Lawyers engaged in a legal aid funding dispute with the province have voted 97-percent in favour of taking job action as of April 1st.

Kamloops lawyer Graham Kay sits on the Legal Aid Lawyers Association’s board of directors and says talks with the province will continue this week.

The association wants funding restored to 1992 levels, which Kay notes will have a big impact on clogged courts.

“If you look at the funding for 1992 and compared it to today, we have actually had a drop of funding for legal aid in the neighbourhood of about 60 per cent,” Kay said.

“What we are looking at is being able to put that funding back in place in the long term, making sure that more people are eligible for legal aid, and improve the scope of coverage for legal aid.”

Kay adds the last thing lawyers want to do is to limit or suspend legal aid services next month, and is optimistic a deal can be reached before then.

However, he adds that history has taught him to be skeptical as well.

(Photo: pixabay)