The NWT’s legal aid office is working to expand its outreach across the territory, offering free legal advice and public legal education in communities outside Yellowknife.
After starting her job a year ago, legal aid outreach lawyer Gillian Bourke says it became her ambition to “decentralize the services out of Yellowknife and really make a better effort to go to communities.”
The outreach program provides up to one hour of free, confidential legal advice to individuals, either over the phone or through walk-in clinics. In the past week, clinics were held in Fort McPherson and Tsiigehtchic.
Common issues include tenancy rights, family law, employment rights, small claims and estate administration. Bourke says people can bring relevant paperwork to their appointments, though documents are not always necessary.
The territory’s legal aid office also provides duty counsel in family and child protection court, as well as public legal education.
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Bourke said that work includes updating guides to help people navigate common legal issues and giving presentations to youth about topics such as online safety, consent and the safe use of cellphones.
“We recently added a second outreach lawyer, so that’s why we’re able to do more of these things, so I can travel to more communities, we can service more people, and do more of that public legal education,” she said.
According to Bourke, in the last fiscal year, the outreach program provided summary legal advice to 1,059 people. She says demand increased after she started in September 2025 and continues to grow.
Community clinics are organized in partnership with Indigenous governments, which provide space and help connect residents with the services.
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“It’s really the partnerships with the Indigenous governments that ensure people actually come to see me and establish that trust on the ground,” Bourke said.
Communities interested in hosting an outreach clinic can contact the legal aid office to discuss scheduling a visit.
The October outreach schedule is set to be posted this week. For more information, visit the legal aid website or contact the outreach clinic.
