PovNet, officially PovNet Society, is a Canadian non-profit organization based in Vancouver, British Columbia.
History
In 2019, PovNet endorsed the Access to Justice Triple Aim and Measurement Framework developed by Access to Justice BC.[1]
COVID-19
In March 2020, PovNet began "tracking service changes for legal programs and services province-wide" following the declaration of the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] Its COVID-19 Service Changes webpage listed statuses for a number of legal aid, legal clinics, courts, administrative tribunals, law and public libraries, non-profit and advocacy organizations, community centres, churches, immigration services, and indigenous organizations.[3]
PovNet also published a webpage titled "Resources for Remote work" listing a variety of resources from Aloe Bud, Buffer, the Crisis Centre of BC, Headspace, MommyPoppins, Tide App, and Todoist.[4] On a page called "COVID-19 Special Resources", PovNet provided links to resources related to employment, domestic violence, emergency benefits, utilities, health, finances, and housing.[5]
Executive Director Nicky Dunlop represented PovNet as part of the Justice COVID-19 Response Group.[6]
In 2020, PovNet collaborated with HappyPorch "to develop a wiki tool".[7]
Organization
PovNet is a member of the BC Poverty Reduction Coalition.[1:1] PovNet participates as a member of the Employment and Assistance Appeal Tribunal (EAAT) working group.[1:2]
The Vancouver Community Network has provided "domain hosting and general technical support" for PovNet.[8]
Personnel
| Name | Position | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Nicky Dunlop | Executive Director[9] | Justice COVID-19 Response Group, Tenant Resource & Advisory Centre, Women's Contact Society |
| David Herrera | Online Community Manager[9:1] | - |
| Dante Abbey | Board Member[10] | Community Legal Assistance Society, Law Students' Legal Advice Program |
| Yolanda Beaudry | Board Member[10:1] | Okanagan Thompson Legal Clinic, Kamloops and District Elizabeth Fry Society, Ki-Low-Na Friendship Society |
| JP Lott | Board Member[10:2] | University of the Fraser Valley, Community Legal Clinic Operating Society of British Columbia, Prince George Urban Aboriginal Justice Society |
| Erin Pritchard | Board Member[10:3] | Everyone Legal Clinic, Disability Alliance BC, Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada |
| Brenda Rose | Board Member[10:4] | Courthouse Libraries BC |
| Andrew Sakamoto | Board Member[10:5] | Tenant Resource & Advisory Centre |
| Jasleen Sandhu | Board Member[10:6] | Terrace & District Community Services Society |
| Flo Schade | Board Member[10:7] | Terrace & District Community Services Society, Socialist Action Canada |
| Alison Ward | Board Member[10:8] | Community Legal Assistance Society, Legal Aid BC, People's Law School |
| Jane Watkins | Board Member[10:9] | North Vancouver City Library |
| Caitlin Wright | Board Member[10:10] | Together Against Poverty Society |
| Kate Fish | Online Community Manager (former)[11] | Comox Valley Community Health Network, Interior Health Authority, Smoke Break |
| Nolan Kelly | Board Member (former)[12] | British Columbia Library Association |
| Douglas King | Board Member (former)[11:1] | Downtown Eastside Residents Association, Legal Services Society, Pivot Legal Society, Together Against Poverty Society |
| Michelle McGregor | Board Member (former)[11:2] | Kitimat Community Development Centre |
| Annette Murray | Board Member (former)[11:3] | Disability Alliance BC |
| Zara Suleman | Board Member (former)[13] | Law Foundation of British Columbia, Suleman Family Law, Trial Lawyers Association of British Columbia |
Funding
PovNet has received funding from the City of Vancouver and Law Foundation of British Columbia.[9:2]
Activities
PovNet has provided funding to the Community Legal Assistance Society (CLAS).[14]
External links
Acknowledgements. PovNet. Retrieved September 7, 2026, from https://www.povnet.org/acknowledgements ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
DeJong, H. (2020, April). COVID-19 Family Law Resources (BC) (p. 3). Clarity Therapy. https://www.claritytherapy.ca/wp-content/uploads/2020/04/COVID-19-Family-Law-Resources-BC.pdf ↩︎
COVID-19 Service Changes. (2020, March 25). PovNet. https://web.archive.org/web/20200327020536/https://www.povnet.org/covid19-service-changes ↩︎
Resources for Remote work. PovNet. Retrieved September 8, 2026, from https://www.povnet.org/remote-work ↩︎
COVID-19 Special Resources. (2020, March 26). PovNet. https://web.archive.org/web/20200327020648mp_/https://www.povnet.org/covid19-special-resources ↩︎
Engelbrecht, M. (2020, May 23). Canceled: Justice COVID-19 Response Group (p. 102). British Columbia Ministry of Attorney General. https://storage.ghost.io/c/a2/fe/a2fe3cea-8d77-4702-87d4-ff1fd8934d08/content/files/2026/03/Courthouse-Libraries-BC---RFN250922.pdf ↩︎
History. PovNet. Retrieved September 8, 2026, from https://www.povnet.org/history ↩︎
Acknowledgements. PovNet. Retrieved June 12, 2020, from https://web.archive.org/web/20200612035410/https://www.povnet.org/acknowledgements ↩︎
Team & Board. PovNet. Retrieved September 4, 2026, from https://www.povnet.org/team-board ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
Erin Pritchard | Supervising Lawyer. Everyone Legal Clinic. Retrieved December 11, 2025, from http://archive.today/2025.12.11-032028/https://everyonelegal.ca/professionals/supervising-lawyers/erin-pritchard-supervising-lawyer ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
Team & Board. PovNet. Retrieved September 29, 2020, from https://web.archive.org/web/20200929043008/https://www.povnet.org/team-board ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎ ↩︎
Kelly, N. (2019, March 4). POVNET: Community. Compassion. Change. Confidence. Commitment. BCLA Perspectives. https://bclaconnect.ca/perspectives/2019/03/03/povnet/ ↩︎
Zara Suleman, Family Law Lawyer. Suleman Family Law. Retrieved August 14, 2025, from https://web.archive.org/web/20250814170316/https://www.sulemanfamilylaw.com/our-team-2/zara-suleman-family-law-lawyer/ ↩︎
2024-2025 Annual Report (p. 21). (2025, November). Community Legal Assistance Society. https://clasbc.net/wp-content/uploads/2025/11/CLAS-Annual-Report-202425-Web.pdf ↩︎
