Scarborough Community Legal Services
3 lawyers · Established 1981 · City of Toronto
One of 121 law firms listed in Scarborough, and one of 10 handling Landlord & Tenant.
Accepts Legal Aid
Accepts Legal AidAbout Scarborough Community Legal Services
Scarborough Community Legal Services (SCLS) is a community legal clinic that has served East Scarborough since 1981, when it was founded to provide poverty law services, the areas of law that matter most to low income people. Legal Aid Ontario funds the clinic, and SCLS operates as an independent nonprofit corporation with its own volunteer board of directors, elected by the community it serves. Its territory runs from Midland Avenue east to the Pickering border and from Steeles Avenue south to Lake Ontario. A companion clinic, West Scarborough Community Legal Services, covers the rest of Scarborough west of Midland Avenue, so together the two clinics cover the whole area.
SCLS helps eligible residents with housing and tenant rights, employment law, social assistance matters such as Ontario Works, ODSP, Employment Insurance and CPP Disability, and immigration and refugee law. Staff includes lawyers, community legal workers, community support workers and intake workers, and clients reach the clinic by phone intake or by walking in during set hours. The clinic also does law reform work beyond individual cases: submissions to bodies reviewing laws and programs, test case challenges, and partnerships with groups such as the ODSP Action Coalition, the Scarborough Housing Stabilization Network and the Federation of Metro Tenants Associations. A 2022 post on the clinic's own site said SCLS was built by labour activists and had, by then, spent 40 years defending the rights of low income workers.
Practice areas
Milestones & recognition
- Founded in 1981 as a community legal clinic to provide poverty law services to residents of East Scarborough.
- A 2022 post on the clinic's site said SCLS was built by labour activists and, by that point, had spent 40 years defending the rights of low income workers.
- SCLS and West Scarborough Community Legal Services split coverage of Scarborough between them, with the Midland Avenue line marking where one clinic's territory ends and the other's begins.
In the community
- Offers speakers and workshops to community agencies on the rights of workers, immigrants, tenants, people with disabilities and people on social assistance.
- Partners with groups including the ODSP Action Coalition, the Scarborough Housing Stabilization Network and the Federation of Metro Tenants Associations on housing and disability benefit issues.
- Takes part in law reform efforts with other community legal clinics and community groups, including test case challenges to laws and submissions to bodies reviewing laws and programs.
- Board member Anees Munshi received Canada's COVID-19 Humanitarian Service Medal in June 2022, presented by MP Shaun Chen, recognizing volunteer work that includes serving on the boards of several community organizations for roughly 300 hours a year.
Good to know
Wheelchair accessibleFees & payment
Legal aidLawyers 3
This firm’s lawyers at a glance
- Law schools
- Osgoode Hall Law School, University of Ottawa 2 of 3 lawyers
Who handles what
The neighbourhood
SCLS's office is in Cedar Heights Plaza on Markham Road, a small multi tenant plaza in Scarborough that also houses other local businesses. The clinic's territory reaches well beyond that one plaza: it covers everything from Midland Avenue east to the Pickering border, and from Steeles Avenue south to the Lake Ontario shoreline.
Clients can walk in Monday to Friday during set morning and afternoon hours, or reach the housing, employment, social assistance and immigration teams by phone. A companion clinic, West Scarborough Community Legal Services, covers the area west of Midland Avenue, so together the two clinics give all of Scarborough a dedicated legal aid clinic to call.
Frequently asked questions
- What kind of legal help does Scarborough Community Legal Services provide?
- SCLS is a community legal clinic that helps eligible residents of East Scarborough with housing and tenant rights, employment law, social assistance matters such as Ontario Works, ODSP, Employment Insurance and CPP Disability, and immigration and refugee law.
- I'm dealing with an eviction or a landlord dispute in Scarborough. Can SCLS help?
- Housing is one of SCLS's core practice areas. Residents east of Midland Avenue can call the intake line during the clinic's housing hours, Monday, Tuesday and Friday mornings and afternoons, or Wednesday mornings, to reach the housing team.
- My ODSP or Ontario Works benefits were cut off. Can SCLS help me fight that?
- Yes. SCLS handles social assistance cases including Ontario Works, ODSP, Employment Insurance and CPP Disability, and as an independent clinic it can advocate for clients who are fighting a government decision such as a denial of disability benefits.
- Does SCLS handle divorce or child custody cases?
- No. For family law issues, SCLS's website points callers to a separate number that connects to a Legal Aid Ontario family duty counsel office rather than to SCLS's own staff.
- How do I get help from SCLS?
- SCLS is funded by Legal Aid Ontario, and residents reach it through a phone intake line or by walking in during set hours rather than by booking a paid consultation. It's set up to serve low income people specifically, so it's worth calling to ask if a particular problem qualifies.
- Where is SCLS located and what are its hours?
- SCLS is in Cedar Heights Plaza at 695 Markham Road, Suite 9, in Scarborough. The office is open 9:00 am to 5:00 pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and 9:00 am to 1:00 pm on Wednesday, with a phone intake line running weekday mornings and afternoons.
Where to find them
695 Markham Road, Suite #9, Scarborough, Ontario M1H 2A5 · 416-438-7182
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