This post is also available in: français (French)

The Law Commission of Ontario (LCO) is seeking public proposals for new law reform projects. Information about the Call for Proposals, including the process and our guidelines/selection criteria is available here.

This is a unique opportunity for individuals and organizations to work with Ontario’s leading law reform agency to develop independent, principled and authoritative advice on important legal issues.

The LCO’s analysis of provincial laws, policies, and programs is rigorous, collaborative, and based on extensive consultations with the persons and institutions most affected by them. The LCO is a national and international leader in public engagement on law reform issues. The LCO is committed to an independent “public interest” perspective on every project.

 

Call For Proposals

Who Can Submit a Proposal?

Any person or organization residing in Ontario can submit a proposal. This includes legal professionals, legal organizations, NGOs, governments, academics and members of the public.

What Kinds of Projects are the LCO Considering?

The LCO will consider any project or idea that fits within our mandate and meets our selection criteria. These criteria are designed to ensure LCO projects:

• Address important legal issues affecting a significant number of Ontarians;
• Focus on issues in which law reform is timely and necessary;
• Result in specific, concrete recommendations to provincial laws or legal policies;
• Promote access to justice; and,
• Engage stakeholders involved in the subject area.

The LCO will generally not support projects in areas already studied by the LCO or duplicative of recent legislation, inquiries, reports, etc.

The LCO is not a funding organization.

Most LCO projects result in a report or recommendations on an issue. The LCO also supports law reform, policy making and critical debate through conferences, forums and other initiatives. The LCO will consider proposals for both kinds of law reform projects. The LCO will also consider partnerships with organizations to undertake joint projects.

Applications, Guidelines and Selection Criteria

Information about making an application, including our process and guidelines/selection criteria is available here.

Deadline

The deadline for submitting a project proposal is Friday, September 27th, 2019. The LCO expects projects to commence in late 2019/early 2020.

More Information and Questions

Comments or questions about the Call for Proposals can be sent to the LCO at lawcommission@lco-cdo.org.