Over the past two years, HCLC has supported a client in her journey towards justice, after reporting harassment and violence at the workplace and being fired in retaliation. This client worked for Nebo Mushrooms in Port Hope as a mushroom picker, after relocating to Canada from China with her son. She experienced bullying and violence on the job by her co-workers, which she reported to her boss. In response, she was put on an unpaid leave of absence and never brought back to work. The employer tried to characterize the end of her employment as her quitting, which was incorrect. In November 2025, after taking this reprisal matter to the Ontario Labour Relations Board, our client received the OLRB’s merits decision, confirming that yes, she had been reprised against by Nebo Mushrooms, in violation of the Occupational Health and Safety Act.
In May 2026, we went back to the OLRB to argue for appropriate compensation for this client. HCLC and its client have been grateful for an outpouring of support from the migrant worker community and allies. Media coverage around the date of the May 26, 2026 hearing has also meant that this serious issue, and the tremendous issues facing newcomer workers in closed work permits, have been made more public. We are hopeful for a remedy award that truly compensates this for what she has gone through.
Read more :
CBC | Migrant worker seeks compensation after labour board rules Hamilton farm wrongfully fired her
Toronto Star | This Ontario migrant worker was fired after she complained about workplace harassment. She just scored a rare legal victory
November Merits Decision: https://www.canlii.org/en/on/onlrb/doc/2025/2025canlii122565/2025canlii122565.html
Our team is hiring to fill an upcoming vacancy created from a maternity leave. The successful candidate for this position will fulfil reception duties by making initial contact with clients, visitors and community; they will elicit, summarize and record intake information from clients. They will also provide general administrative support.
EDUCATION, KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ATTRIBUTES
COMPETENCIES
Compensation: Annual Salary Range $55,000 to $67,000.
Please apply via Charity Village https://www.charityvillage.com/ with resumé and
cover letter no later than Monday, July 27, 2026 at 4:00 pm.
Today, July 14, the Queer Justice Project recognizes International Non-Binary People’s Day.
First observed in 2012, International Non-Binary People’s Day celebrates non-binary people while raising awareness of the barriers they continue to face. The date was intentionally chosen because it falls halfway between International Women’s Day (March 8) and International Men’s Day (November 19), recognizing that gender is not limited to a binary.
Non-binary people have always existed. Yet many continue to encounter discrimination when accessing employment, housing, healthcare, education, and other essential services. Despite important legal protections in Ontario, too many non-binary people still face barriers to having their identities respected, accessing accurate identity documents, and living free from harassment and discrimination.
At the Queer Justice Project, we believe that access to justice means more than access to the courts—it means being able to navigate everyday life with dignity, safety, and respect. Through legal advocacy, public legal education, and initiatives like the Hamilton Trans ID Clinic, we work alongside our communities to remove barriers, challenge discrimination, and help ensure that queer, trans, Two Spirit, and non-binary people can access the rights they are entitled to.
International Non-Binary People’s Day is a celebration, but it is also a call to action. Creating a more just and inclusive community means respecting people’s names and pronouns, challenging anti-trans and anti-non-binary discrimination wherever it appears, and continuing to advocate for systems that recognize and affirm gender diversity.
To all of the non-binary people in our community: thank you for your resilience, your leadership, and your joy. We see you, we celebrate you, and we are proud to stand with you—not just today, but every day.
On July 8th, Hamilton Community Legal Clinic delegated in support of Ottawa’s Rental Renovation Licensing By-Law, a critical municipal checkpoint to help deter bad-faith renovictions and protect affordable housing.
We are pleased to see Ottawa’s Planning & Housing Committee approve the by-law on July 8, 2026. It will come into force on Jan 1, 2027.
Hamilton’s experience demonstrates that renoviction licensing works. Since Hamilton’s Renovation License and Relocation By-law came into effect, displacement by N13’s decreased by 80% and the numbers justify what tenant advocates have long said: when landlords are required to obtain permits, justify vacant possession, inform tenants and comply with relocation protections, bad-faith N13’s are deterred.
This kind of by-law does not prevent necessary repairs. It ensures that renovations are not used as a mechanism for displacement, rent gouging or the permanent erosion of affordable housing.
Tenant protection means affordable housing preservation.
Hamilton Community Legal Clinic is proud to stand with tenants, community advocates like ACORN (Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now) who were instrumental in advocating for this by-law and municipalities taking meaningful action to preserve affordable housing across Ontario.
Read more at CTV News: City committee approves Renoviction Bylaw to deter bad faith evictions in Ottawa: https://www.ctvnews.ca/ottawa/article/city-committee-approves-renoviction-bylaw-to-deter-bad-faith-evictions-in-ottawa/
Pride Month is a celebration, but it is also a reminder of the ongoing struggle for equality, dignity, and justice.
In Hamilton, Pride celebrations have often been met with resistance.
When Hamilton’s first Pride celebrations were organized by the Hamilton Gay and Lesbian Alliance (GALA) in 1991, then-Mayor Bob Morrow refused to issue a civic proclamation recognizing Pride. GALA challenged that decision through the Ontario Human Rights Commission and won. The ruling affirmed that queer and trans communities were entitled to equal recognition and respect under the law.
Nearly three decades later, Hamilton’s 2019 Pride celebration at Gage Park was disrupted by organized anti-queer and trans protesters. Community members were subjected to harassment and violence. An independent review later found significant shortcomings in the police service’s planning and response intended to keep attendees safe.
These moments are part of Hamilton’s history, but they are not simply history. Across our city and country, we continue to see rising hate incidents, the spread of anti-queer and trans rhetoric, legislative attacks on the fundamental Charter rights of trans people, and public demonstrations by white supremacist and far-right groups. Many queer and trans people continue to face discrimination, harassment, violence, and barriers to accessing justice.
That is why Pride still matters.
Pride is a celebration of community, joy, and resilience. It is also a declaration that everyone deserves to live openly, safely, and with dignity. While progress may not always be linear or inevitable, Pride reminds us of what is possible.
As a community legal clinic, we recognize that access to justice is inseparable from the fight for human rights. We are committed to supporting queer and trans communities, challenging discrimination, and standing alongside those working to build a Hamilton free from hate and exclusion.
This Pride season, we honour the activists who fought for recognition, the community members who stood together in the face of hate, and all those who continue the work of building a more just and inclusive city.
Happy Pride season, Hamilton. We look forward to seeing you at Pride Hamilton in August!
Our team is hiring a housing lawyer for our Tenant Support Program team. This unique program involves delivery of legal services in addition to working closely with community partners to provide support and education. The successful candidate will work alongside a paralegal and law clerk within the legal clinic to provide housing law services with a focus on N12, N13, AGI matters. This is a full time position, subject to funding through the City of Hamilton.
Qualifications Include:
Compensation: Annual Salary Range – $88,000 -91,000 plus benefits and pension plan.
Please apply via CharityVillage with resumé and cover letter no later than Thursday, April 30th, 2026: https://www.charityvillage.com/job/law-clerk-255424
As part of our work against racism and other oppressions, we strive to reflect the diversity of the communities we serve. We encourage racialized, First Nation, Métis and Inuit applicants as well as applicants with French Language skills.
We thank all applicants, but only those candidates selected for an interview will be contacted.
Since 2010, Hamilton Community Legal Clinic/Clinique juridique communautaire de Hamilton (HCLC/CJCH) has been dedicated to promoting access to justice and improving quality of life for our clients. We do this by providing legal advice and representation, community development and public legal education to low-income individuals and communities in Hamilton. We are looking for community-focused individuals with a keen interest in social justice to guide our next chapter.
Board members must live or work in Hamilton. They are responsible for determining the strategic direction of the clinic, ensuring accountability to funders and the community and stewardship of HCLC/CJCH’s mission, vision and values. HCLC/CJCH’s board is focused on governance rather than operations.
To apply, please reach out to Teresa Workman at Teresa.Workman@hclc.clcj.ca .
For more information about our Board of Directors, you can visit our BOD webpage: https://hamiltonjustice.ca/en/governance .
Happy Lesbian Visibility Week!
Today we’re celebrating not just visibility, but the rich and deeply rooted history of lesbian communities right here in Hamilton, Ontario.
The Women’s Bookstop, opened in 1985 as Hamilton’s first feminist and queer bookstore, became a vital hub for connection and activism. More than a bookstore, it was a gathering place where women and queer communities could meet, organize, and imagine new possibilities. It hosted events, supported feminist publishing networks, and created a rare space where lesbian lives and stories were visible and valued.
Around the same time, the Hamilton Gay and Lesbian Alliance (GALA) played a key role in building 2SLGBTQ+ community in the city. When GALA started Hamilton Pride in 1991, Mayor Bob Morrow refused to issue a formal civic proclamation recognizing it, something which was commonly done to promote significant events in the city. In response GALA brought and won an Ontario Human Rights Commission complaint against the city.
Lesbians have also played a critical and often under-recognized role in 2SLGBTQ+ history during the AIDS crisis. In Hamilton and beyond, lesbians showed up as caregivers, organizers, and advocates: raising funds, providing care, fighting stigma, and building support networks when many others turned away. Their leadership and compassion helped sustain communities through one of the most devastating public health crises of our time.
This history matters right now. At a time when Hamilton’s queer and trans communities are facing renewed backlash and rising hate, these stories remind us what collective care, resistance, and solidarity look like. The generations before us didn’t wait for acceptance — they built community anyway, defended each other, and demanded better. Their legacy is not just something to remember, but something to carry forward. Lesbian Visibility Week is a chance to honour that past while recommitting to the work ahead — to protect, uplift, and stand alongside queer and trans people in Hamilton today.
Our history matters. Our spaces matter. We are still here.
Sources:
On Trans Day of Visibility, we recognize and celebrate the strength, resilience, and diversity of trans communities. Visibility can be empowering. It can affirm identity, build connection, and foster understanding. However, visibility is also complicated for many trans people. In a time of rising intolerance and heightened scrutiny, being seen can come with risk, vulnerability, and profound emotional weight.
For some trans people, visibility is not a choice. People may be outed, misgendered, or otherwise made visible in ways that compromise their safety, autonomy, and dignity. These experiences remind us that visibility is not always empowering, and that respect for trans people must never depend on how, when, or whether they are seen.
Within trans communities, experiences of visibility are also shaped by factors such as race, class, disability, and access to resources. “Passing” may be a goal for some trans people, but not for all. It can also function as a form of privilege that not everyone has access to, sometimes creating hierarchies within the community itself. We affirm that all trans identities and expressions are equally valid, regardless of how closely they align with societal expectations or norms.
As a community-based legal clinic, we see firsthand how systemic barriers and discrimination continue to affect trans individuals in accessing justice, safety, housing, employment, and healthcare. Visibility alone does not guarantee protection or equity. It must be accompanied by meaningful action, solidarity, and structural change.
To trans people in our community: your safety, well-being, and autonomy matter. Whether you choose to be visible or not, your identity is valid. We encourage you to care for yourselves in whatever ways feel right—seeking support, setting boundaries, and honoring your own needs in a world that does not always make space for you.
To allies: this is a moment not only to celebrate, but to listen, learn, and act. Trans people enrich our communities with their creativity, insight, and courage. Recognizing this means standing up against discrimination, advocating for inclusive policies, and ensuring that trans voices are centered—not just today, but every day.
We remain committed to advancing dignity, safety, and justice for trans people, and to working alongside the community toward a future where visibility is met with respect, protection, and genuine belonging.
Today, on the International Day for the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, we pause to reflect, to remember, and to recommit.
Racial discrimination continues to shape the realities of many individuals and communities—impacting access to justice, opportunities, and dignity. This day is not only about acknowledging injustice, but about taking meaningful action to dismantle it.
We honor the resilience of those who continue to stand against racism in all its forms. We recognize the importance of amplifying voices that have been historically marginalized. And we reaffirm our commitment to building a future rooted in equity, inclusion, and justice for all.
Here in Hamilton, we see both the challenges and the ongoing efforts to address them—from community advocacy and grassroots organizing to local conversations about equity and accountability. Let this be more than a moment. Let it be a continued commitment in our city—where each of us plays a role in challenging discrimination, uplifting one another, and creating lasting change.
