About The Project

The Canadian Civil Liberties Association was constituted in 1964 to promote respect for and observance of fundamental human rights and civil liberties, and to defend and foster the recognition of those rights and liberties. We are national, non-profit, and independent. Since our founding, CCLA has been at the forefront of protecting fundamental freedoms and democratic life in Canada. A wide variety of people, occupations and interests are represented in our membership. The Canadian Civil Liberties Education Trust, the CCLA’s education arm, has been engaged in public education since its inception in 1968.

The Data Justice and Criminology Lab, Institute of Criminology and Criminal Justice (ICCJ), Carleton University is an interdisciplinary experiment in bringing together criminologists, data scientists, and community-based advocates. Our lab recognizes the power that data holds to inform policy, politics, and transformative social change. We are housed within the ICCJ at Carleton University, which is one of the longest running criminology programs in Canada. The ICCJ is housed within The Faculty of Public Affairs and promotes an interdisciplinary and critical understanding of crime, criminality, and processes of criminalization and punishment. Through the study of complex social issues, including transformative justice, practices of criminalization, surveillance, crime prevention, policing, courts, sentencing and correction, the ICCJ seeks to develop new knowledge to address regional and global challenges. The ICCJ seeks to support efforts to building better societies and attracts students and scholars who seek to interact with and bring positive change to the community and world around them.

The Ethics and Technology Lab at Queen’s University is an interdisciplinary setting where computer scientists trade skills with cognitive scientists, ethicists, and artists. We use data science tools, artificial intelligence models, philosophical analysis, and artistic praxis to address social and ethical issues in computing. Current areas of focus include challenging bias in AI methods, investigating authorship and creativity at the intersection of AI and art, providing digital tools for resisting targeted violence, and uncovering racism in medical practice. We welcome students interested not only in deeply understanding technical problems, but also co-constructing knowledge within their communities, and communicating effectively with policy makers and the public.

The Centre for Research & Innovation for Black Survivors of Homicide Victims (The CRIB) is a multidisciplinary research centre, located within the Factor-Inwentash Faculty of Social Work at the University of Toronto. Using community-engaged methods and principles, the CRIB is designed to advance research, policy and practice FOR and in collaboration WITH Black survivors of homicide victims across our global communities. The CRIB is grounded in a principle commitment to develop and adopt culturally responsive approaches to research, policy and practice that inform and create sustainable opportunities for Black communities to thrive in the face of adverse and traumatic tragedy as a result of experiences with homicide.

The Empowerment Council (EC) acts as a voice for the collective community of mental health and addiction service users primarily in the Toronto area and at the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health (CAMH). The EC is a non-profit organization independent of CAMH and responsible to its members and board. Their history as an organisation is founded on the work, activism and scholarship of people who have firsthand experience of mental health, and addiction system(s). The EC brings service users together to engage and mobilize knowledge to advocate for rights and systemic change. Through education, consultation and advocacy work, we aim to empower clients and make services and policies more equitable, respectful and accountable.

Women's Health In Women's Hands is a Community Health Centre for racialized women living in Toronto and surrounding municipalities. Their primary health care team of highly skilled health care professionals specialize in the health and wellness needs of racialized women and prioritizes those from African, Caribbean, Latin American and South Asian communities. Their services are fully accessible and designed to address the barriers that prevent women from being in excellent health.

Maggie's Toronto Sex Worker's Action Project is one of Canada's oldest by and for sex worker support organizations and one of the first sex worker organizations globally to receive government funding. Founded in 1986, Maggie's was established on the belief that sex work is real, legitimate and valuable work. They believe that whether sex workers choose to stay or leave their industries, they all deserve to live with safety, dignity and respect.

JusticeTrans is an organization run by trans people for trans people and was founded on the belief that everyone, regardless of identity or lived experience, should have access to justice. Their approach centres principles of decolonization, anti-oppression, transformative social justice, intersectionality, mutual aid, and accessibility. They acknowledge that many Two Spirit, trans, non-binary, and gender non-conforming (2STNBGN) individuals face additional barriers to accessing justice due to intersecting marginalized identities and lived experiences, and they seek to prioritize these voices within the organization’s work and leadership

​Aboriginal Legal Services (formerly Aboriginal Legal Services of Toronto) was established on February 21, 1990. ALS was formed following a need for a legal related program for Aboriginal people living in the Greater Toronto Area. Their mission is to strengthen the capacity of the Aboriginal community and its citizens to deal with justice issues and provide Aboriginal controlled and culturally based justice alternatives.