Established in 2000, non-profit Éducaloi is a service dedicated to supplying legal information to the public. From providing an informative website to hosting talks and training for individuals, the organization works to translate legal jargon into plain language.
While these amenities are widely available in French, Éducaloi has noticed that the Anglophone community has a need for such services. “We know that there is less legal information available to the public in English than in French, in part because there is less available through the provincial government in English. This is especially true in regions outside the greater Montreal area,” said Éducaloi’s Plain Language Specialist, Sarah Dougherty.
Dougherty also explained that the organization’s materials in English are adapted to the particular needs of English-speaking Quebecers. “For example, some legal topics are more in demand from Anglophones than from Francophones. We have learned about these needs through surveys, our presence at many kinds of community events and from our extensive collaboration with grass-roots community organizations.” As a result, Éducaloi is trying to fill in the gaps, making more legal information available to English speakers via partnerships with community organizations across Quebec.
So how does Éducaloi plan to do this? In 2015, Éducaloi made English-speaking seniors and caregivers (of seniors) a priority audience in response to a series of surveys given. In 2016, they plan on increasing the amount of information available to the younger generations (a process that they have already started on their website). The non-profit is also undertaking an evaluation of the teaching tools they have available for English schools to ensure that they meet the needs of teachers, while working to create new tools for the English adult education sector. It is important to note that Éducaloi is not a legal clinic—for instance, people can’t call or visit with personal legal problems.
How is Éducaloi funded?
Much of Éducaloi’s backing comes from sponsors, including the Power Corporation, Canadian National, Chambre des notaires (professional order for notaries), the Quebec Bar and a para-public agency known as SOQUIJ. The federal government and the Quebec justice departments provide additional funding, while Éducaloi also applies for funding from various sources on a project-to-project basis. The organization then generates additional revenue by selling their expertise to other organizations, such as insurance companies, who need to have their legal terms explained in plain language. Additional funding for the organization’s services for Quebec’s English-speaking communities mostly comes from Justice Canada. This year, the organization had a record year, raising over $200,000.
