Pilot project
The Community Justice Centers were born from a pilot project launched by Québec’s Department of Justice in 2010. This project enabled the creation of three Centers in different the cities of Rimouski (September 2010), Québec (December 2010) and Montréal (May 2011).
The creation of these Centers would not have been possible without the following partners’ participation:
Main and financial partner of the pilot project:
- Barreau du Québec
- Chambre des notaires du Québec
- Ministère de la Justice du Québec
- Société québécoise d’information juridique (SOQUIJ)
Other provincial partners of the pilot project:
- Association des doyens des facultés de droit québécoises
- Association des avocats et avocates de province (AAP)
- Association du Barreau canadien – Division Québec
- Commission des services juridiques
- Éducaloi
- Institut de médiation et d’arbitrage du Québec (IMAQ)
- Observatoire du droit à la justice
- Pro Bono Québec
- Regroupement des organismes de justice alternative du Québec (ROJAQ)
The Community Justice Centers’ pilot project was successful. On April 1st 2013, the three Centers located in the Bas-Saint-Laurent, the National Capital and the Greater Montreal received the Justice Department’s endorsement to continue their activities permanently. They are since funded by the Access to Justice Fund.
Deployment
In October 2013, Québec’s Department of Justice launched a call for projects aimed at establishing other Centers across Québec.
Thanks to the mobilization and vitality of three dynamic regions’ legal and community players, new Centers were established in Outaouais (September 2014), Gaspé Peninsula – Magdalen Islands (November 2014) and Saguenay–Lac-Saint-Jean (February 2015).
In December 2016, the opening of two new Centers in Monteregie and Nunavik was announced. In 2017, a new announcement was made to indicate the future development of Centers in the Mauricie and Côte-Nord regions.
The Montérégie Community Justice Center (MCJC), focused on the prevention and resolution of disputes, was inaugurated in October 2017. The Côte-Nord Community Justice Center (CNCJC) opened in July 2018.
Visual identity
The Community Justice Centers’ purpose is to demystify judicial institutions and proceedings and, moreover, to facilitate their access for all. Therefore, their visual identity voluntarily evacuates the idea of representing once again justice and focuses first and foremost on the communication of proximity.
This proximity is expressed by the presence of two silhouettes side by side. The blue silhouette, in a slightly elevated position to guide, offers knowledge, information and support. The green silhouette benefits from open communication and assistance. A white wavy line, representing open communication, links the two individuals.
It is entirely fitting that blue, which evokes loyalty, calmness and trust, is used to represent the Community Justice Center. A yellowish light green is just as much the appropriate choice to represent a pleased and confident citizen, this colour reminding clarity and responsiveness.
Through the combination of its dynamic colours and the simplicity of its design, the Community Justice Centers’ visual identity supports its central message: the seriousness of justice should not hinder its accessibility.
