St. Leonard's Society of Canada

What St. Leonard's Society of Canada does

St. Leonard's Society of Canada is a federally registered charitable non-profit organization headquartered in Ottawa, Ontario, founded in 1967 by Father Emmett Johns as a supportive housing initiative for men leaving prison. It operates as a national federation of 10 affiliate member organizations running 14 Community-based Residential Facilities (halfway houses) across 4 provinces, serving federally sentenced individuals and people transitioning out of the criminal justice system. Beyond direct residential reintegration services delivered through affiliates, the Society functions as a research, advocacy, and policy organization focused on criminal justice reform in Canada.

Its core products and outputs include a public Resource Library of research and policy publications, a Community Connections Webinar Series, a Continuing Education Award Fund (formerly the Libby Fund) supporting post-secondary education for ex-offenders, and formal advocacy positions submitted to federal and provincial bodies. The technology surface is limited to a content website, blog, and social channels — the Society does not develop proprietary software platforms.

Its business model is a diversified non-profit funding stack: individual and institutional donations, membership dues from the 10 affiliates, merchandise sales, and proceeds from charitable gaming. Partnerships with Correctional Service Canada, the Parole Board of Canada, the Canadian Mental Health Association, and multiple Canadian universities support research, student placements, and joint programming rather than direct revenue contracts. Revenue at the national office is not publicly disclosed.

Name

St. Leonard's Society of Canada

Legal name

St. Leonard's Society of Canada

Website

https://stleonards.ca

Company type

Private

Founded year

1969

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

St. Leonard's Society of Canada is a charitable federation, founded in 1967 in Ottawa, that unites 10 affiliate organizations operating 14 halfway houses across 4 provinces to support ex-prisoners through residential reintegration, research, and criminal justice policy advocacy.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Community Corrections Advocacy

NAICS

Human Rights Organizations (813311), Social Advocacy Organizations (8133)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Civil Liberties & Constitutional Rights Advocacy (BPAGAFAA)

akta.pro secondary industry

Human Rights & Anti-Discrimination Organizations (BPAGAFAB)

Keywords

• Criminal justice advocacy
• Community corrections services
• Halfway house network
• Social justice research
• Membership-based charity

Headquarters

HQ city

Ottawa

HQ country

Canada

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Donations: SLSC accepts donations through CanadaHelps platform for general operations (General Fund) and the Continuing Education Award Fund. Donors receive tax receipts.
2. Membership Fees: Affiliate and associate members pay annual fees dependent on membership type. Fees may be negotiated based on organizational realities, subject to SLSC Board approval.
3. Merchandise and Publications Sales: SLSC sells merchandise and printed research reports with proceeds supporting SLSC goals.
4. Charitable Gaming: Affiliate member SLS Peterborough receives support through charitable gaming at Delta Bingo and Gaming Centre.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

St. Leonard's Society of Canada (SLSC) is a membership-based charitable organization that conducts criminal justice research, advocates for humane and informed criminal and social justice policy, and connects a national network of 10 affiliate members operating 14 Community-based Residential Facilities (CBRFs/halfway houses) across four Canadian provinces. The organization also produces policy documents, legislative submissions, reports, and webinars, and administers the Continuing Education Award Fund for justice-involved individuals.

Product overview

St. Leonard's Society of Canada (SLSC) is a membership-based charitable organization that offers a portfolio of research, advocacy, and network services rather than a traditional technology product. The core offerings include criminal justice research and advocacy services, a resource library of publications and reports (policy documents, legislative submissions, research reports, infographics, webinars), a network connecting 10 affiliate members operating 14 Community-based Residential Facilities across Canada, the Community Connections Webinar Series for education, and the Continuing Education Award Fund supporting justice-involved individuals. SLSC operates as an advocacy and knowledge-sharing organization rather than a software or technology product company.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Research and Advocacy Services

Quantifiable outcome

• SLSC's affiliate members operate 14 Community-based Residential Facilities (CBRFs) serving federally sentenced individuals across 4 Canadian provinces.
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers12 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

15 partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Algonquin CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSLSC partners with Algonquin College for student placement programs, providing students hands-on experience in office operations, policy work, and criminal justice research.
• Carleton UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSLSC partners with Carleton University for student placement programs, offering students experience in criminal justice research and policy development.
• Humber CollegeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSLSC partners with Humber College for co-op placement students, providing opportunities for students to work on research projects, policy updates, and organizational operations.
• University of OttawaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSLSC partners with University of Ottawa for placement students and Pro Bono Students Canada chapter, enabling students to gain experience in social and criminal justice research and policy work.
• York UniversityminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSLSC partners with York University for student placement programs in criminal justice and social justice fields.
• University of Toronto MississaugaminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSLSC partners with University of Toronto Mississauga for student placement opportunities.
• Prepr FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSLSC partners with Prepr Foundation for student placement and research opportunities.
• Pro Bono Students Canada (University of Ottawa Chapter)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSLSC partners with Pro Bono Students Canada for volunteer student support on research and policy projects.
• Correctional Service of Canada (CSC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSLSC works with CSC on community corrections and reintegration, advocating for humane treatment and providing expertise on halfway house operations and policy.
• Parole Board of CanadacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSLSC engages with the Parole Board of Canada on policy matters related to conditional release and community supervision.
• John Howard SocietycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSLSC collaborates with the John Howard Society on criminal justice reform advocacy and service coordination for justice-involved individuals.
• Canadian Mental Health AssociationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSLSC partners with CMHA on the Community Mental Health Initiative, providing Personal Support Worker programs at halfway houses for residents with mental health needs.
• National Literacy AllianceminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSLSC is a supporter of the National Literacy Alliance's 'The Case for a National Literacy Strategy' initiative, supporting adult literacy for justice-involved individuals.
• Circle of Eagles LodgeminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSLSC participated in Circle of Eagles Lodge's 'Kwanatul' gathering to deepen knowledge of Section 84 Indigenous reintegration, learning alongside colleagues from Alberta Seventh Step and St. Leonard's Society of North Vancouver.
• CanAfro Research InstituteminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSLSC shared a call for participants for the CanAfro Research Institute study seeking Black men in Canada who experienced violence and were subsequently charged, supporting research on systemic bias in legal systems.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Canadian Civil Liberties Association: National civil liberties advocacy organization engaging in litigation, policy, and public education on criminal justice issues including prisoners' rights. Directly comparable advocacy mission to SLSC's civil liberties focus on the incarcerated.
• John Howard Society of Canada: National federation of provincial/regional societies focused on criminal justice reform, prison reform, and community-based services. Most directly comparable to SLSC given its parallel affiliate-network structure and overlapping mandate on community corrections.
• Canadian Association of Elizabeth Fry Societies: National membership-based federation serving women and gender-diverse people in conflict with the law, with a similar affiliate-network delivery model. Highly comparable to SLSC in operational structure and criminal justice advocacy mandate.

Others

• Canadian Council on Social Determinants of Health: National advisory body focused on the social determinants of health including justice involvement. Thematically related through social determinants and reintegration outcomes but does not directly compete as a criminal justice advocacy organization.
• United Way Canada: Federated network of local United Ways supporting community social services including offender reintegration. Comparable in national federated nonprofit structure and community-fundraising approach but operates a much broader social services mandate.
• Imagine Canada: National sector organization representing and supporting Canadian charities and nonprofits. Adjacent peer that supports the broader nonprofit ecosystem in which SLSC operates, rather than competing directly.

Broad incumbents

• John Howard Society of Ontario: Larger provincial umbrella organization for the John Howard Society federation in Ontario, operating a wide portfolio of community programs. Comparable on mandate and methodology but operates as a broader, established incumbent in one province.
• Amnesty International Canada: Canadian branch of a global human rights organization that conducts advocacy on prisoners' rights and criminal justice reform. Comparable on human rights advocacy and research output, but operates at much larger scale internationally.

Emerging players

• Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives: National independent policy research organization focused on social, economic, and justice policy. Adjacent to SLSC through policy research on criminal justice but more broadly focused on social policy across issues.
• Native Women's Association of Canada: National Indigenous women's organization advocating on issues including justice-involved Indigenous women. Adjacent on criminal justice advocacy and overlaps with SLSC's reconciliation commitments and Indigenous reintegration work.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/StLeonards_Can
• Facebookfacebook.com/StLeonardsCanada
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/st-leonard-s-society-of-canada
• Instagraminstagram.com/stleonardscanada

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about St. Leonard's Society of Canada