The demand for legal aid is higher than ever in Victoria, but funding sources have dried up.

As a result, legal aid offices in five communities, including the one that’s served Victoria for more than 30 years, will close April 1.

And low income, vulnerable women, children and refugees will be the hardest hit, said Leonard Krog, NDP Attorney General critic.

Last year, the society saw a 50 per cent increase in refugee claims and a 20 per cent increase in women seeking aid for family matters like restraining orders. There was also a jump in criminal legal aid.

Mark Benton, executive director for the Legal Services Society, said it’s hard to know why things have shifted because he hasn’t seen an economic shake up like this one before.

“We know that in families where there’s significant debt problems, it’s increasingly likely there will be matrimonial problems as well,” he said.

And as unemployment rates go up, so does crime which indicates how high the demand for criminal legal aid will be, Benton said.

But the B.C. Attorney General’s office, which provides 90 per cent of legal aid’s funding, hasn’t reflected the increase in population, demand or inflation in funding, Benton said.

In 2001, the provincial government provided $96 million to the society. This year, the society received $68.5 million.

Last year, the Victoria office received more than 3,000 legal aid applications. Almost 2,000 of those turned into referrals to legal aid lawyers.

‘What are they expected to do?” Krog asked.

He thinks they’ll go into the legal system unrepresented, causing further court back-ups.

But Benton said legal aid services are not going anywhere. They’ll just be different. People will still have access to services by local agents or community lawyers although the number available and where they’ll be located is yet to be determined.

But they will no longer have access to LawLINE, a civil advice call centre that got more than 6,000 calls last year. And province wide, about 58 people will lose their jobs.

“Any time we do this scale of layoffs, it’s pretty grim,” Benton said.

“We think we have a terrific service now. We would rather not be making these changes.”

lweighton@vicnews.com

What’s gone?

• Legal aid offices in Victoria Kamloops, Kelowna, Surrey and Prince George

• Civil advice programs, like LawLINE

• Community outreach programs

• Reduced operating hours

• 58 jobs

What stays?

• Private lawyers contracted by the society will provide legal aid applications, duty counsel and representation.