Douglas Kwan is the Director of Advocacy and Legal Services at the Advocacy Centre for Tenants Ontario (ACTO). ACTO is a community legal clinic with a provincial focus to provide legal services to low income Ontarians to ensure that they have safe, adequate, and affordable housing.
Prior to joining ACTO, Doug worked at Mississauga Community Legal Services first as staff lawyer, then Associate Executive Director and in 2017 became the clinic’s Co-Executive Director. While at MCLS, he supported the clinic in its service expansion from 10 staff to its current complement of over 20. He also designed and obtained funding for the Mobile Legal and Social Justice Initiative which was a program that offered employment law services for low income workers in Southwestern Ontario. That program won back over a million dollars in lost wages in it’s three year pilot eventually becoming a permanently funded program soon afterwards.

Douglas has extensive experience practicing housing law before the Landlord and Tenant Board and at the appellate level within our justice system. He has also taught housing law for communities and front line staff and promoted safe and affordable housing policies with decision makers and community agencies. He believes that strong communities start with engaged communities.