Advocacy North for Elders and Seniors will be bringing free legal information and one-on-one advice to Fort Frances later this month, with stops at the Fort Frances Public Library Technology Centre (FFPLTC) and the Fort Frances Senior Centre.
Lawyer Megan Stuckey will give a presentation at the library at 10 a.m. on Sept. 28, before offering private legal advice from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. The session will focus heavily on wills and powers of attorney, two of the issues Stuckey said most commonly bring seniors to the program.
Stuckey noted that Sept. 29 is currently unscheduled, leaving her available for follow-up appointments. On Sept. 30, she will give another presentation at the Fort Frances Senior Centre at 12:30 p.m., with that morning also available for meetings.
Advocacy North was developed in 2018 as a collaborative project among Northern Ontario community legal clinics, aimed at expanding services that individual clinics may not be able to provide on their own. The elder and senior law program provides free and confidential help on issues including wills and powers of attorney, consent and capacity, elder abuse, retirement and long-term care homes and consumer issues such as scams.
Stuckey said one of the biggest issues she encounters is not necessarily a new legal problem, but a lack of awareness about the free help already available.
“I’m told the same thing over and over again: ‘I can’t afford a lawyer,’” she said.
That can be particularly significant for people living primarily on Canada Pension Plan or Old Age Security payments, she added, while Northern Ontario’s geography can create another layer of difficulty.
Stuckey, who moved north from London, Ont., said she quickly noticed how often seniors’ children or other close relatives had moved elsewhere – to places such as Toronto, Ottawa, British Columbia or the United States.
That can complicate decisions about who should act under a power of attorney or serve as executor of a will, particularly when the person expected to help is hundreds or thousands of kilometres away.
The Fort Frances event is intended to make those questions easier to approach. Stuckey said she will break down wills and powers of attorney in straightforward terms and have free take-home kits available for people who want to consider their options or discuss them with family.
“I really believe that legal services aren’t useful if all you’re doing is coming in and giving people advice,” Stuckey said. “You have to make sure that you’re actually available to help those people who need a little bit of extra help.”
The library says legal advice on Sept. 28 is available to anyone aged 60 or over, although registration is required. Additional services, including assistance preparing wills or powers of attorney, have financial eligibility requirements. Those include having a main source of income from the Ontario Disability Support Program, CPP or OAS, or an income below $23,000 per year per person.
FFPLTC CEO Nadine Cousineau said partnerships with organizations from elsewhere in Northwestern Ontario are especially valuable in smaller communities where specialized services may not be available year-round.
“Working with organizations across NWO helps us expand what we can offer locally and respond to the needs of the community,” she said.
Cousineau said the library has previously hosted outreach on subjects including technology, personal banking, fraud awareness and wellness, with the goal of connecting people with services they may not otherwise know about or be able to access.
For Stuckey, those local connections are also how many seniors first find legal help.
“I always see people not calling lawyers … Instead, they’re telling their librarian, or telling the service provider, or telling the PSW coming into their house,” she said. “You have to have those connections with those community services because that’s how you figure out which seniors need legal help.”
Her advice to someone who suspects they have a legal problem but is unsure where to begin is to start by talking to somebody they trust.
“Issues don’t solve themselves if you don’t talk to people about them,” Stuckey said. “So I find that’s often the first step.”
Registration for private legal advice can be made through the Fort Frances Public Library & Technology Centre at 807-274-9879. Further information and free legal advice webinars for seniors can be accessed at the Facebook page for Advocacy North.
