Ontario-licensed paralegal services: notary and commissioner of oaths, provincial offences, and IRB hearings. Bilingual, LSO regulated.
Yueheng (Steven) Gao is a Law Society of Ontario-licensed Paralegal (#P21984) and Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant (CICC #R534273). Based in Windsor, Ontario.
Where the matter falls within both licences and the applicable retainers, the same professional may assist at the immigration and hearing stages.
Close reading of applicable law and decisions informs preparation and advocacy within the authorized scope of practice.
Ontario paralegals are licensed and regulated by the Law Society of Ontario and may practise independently within a defined scope: landlord and tenant (LTB), Small Claims Court (up to $50,000), provincial offences, notarization and commissioning, and representation at the Immigration and Refugee Board. Where it is not clear which step comes first, a paid consultation settles that; where the materials have to be read before anything can be said, a written case assessment does. Services are provided within the authorized scope of practice and the applicable retainer.
An Ontario paralegal licence carries Commissioner for Taking Affidavits authority, which covers administering oaths and receiving affidavits and statutory declarations. Notary public is a separate appointment, which Yueheng Gao holds, covering certified true copies, witnessing signatures and sealing documents.
Administering oaths and signing the jurat on affidavits and statutory declarations. This category can be handled remotely over real-time two-way video.
Certified copies issued after the original is examined, for schools, banks, government departments and institutions abroad.
Witnessing and sealing at signing for contracts, powers of attorney and corporate resolutions.
For a minor travelling alone, or with only one parent or guardian, the consent letter issued by the other. The Government of Canada recommends such letters be witnessed by a notary public.
Documents requiring notarization or a sworn statement for IRCC, consulates or schools, such as copies of identity documents, proof of relationship and declarations.
Ontario does not permit remote notarization; notarial acts must be done in person. Remote commissioning is governed by the Commissioners for Taking Affidavits Act, R.S.O. 1990, c. C.17 and Ontario Regulation 431/20 (Administering Oath or Declaration Remotely).
Speeding, red light, improper lane change, careless driving. What the points do to your record and your insurance turns on the charge itself and on how it is resolved. I negotiate a reduction or defend the charge, within the scope of the retainer.
Driving uninsured, or with a false pink slip. The fine and the other consequences differ from charge to charge, so they have to be checked against the provision you are charged under and the facts of the case.
Municipal by-laws, unpermitted renovation, Liquor Licence Act, Trespass to Property Act, all within paralegal scope.
Arrears, early departure, deposits, repairs and harassment go to the Landlord and Tenant Board, not to court. The one-year limit runs differently by application type: a landlord’s arrears or damage claim must be filed within one year of the tenant ceasing to be in possession (RTA s.87); a tenant’s repair, harassment or illegal-entry application runs one year from the day the conduct occurred (s.29(2)).
Breach of contract, unpaid debts, service disputes and property damage. The Ontario Small Claims Court hears monetary claims up to $50,000; above that the matter goes to the Superior Court, which is outside a paralegal's scope.
Full representation is not taken on for these two at present. A specific question goes to the thirty-minute consultation; a situation still to be worked out goes to a case assessment, which you then act on yourself. An assessment is delivered once, and its scope is fixed the moment the materials arrive.
IRB representation is provided under Steven Gao’s Ontario paralegal licence. RCICs may represent clients before the IRB only if they hold the RCIC-IRB class of licence.
A refused spousal, parent or child sponsorship may be appealable to the Immigration Appeal Division. I prepare the appeal submissions and appear at the hearing. Eligibility to appeal depends on the decision and applicable law.
Detained by CBSA or facing an admissibility hearing? I represent at the Immigration Division on release and bond conditions.
Where the matter falls within the applicable scopes and retainers, continuity with the same professional may be available.
Close reading of applicable law and decisions informs preparation and advocacy within the authorized scope of practice.
Services are available in Mandarin and English. Windsor-based (Suite 402, 1368 Ouellette Ave) with province-wide remote tribunal appearances. Chinese-speaking clients discuss, read, and decide in their first language.
Every legal matter has limitation periods and procedural thresholds. Start with a paid consultation. I go through your situation, assess the routes that are open to you, and set out the steps I would suggest. You decide whether to take them. If you do retain representation, the consultation fee is credited in full against the service fee of that retainer agreement; the case assessment fee is not.
Prices are published. You can order on this page without sending an email first.
One specific question that needs an answer → consultation. A question that cannot be answered without reading the materials first → case assessment. Payment is handled by Stripe and this site never sees your card number. No tax applies to paralegal services.
Scope of practice: matters within the scope of practice of an Ontario licensed paralegal: landlord and tenant (LTB), Small Claims Court, provincial offences, notarization and commissioning, and IRB hearings. Immigration applications and immigration advice are not included. This is an independent practice regulated by the Law Society of Ontario (LSO) and it is not an immigration service. For immigration questions, see immigration consultation.
Notarization and commissioning are performed as discrete acts and do not involve representation. Provincial offences (including traffic offences) and IRB hearings are taken on under a full retainer; landlord and tenant and small claims are taken on for consultation and case assessment only. For those last two, a written case assessment provides an opinion to act on independently: it is delivered once, and its scope is fixed when the materials arrive.
Please note: a paid consultation does not by itself create a retainer relationship. The consultation fee is credited in full against the service fee of a later retainer agreement; the case assessment fee is not. Legal matters carry strict limitation periods. For time sensitive matters, call 226-260-9682 directly. No tax applies to paralegal services.
Yueheng Gao (Steven Gao). Regulated Canadian Immigration Consultant, RCIC #R534273, regulated by the College of Immigration and Citizenship Consultants and listed on the public register at college-ic.ca. Ontario licensed Paralegal #P21984, regulated by the Law Society of Ontario.