Nearly five years ago, Supreme Court Chief Justice Beverley McLachlin declared legal aid "an essential public service," and urged Canadians "to think of it in the same way we think of health care and education." But an announcement this week from Legal Aid Ontario, which offers free legal assistance to the province's poorest and most vulnerable citizens, provides fresh evidence that her call has not been heeded. Citing the need to contain costs and manage within its "limited budget," officials who oversee the government-funded program say that, starting next month, the amount of money spent on big cases will be capped at $75,000 for a single defendant and at $500,000 for multiple defendants. If costs are projected to top those limits, the case won't be funded, except for defence costs at bail hearings....