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/
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:
March 20th is International Francophonie Day.
This annual day celebrates the French language and diverse Francophone cultures through cultural activities held worldwide.
Francophone Facts! The French presence in Ontario dates back nearly 400 years! More recently, in 2009, the adaptation of the Inclusive Definition of Francophone (IDF) added nearly 50,000 more identified Francophones. The IDF includes not only people whose mother tongue is French but also individuals whose mother tongue is neither English nor French (allophones) but who have a particular knowledge of French as an official language and use it at home. Under the IDF, a Moroccan family, for instance, that speaks Arabic and French at home is considered Francophone.
There are 13.5 million people in Ontario and 611,500 of them identify as Francophone. That’s nearly 5% of the province’s population. Meanwhile, the City of Hamilton’s Francophone population reached 6,940 people, or 2.1% of our city’s total population.
Source: Office of the French Language Services Commissioner of Ontario. https://csfontario.ca/wp-content/uploads/2014/10/2014.09.18-Francophones-in-Ontario_infographic_J.pdf
This past weekend, the City of Hamilton experienced two deeply troubling hate- motivated events.
On Saturday, February 21, Hamilton Police Services (HPS) reported that a woman experienced an unprovoked, hate-motivated assault in the downtown core. The woman was standing on a public street in the area of Augusta Street when she was approached by an intoxicated man who verbally harassed her using derogatory language and struck her in the face. HPS reported that a 28-year-old male was arrested and charged the following day.
On Sunday, February 22, white supremacists held a demonstration in front of Hamilton
City Hall. The demonstration involved 19 masked men, dressed all in black. They performed a Nazi salute while displaying their group’s flag and a banner. HPS reported that police attended the area, but the demonstrators had dispersed by the time officers arrived.
For both events, HPS is asking anyone with information to contact police at 905-546-4925, or to contact Crime Stoppers at 1-888-222-8477, if they wish to provide information anonymously.
Unfortunately, neither of these incidents is isolated. Violent incidents of hate targeting individuals based on their sexual orientation, gender identity, race, and religion have been increasing. Fascist, white supremacist ideology is becoming more visible in our city, with its supporters feeling emboldened to promote their presence and their message in our public spaces.
We are deeply concerned about the impact this rise of hate in our city has had on those who have experienced it first-hand and those who have been targeted by its messages, particularly newcomers and racialized community members.
We stand in solidarity with all Hamiltonians who condemn these acts of hate, including our civic leaders and partners, and we remain committed to creating a Hamilton where everyone can live without fear and with a sense of belonging.
We encourage anyone who has experienced hate, been impacted by hate, or who has information about a hate incident to reach out to us and our partners for support and community resources.
Aromantic Spectrum Awareness Week is an annual, week-long event held to raise awareness and educate people about the identities and issues aromantic people face.
Aromantasism is an identity that sits under the “ace” umbrella. The prefix “ace” is defined as the absence of attraction. It is the opposite of “allo”, meaning “to have attraction”.
There are many different forms of attraction, some include: platonic, romantic, sexual, sensual, estetic, alterous, and more! Ace people may have some, or total absence of attraction in one or more of the attraction categories.
Under the romance category of this split attraction model people may identify as aromantic, alloromantic or somewhere in between.
In other words, “Aromanticism is a romantic orientation, which describes people whose experience of romance is disconnected from normative societal expectations, often due to experiencing little to no romantic attraction, or sometimes feeling repulsed by romance or being uninterested in romantic relationships.”
The aromantic flag consists of five equal horizontal stripes. From top to bottom they are: Dark green and light green representing the aromantic spectrum, white representing platonic love and friendships, and lastly grey and black representing the sexuality spectrum.
Green was chosen as the primary colour due to it being the opposite or red, which is often associated with romance.
“Amatanormativity: Amatonormativity is the assumption that a central, exclusive, romantic relationship is normal for humans, and is a universally shared goal.”
Due to misinformation and stereotyping, many aromantics have felt the repercussions of both invisibility and bigotry in and outside the queer community due to amatanormativity.
As a result, there are many social and legal hurdles aro people face globally.
Amanormativity in law negatively affects rights including, but not limited to:
Sources:
Black History Month is a time to honour, celebrate, and reflect on the rich history, resilience, and contributions of Black communities in Canada and around the world. It is an opportunity not only to recognize past achievements but also to acknowledge the ongoing struggles against racism, discrimination, and systemic inequities.
As we celebrate Black History Month, we reaffirm our commitment to equity, inclusion, and access to justice. We must continue to challenge anti-Black racism, amplify Black voices, and create spaces where Black communities are respected, supported, and empowered.
Let this month be not only a moment of remembrance but also a call to action—toward meaningful change, solidarity, and a more just future for all.
January 21, 2026
To our Funders, Partners and the Hamilton Community,
On behalf of the Board of Directors, I am writing to announce the retirement of our Executive Director, Clare Freeman, effective January 23, 2026.
While Clare has spent the last four years leading our organization, her retirement marks the conclusion of her 24-year career of continuous non-profit leadership within the Hamilton community. Throughout more than two decades of service, Clare has dedicated her career to improving the quality of life for those in crisis.
We thank Clare for bringing her talents, experience, and passion to her leadership at the Clinic, ensuring access to legal services for low-income individuals.
As we look to the future, the Board will be initiating a comprehensive search for a new Executive Director to build upon this strong foundation. In the interim, we are pleased to announce that our Director of Legal Services Michael Ollier and our Manager of Client Intake and Community Programs Lindsay Beckham will share the Executive Director role.
Sincerely,
Hamilton Community Legal Clinic/Clinique juridique communautaire de Hamilton
Law Clerk
Permanent– Full Time
Listed on CharityVillage
We are looking for an experienced Law Clerk to join our housing legal team who will
provide essential support to housing law practitioners, focusing on delivering accessible,
high-quality legal services to low-income clients. The role involves a mix of administrative,
client-facing, and legal tasks, supporting tenants in understanding and exercising their
rights while helping address housing insecurity and barriers to justice.
Please apply on charityvillage.com no later than Friday, December 12th, 2025.
