Philip ChanDonner Fellow
Industrial Accident Victims Group of Ontario The Donner Fellowship allowed me to work with the Industrial Accident Victims Group of Ontario, a community legal clinic that undertakes representation, community education and law reform in the area of workers' compensation. I undertook essential legal and historical research for a s. 15 Charter age-discrimination challenge to the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act. It has been rewarding to work on a project with systemic implications for older injured workers, a particularly vulnerable group, and I look forward to continuing my involvement during the school year. |  |
Justin FlavelleDonner Fellow
Advocacy Centre for the Elderly The Donner Fellowship has allowed me to spend the summer at the Advocacy Centre for the Elderly (ACE), a specialty community legal clinic for low-income senior citizens. ACE provides direct legal services to low-income seniors and engages in law reform activities, each with a particular emphasis on issues of special importance to the seniors’ population. My experience at ACE has been constructive and fulfilling, both personally and professionally. Witnessing the systemic issues confronting a highly vulnerable seniors’ population has reaffirmed my commitment to incorporating pro-bono work into my future career as a lawyer. It has also provided me with the opportunity to advocate for members of this population directly: through casework, representing individual clients during pre-trial settlement hearings, and through research, submitting advocacy and research reports to legislative reform bodies.
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Elisa ManginaDonner Fellow
Community Living Ontario I spent the summer working with Community Living Ontario, a nonprofit which advocates on behalf of individuals with intellectual disabilities. My focus was the emerging area of supported decision-making. Under existing laws in Ontario and many other jurisdictions, a person whose capacity to make decisions is in question may be subject to the appointment of a guardian, who is then empowered to decide on behalf of the individual. In contrast, where supported decision-making is legislatively recognized, the individual remains the primary decision-maker but has access to necessary supports, such as communication aids or the chance to discuss the options with people he or she trusts. My main project for the summer was to become conversant with the recent research on supported decision-making and produce an annotated bibliography on the subject that will help shape future advocacy and law reform efforts. In addition, I participated in the ongoing work of Community Living Ontario and got to know practitioners who are at the forefront of their field. The Donner Fellowship, which gave me opportunities I would not otherwise have had at this stage, helped me lay a solid foundation for a legal career in the social justice field. |  |
Mallorie MaloneCallwood Fellow
Falls Law Group Without the support of the Callwood Fellowship, it wouldn't be possible to find the time and resources necessary to establish a new community legal clinic in such an under-serviced area. At the same time, I have the benefit of working with passionate, dedicated practitioners, gaining practical experience in a variety of practice areas, and working in a beautiful office beside the Bracebridge falls. | 
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Kirsty Niglas-Collins Donner Fellow
Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted (AIDWYC) I used a Donner Fellowship to spend a summer at the Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted (AIDWYC). It was one of the best experiences of my life, the work was incredibly important and I gained so many transferable skills. I was responsible for AIDWYC adopting a new case because of my research and advocacy. I was able to meet exonerated clients and current client’s families. The opportunity to pursue this kind of public interest work was an amazing opportunity whether or not you want to do public interest work in the long term. Moreover, my work at AIDWYC has given me incredible legal skills. I have researched and authored memoranda, investigation plans and a comparative review of innocence work in common law jurisdictions. I also gained practical skills; I briefed private investigators, attended a fresh evidence appeal at the Supreme Court and had a two week secondment at a criminal defence firm. I don’t think any other summer work could have given the range and depth of experience that I gained through my Donner Fellowship. |  |
Ljiljana StanicDonner Fellow
Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) The financial support of the Donner Fellowship allowed me to work at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH) in the forensic branch of the Legal Services Department. As a summer student, I conducted research and provided advice on complex issues at the frontiers of the law, provided litigation support, and developed legal education materials for clinicians. I also received valuable exposure to and gained insight regarding litigation processes and procedures, as well as tactics and strategies, in a wide variety of contexts. Without the Fellowship, I would not have been able take advantage of the unique opportunity to work in-house in a litigation-focussed mental health law context or engage with the forensic legal system. I would also not have had the experience of working closely with and being mentored by skilled counsel. My summer experience at CAMH was a valuable and rewarding one that confirmed my strong interest in litigation while allowing me to refine the skills necessary for success in that field.
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Nicole SylvesterCallwood Fellow
Human Rights Legal Support Centre I did my June Callwood Fellowship with the Human Rights Legal Support Centre in Toronto. The Centre advances equality and protects human rights by providing a range of accessible legal and support services to those who have faced discrimination contrary to the Ontario Human Rights Code. Aboriginal people have faced a history of discrimination and do not always know their rights under the Code. This summer I dedicated my time to making sure the Code is more accessible to Aboriginal people: I have done outreach presentations and initiatives, done research on the jurisdiction question when it comes to human rights and Aboriginal people, and have helped work with Aboriginal clients on filing their applications. It has been an amazing experience and has really opened my eyes to the problems that needs to be addressed concerning the Aboriginal people in our community. It has also fueled my desire to practise Aboriginal law.
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Faye YaoDonner Fellow
Women's Legal Eduction and Action Fund (LEAF) The Donner Fellowship gave me the opportunity to work with the Women’s Legal Education and Action Fund (LEAF), a women’s organization that works to strengthen women’s substantive equality rights guaranteed under the Charter by gaining intervening status on selective cases. As a research intern, I have been working on four main projects: prostitution in Canada, the impact of refugee Bill C-31, violence against Indigenous women, and women in detention with mental health issues. I also draft legal memoranda and case comments as needed. In addition, I am responsible for monitoring equality cases involving s.15 jurisprudence in Canadian courts and tribunals. My experience with LEAF has been truly rewarding. I have a long-standing interest in women’s rights issues, and the Donner Fellowship allowed me to work on something that I am really passionate about. Under the supervision of my Legal Director, I gained substantial knowledge of issues that are important to the rights of Canadian women, as well as the challenges that we still face. Working on legal cases has also helped polish up my research and writing skills and allowed me to observe interesting developments in this area of the law. I am truly grateful to the Donner Fellowship Foundation for this opportunity. |
