Legal Services - Police

I guess you would be interested to know about the Police structure. So in Canada, the police are separate from government and from the military.
Ontario has 3 levels of police:

• Local (or municipal) police
• Provincial police: Ontario Provincial Police (OPP)
• National police: Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP)

Most police forces now use a community policing approach. Community
Policing means that police officers work with residents of each community to prevent crime and to increase safety.

When the police stop you, search you, arrest or detain you, they must follow very strict rules. Police officers must:

• Tell you why they are detaining you.
• Inform you of all of your rights.
• Make sure that you understand your rights.

If you are arrested or charged with an offence, you have the right to a lawyer.

You have the right to choose your lawyer and you have the right to get legal advice in your first language.

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Legal Services - Human Rights

In Canada, men and women are equal and have the same rights. These rights are described in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms. Any type of abuse - physical, mental or financial - of any person is illegal.

Many community agencies work to educate people about the rights of all Ontarians, including newcomers and their families. The Ontario Human Rights Code protects people against discrimination.

Discrimination means unfair treatment based on:
• Age
• Disability
• Ancestry
• Race
• Marital status
• Family status
• Country of origin
• Record of offenses (criminal record)
• Dependence on public assistance
• Religion
• Citizenship
• Ethnic origin
• Sex
• Sexual orientation

The Ontario Human Rights Code says that everyone has the right to freedom from discrimination when seeking services, goods and facilities, housing, contracts, employment and membership in groups.

For example, employer is NOT allowed to ask you about your original country, religion, family status (married or not) etc ... However, if you was asked in the interview about one of these and didn't get hired ... then you can complain to the Human Rights and then the company will be in a big trouble!

Anyway I will talk about employment and interviews in details in the Job Search Section.

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Legal Services - Getting a Lawyer

Even though I have never used a lawyer since I stated my immigration process till now, but you might need one at some point in time. Now finding the right lawyer is very important. Here are a few ways to start:

• Ask friends, colleagues and family if they know a lawyer they can recommend.
• Ask a settlement worker or another worker at a social service agency for suggestions.
• Look in the Yellow Pages of the telephone book under "Lawyer."
• Contact the Lawyer Referral Service run by the Law Society of Upper Canada.
• Search for a certified specialist in the Law Society of Upper Canada’s online directory: http://www1.lsuc.on.ca/specialist/jsp/directory1.jsp

Lawyer Referral Service (LRS):

The Lawyer Referral Service (LRS) can give you the phone number of a lawyer in your area who practises the type of law related to your situation. You can also ask the LRS to ensure that the lawyer they suggest speaks your first language.

Lawyer Referral Service (LRS): 1-900-565-4577

This service costs $6 per referral. This fee is added to your phone bill. You can call the LRS lawyer for a free consultation of 30 minutes maximum. You can decide not to hire this person as your lawyer, but you cannot ask the LRS for another referral for the same legal problem.

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Welcome to Ontario

Welcome to Ontario Immigration Blog.

Moving to a new country can be difficult. Leaving behind friends and family can be hard. Many things – school, health care, jobs and even the law – might be different from the country you just left. Finding your way in Ontario can take a long time, especially if you don’t have the right information and don’t know what to do. This blog helps newcomers find information and we can help you take your first steps to make Ontario your new home.

I will share my personnel experience of Immigrating to Canada and specifically Ontario.
I will cover everything from pre-landing to job search and settling smartly in Canada. It's not easy at all ... so be prepared.

Cheers,

Nabil

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