September 1, 2020
HALIFAX, NOVA SCOTIA – After 50 years of being located in the North End of Halifax, the Dalhousie Legal Aid Service (DLAS) will leave its current office at 2209 Gottingen Street on September 10, 2020. Staff members have been told that this move is due to building safety concerns. The DLAS will relocate to 2900 Agricola Street for two years pending the development of plans to return to the Gottingen Street neighbourhood.
The DLAS was founded in 1970 as a community legal clinic with the three-part mandate of providing legal services for low income Nova Scotians, advocating for law reform, and providing an educational experience for law students studying at Dalhousie University.
For over 50 years, the clinic has served local residents with their legal issues, fought precedent setting test cases, and organized for racial and social justice. In the course of these struggles, the clinic has developed a deep connection with the communities and residents of the Gottingen Street neighbourhood.
DLAS operated out of several different rented offices in the North End until 1998, when the Royal Bank of Canada approached DLAS and offered to create an enduring home for the clinic by ‘donating’ their building, in the interest of making a long term commitment to the advocacy, anti- poverty and access to justice services offered by DLAS in this neighbourhood. The building is now aging and requires renovations to meet current fire and building safety standards.
The Board and Staff of the DLAS profoundly regret the move out of the Gottingen Street neighbourhood as we understand that many residents and community partners rely heavily on our services. We want to reassure our community that we remain committed to pursuing their fights for justice and that we expect to return to the neighbourhood as soon as the current building is renovated.
The DLAS will close its doors to the Gottingen Street building on September 10, 2020 and will reopen in our new location at 2900 Agricola on September 14, 2020. Clients and public will be still be able to reach us via our current phone numbers and email addresses. However, the clinic’s legal information line will be closed the week of September 7 to 11 to accommodate the move.
