Canadian Environmental Law Association (CELA) is a legal aid clinic dedicated to environmental equity, justice, and health.
Founded in 1970, CELA is one of the oldest advocates for environmental protection in the country. With funding from Legal Aid Ontario (LAO), CELA provides free legal services relating to environmental justice in Ontario, including representing low-income and vulnerable or disadvantaged communities in litigation. CELA also works on environmental legal education and reform initiatives.
CELA exists to ensure that low-income and disadvantaged people have access to environmental justice through courts and tribunals. As long as communities face barriers accessing environmental justice, there will be a need for CELA’s work.
CELA has been part of shaping innovative collaborations to improve sustainability and human health including the Low Income Energy Network, Green Prosperity, RentSafe, the Canadian Partnership for Children’s Health and Environment, and many more.
CELA is also part of the Co-operative of Specialty Community Legal Clinics of Ontario Inc. The Co-operative includes 9 independent Specialty Community Legal Clinics and the Association of Community Legal Clinics of Ontario. We share space and resources so that we can:
• Raise a collective voice for social justice
• Enhance impact through collaboration
• Offer more effective and innovative client services
• Promote information exchange and creativity
• Facilitate additional training opportunities
• Increase research capacity
• Improve response to province-wide mandates
• Enable collective investment in improved IT
• Increase administrative efficiency
• Reduce overall costs
