to ensure that these wishes are met.

This document provided by the Ontario Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee provides valuable information on "living wills" and Powers of Attorney. This document is useful to the elderly and their loved ones who need more information on the legal aspects of aging.

This resource provides readers with an outline of the employment standards that the Ministry of Labour maintains and enforces. Included is detailed information about your rights and responsibilities under the Employment Standards Act, as well as what to do if you need to file a claim against your employer.

This document provides information to help you ensure that control of your property is given to a trusted friend or family member. It deals specifically with the legal rules, terms, and obligations of the Continuing Power of Attorney as they apply to a person's property. It also addresses basic questions about what "power of attorney" means.

This is the first comprehensive estate-planning guide for those living with a chronic disease or disability. This book is targeted at those planning for the disbursement of their estates. It covers all important aspects, including writing a will, determining family needs, power of attorney and working with a lawyer.

This is a complete guide to everything you need to know emotionally, spiritually, and practically, to prepare for the end of life. No matter your age or current health, preparing for the inevitable when you are still fully in control of your faculties ensures that you’ll be in a far better position to enjoy the time you have left.

Five Wishes is an advance directive created by the non-profit organization Aging with Dignity in the United States. It has been described as the "first living will with a heart and soul”. The document is a combination of a living will and health care power of attorney but it also addresses other important aspects which traditionally were not included. The document addresses matters of medical and personal care as well as emotional and spiritual needs of patients. It is intended to help patients and their families to plan ahead and to cope with serious illness and its consequences.