achievements improvements & investment Strategic Planning: In the fall of 2006, Legal Aid Ontario began the Quantum strategic planning initiative, an ongoing process to encourage continuous improvement in everything we do to speak to our clients’ needs, as well as taxpayers’ expectations. The Quantum initiative included extensive discussions with Legal Aid Ontario employees and set the stage for further discussions with service providers and other key stakeholders, all in the pursuit of access to justice in Ontario. The result was the establishment of a management strategy for the next five years that seeks to maximize efficiency and effectiveness through innovation, measurement, prioritization, accountability and coordination.
The Value Agenda: The Ontario Government announced new funding for Legal Aid Ontario in the 2007 provincial budget. The investment, an additional $51 million, will be spread over three years, beginning in 2007-08, ultimately raising Legal Aid Ontario’s budgetary base by $19 million. The goal of Legal Aid Ontario’s Value Agenda is to match the value of the new base increase with program and administrative efficiencies and innovations over the next five years. The Corporate Environment: To address the need to create more places where innovation can be successfully nurtured within Legal Aid Ontario, a new corporate reporting structure has been introduced within the organization. Set up across four geographic regions in Ontario, the new organizational design will allow Legal Aid Ontario to be more responsive to the needs of clients and staff by improving the co-ordination of services for clients and by more fully engaging local stakeholders in Legal Aid Ontario’s business. Additionally, it will help Legal Aid Ontario achieve
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Legal Aid Ontario / 2007 Annual Report
the goals of the Value Agenda, including efforts to develop centralized and cohesive points of contact with stakeholders; optimize communications among Legal Aid Ontario staff and between managers and staff; and articulate clear accountabilities for all Legal Aid Ontario programs. The structure will also provide clinics with greater access to Legal Aid Ontario senior management and to regional Legal Aid Ontario service partners.
LAO Provincial Office Relocation: In line with the Value Agenda, the Corporate Services Division has negotiated a lease for new office space close to the Eaton Centre in downtown Toronto that will generate almost $900,000 in annual savings. The move, scheduled for June 2008, will help facilitate increased co-ordination of services and resources by co-locating the Legal Aid Ontario Provincial Office, Toronto Area Office, the Family Law Office and Refugee Law Office on a single floor at the new location. In addition to the savings, the re-location to Atrium on Bay will provide a modern backdrop from which we can continue to pursue our management strategy and value agenda. As part of the move, we will be updating our work environment to one that is modern, innovative, enhances communication and coordination, and is in line with the OPS and other public sector organizations. This includes implementing an “open office concept” for all employees, the President included, modernizing our work environment, and developing work from home protocols. It is expected that by updating our environment we will reduce our space requirements from 85,000 to about 70,000, a 17 per cent reduction.
