Advocacy Centre for the Elderly (ACE)
6 lawyers · City of Toronto
One of 2,345 law firms listed in Toronto, and one of 679 handling Wills, Estates & Trusts.
Accepts Legal AidAccepts Legal AidAbout Advocacy Centre for the Elderly (ACE)
The Advocacy Centre for the Elderly (ACE) is a community legal clinic in downtown Toronto that works only on the legal problems of older adults. In 1983 a coalition organized by Concerned Friends of Ontario Citizens in Long-Term Care Facilities, made up of lawyers, community workers, health providers, a small claims court judge, and seniors' activists, applied for Legal Aid funding for a new clinic. The application succeeded, and ACE opened its doors in 1984 on Holly Street in Toronto. Its registered legal name, Holly Street Advocacy Centre for the Elderly Inc, still carries that original address. ACE describes itself as the first community legal clinic in Canada to focus on elder law.
ACE offers legal advice, brief services, and representation before courts and tribunals to low income older adults age 60 and up who live in the Greater Toronto Area, on topics that include health care consent, long term care homes, retirement home tenancies, powers of attorney, elder abuse, home care, hospitals, and pensions. Beyond individual casework, the clinic works on systemic issues for seniors across Ontario through public legal education, law reform submissions, and plain language publications. It's funded mainly by Legal Aid Ontario, operates as an independent registered charity, and is governed by a volunteer board of directors elected by its membership.
Practice areas
Milestones & recognition
- ACE opened in 1984, after a coalition led by Concerned Friends of Ontario Citizens in Long-Term Care Facilities secured Legal Aid funding for the clinic in 1983, and it describes itself as the first community legal clinic in Canada to focus on elder law.
- The clinic's registered legal name, Holly Street Advocacy Centre for the Elderly Inc, still reflects its original Holly Street location in Toronto.
- A staff lawyer at ACE was named the 2025 recipient of the Ontario Bar Association Award for Excellence in Elder Law.
- ACE has published a detailed manual on long term care facilities and produced public education material on powers of attorney, including a DVD.
In the community
- ACE is part of a coalition of doctors, tenants, seniors, and environmentalists that issued a June 2026 press release urging Toronto City Council to adopt a maximum indoor temperature standard for rental housing, coverage of which was picked up by CTV News.
- ACE lists Steps to Justice, a public legal education partnership led by Community Legal Education Ontario (CLEO) that offers step by step legal information, among the resources on its Library page.
- ACE staff take speaking engagement requests and run public legal education workshops for seniors' organizations and for health and social service providers who work with older adults.
- ACE is a membership based charity that holds an annual meeting of its membership each October, where its volunteer board of directors is elected.
Good to know
Wheelchair accessible
LGBTQ+ friendly
Parking availableFees & payment
Legal aidLawyers 6
Alyssa Lane
Staff Lawyer and Institutional Advocate
Health LawWills, Estates & Trusts
Bethanie Pascutto
Staff Litigation Lawyer
Administrative & Regulatory LawWills, Estates & Trusts
Graham Webb
Executive Director and Litigation Lawyer
Administrative & Regulatory LawWills, Estates & Trusts
Jane E. Meadus
Staff Lawyer and Institutional Advocate
Health LawWills, Estates & Trusts
Mariah Crudo
Staff Litigation Lawyer
Wills, Estates & TrustsCivil Litigation & Dispute Resolution
Steven J. Caswell
Staff Litigation Lawyer
Wills, Estates & TrustsAdministrative & Regulatory Law
This firm’s lawyers at a glance
- Called to the bar
- 1985–2024 · median 10 years in practice 5 of 6 lawyers
- Law schools
- Osgoode Hall Law School (2), Queen's University Faculty of Law, Schulich School of Law, Dalhousie University, University of Ottawa, University of Toronto 6 of 6 lawyers
Who handles what
The neighbourhood
ACE's office is at 55 University Avenue, Suite 1500, at University Avenue and Wellington Street West, just south of King Street, in Toronto's downtown core. The building connects directly into the city's underground PATH network and to the Yonge-University subway line at St Andrew station, so clients arriving by transit don't have to go outside.
Because ACE serves older adults, some of whom use mobility devices, the clinic is specific about accessible arrival. The office is wheelchair accessible, and Wheel-Trans passengers are asked to be dropped off on Orillia Street behind the building rather than at the University Avenue entrance, where a bike lane barrier makes the sidewalk hard to reach safely. The building also has underground parking for a fee.
Frequently asked questions
- Is legal help from ACE free?
- Yes, for eligible clients. ACE is a Legal Aid Ontario funded clinic and doesn't charge for its services. To qualify, gross annual income generally needs to fall under about $22,720 for an individual, rising to $50,803 for a family of five or more, and liquid assets need to stay under $8,933 for an individual or $11,910 for a larger household. ACE doesn't count an owner occupied home as an asset when it belongs to the older adult whose rights are at issue.
- Who can ACE help?
- ACE's direct legal services, advice, and representation are available to low income older adults who are 60 or older and live in the Greater Toronto Area. Older adults elsewhere in Ontario can still be reached through ACE's public legal education, publications, and law reform work on systemic issues.
- Can ACE help if my parent's long term care or retirement home isn't respecting their rights?
- Yes. Long term care homes and retirement homes are among ACE's legal topics, and its lawyers represent clients on issues arising in long term care homes, retirement homes, hospitals, and home care.
- Does ACE handle powers of attorney and elder abuse?
- Yes, both are among the areas ACE handles directly, alongside health care consent and advance care planning, home care, hospitals, pensions and income, consumer protection, and information only help on wills.
- How do I contact ACE or start an intake?
- ACE takes new inquiries by phone only, on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays from 9 a.m. to noon and 2 to 4 p.m. It doesn't accept initial intakes by email, though clients who need a disability accommodation can ask for a different arrangement.
- Where is ACE and is the office easy to reach without a car?
- ACE is at 55 University Avenue, Suite 1500, in downtown Toronto, connected to the PATH system and to St Andrew subway station. The office is wheelchair accessible, and ACE publishes specific drop off directions for Wheel-Trans passengers arriving at the building.
Where to find them
55 University Avenue, Suite 1500, Toronto, Ontario, M5J 2H7 · 416-598-2656
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