This report describes a needs assessment conducted in British Columbia to identify public legal education and information (PLEI) needs for "English as an additional language" (EAL) communities. The needs assessment included a literature review, an analysis of 2016 Census data on immigrant populations, and focus groups and an online survey of trusted intermediaries. The report makes several recommendations on needs for EAL communities.
The researchers also found that:
- "EAL communities in B.C. require information on a broad range of legal topics
- BC’s EAL communities are extremely diverse and have some distinct legal information needs
- given the numerous sources of B.C. legal information, identifying gaps in legal information is challenging
- awareness of legal information and services amongst B.C.’s EAL communities is low
- intermediaries play an essential role in facilitating access and use of legal information
- a variety of mechanisms must be utilized to ensure intermediaries are aware of and have access to up-to-date legal information"