Port Hardy is getting a new Indigenous justice centre.
Last week Attorney-General Niki Sharma announced six new centres in BC, bringing the total to 15. The Port Hardy centre will be the third on the Island, after Victoria and Nanaimo.
Kory Wilson, chair of the BC First Nations Justice Council, says the centres help Indigenous clients who often find themselves overwhelmed and disconnected while trying to access legal services. Wilson says the centres provide optimum legal representation in a way that’s culturally sensitive, and also provide access to wraparound services that extend beyond legal needs.
Last year the centres provided free legal representation or outreach supports in more than 2,200 cases for Indigenous clients with criminal or child-protection matters.
