The Committee then considered the
report recommendation:
That the Accessibility Advisory
Committee receive the above-noted item for discussion.
RECEIVED
2. CHANGES
TO THE ONTARIO BUILDING CODE
CHANGEMENTS AU CODE DU BÂTIMENT DE L’ONTARIO
Member Tonge provided information on
the Ontario Building Code, highlighting the possibility that the code would be
revised with no major changes relating to disability issues. He wanted desirable elements such as ramping,
size of apartment space and provision of emergency medical equipment
(defibrillators, etc), to be put forward and to ask provincial officials why
these are not included in the legislation.
Member Théberge suggested the
Committee approve a Motion to this effect.
He pointed out that the government has made a commitment to upholding
the principles of accessibility and it has not done so. The items listed by Member Tonge should be
included in the Motion and other accessibility committees across the Province
should be asked for their support.
Chair McMahon suggested the list be
compiled and forwarded to City staff, asking that the specified items be taken
into consideration when interpreting the building code. A letter from the Accessibility Advisory Committee
of the City of Ottawa about changes to the building code should be sent to the
Accessibility Directorate and copied to the Minister of Municipal Affairs.
After further discussion, it was
proposed the Member Tonge communicate by phone with the Ministry of Municipal
Affairs to get information on the timetable for implementation of the
changes. This would be followed by the
letter alluded to earlier in the discussion.
The Committee then approved the
course of action outlined in the discussion.
CARRIED
3 UpdaTE ON VIA RAIL
MISE À JOUR SUR VIA RAIL
Chair McMahon provided information
on initiatives to improve the problems with accessibility in the new VIA Rail
cars being used on the Montreal/Toronto line.
Only one wheelchair per train can be accommdated as opposed to Amtrak
which accommodates 2 wheelchairs per car.
Ottawa City Council has written to federal Transport Minister, David
Collenette, to the President of VIA Rail and to the Canadian Transportation
Agency (CTA), however only VIA Rail has responded to the letter and has
forwarded the correspondence to other groups.
Member LeClair suggested the CTA be
asked to set up a meeting and that the Deputy Minister be requested to
attend. Member Théberge and Vice Chair
Hubley were tasked with writing a letter requesting a meeting and, at the
suggestion of Chair McMahon, Member LeClair agreed to be involved in this
action.
Member Warren brought to the
Committee’s attention the fact that the VIA Rail letter was incorrect in
stating that the company has satisfied 100% of the requirement for
accessibility. Chair McMahon suggested
the Advisory Committee’s letter make reference to this fact and illustrate
cases where requirements were not met, as opposed to taking a negative tone.
The Committee discussed the
possibility of holding a demonstration at the train station to show how
impossible it is for two customers in wheelchairs to travel on the same
train. Vice Chair Hubley suggested the
Mayor might want to be part of this activity.
Member Donegani felt there should be
an active equity office at the City of Ottawa.
Committee discussion focused on the possibility of involving a staff
member from the Toronto office in discussions on how to set up this office.
After further discussion, the
Committee received the report for information.
RECEIVED
4. OTTAWA
20/20 CONSULTATION
CONSULTATION SUR OTTAWA 20/20
Member Théberge proposed that the
response of the Accessibility Advisory Committee to the City’s Preliminary Official
Plan be as follows:
Section 1.0-Context for the Official
Plan
Add Sub-section 1.6, entitled Interpretation:
·
Indicate
that the term “Accessible”, when used in the document, means accessible to
persons with disabilities, regardless of what their disabilities are;
·
Indicate
that the term “Design”, when used, means “consistent with the seven
internationally recognized Principles of Design”.
Section 2.0 - Vision and Actions
·
(p. 7)
Liveable Communities, point 14: amend to read: “Conditions that make for
Safe, Secure and Accessible Communities”;
·
(p. 9)
Challenges: after the words “…and leisure needs of an increasing
population” add: “as well as barrier-free environments”;
·
(p.
10) Policy Focus: add “Making Ottawa a Fully Accessible Capital”.
Vice Chair Hubley asked that the
Acting Coordinator request Mr. Lathrop respond to the Accessibility Advisory
Committee on its input into the Official Plan.
Member Vincent emphasized the need
for disabled persons to make strong representations at the public consultation
sessions, to ensure that their needs are not “put on lay-away” once again. She offered to assist in facilitating
sessions between city officials and representatives from the more than forty
organizations that advocate for people with disabilities, to present the
results of a recent survey of over 1,200 respondents from the disabled
community regarding their needs.
After some discussion, the following
additional points were raised:
·
The
Official Plan does not mention accessible taxis;
·
There
is no mention of using assistive devices such as scooters in the
walking/cycling section;
·
The
Transit Stations must be accessible to everyone.
The Accessibility Advisory
Committee’s response to the Preliminary Official Plan was approved as presented.
CARRIED
5. 2003 WORKPLAN
PLAN DE TRAVAIL 2003
Members Donegani and Vincent agreed
to be the sub-committee to spearhead the process of the 2003 Workplan. The 2001 work plan will be reviewed and the
2002 work plan will be updated to indicate how it is progressing. An interim report will be brought to
Committee in September 2002.
Member LeClair proposed that members
contact different departments of the City to ask how they are doing on
accessibility issues. Chair McMahon
indicated that the Province would be issuing guidelines for accessibility
plans, in consultation with accessibility advisory committees, and that there
may already be measures in existence.
The Committee then received this
item for information.
received
6. SUB-COMMITTEE
UPDATES
MISES À
JOUR DES SOUS-COMITÉS
The Committee received the following
updates on the activities of the sub-committees:
Accessibility Audit
Mr. S. Gopal, Senior Project
Coordinator, Buildings Life Cycle, Real Property Asset Management (RPAM), provided
documentation on the
findings from audits conducted by consultants and city staff. He noted that the total area of the
facilities audited was approximately 7.195 million square feet. Thirty-three (33) facilities, representing
approximately 1.3 million square feet, were audited for accessibility and the
cost for improvements to these facilities is estimated at $4.3 million. Mr. Gopal indicated that the sub-committee
continues to work on establishing priority areas for improvement. Member Warren suggested that money not be
spent on audits for the next ten years and that the budget be spent on making
improvements where they are needed.
Development Plans Review
Member Warren reported that Member
Tonge had forwarded comments on the Plant Bath project and was now looking at
plans for the twinning of the Leitrim Arena and that member Brady would
follow-up with the department of Development Services regarding the
Accessibility Advisory Committee being put on the department’s circulation list
in order to comment on planning submissions.
Promote Ottawa as an Accessible City
Chair McMahon indicated that
meetings have taken place with Keith Percy of the Ottawa Tourism and Convention
Authority to discuss the promotion of Ottawa as an Accessible destination.
Alternate Format
Member LeClair noted that
interpretation and captioning have been added to the list of desired
elements. She added that, because this
is an education issue, it is taking more time, and that a progress report would
be provided at the end of August.
Emergency Preparedness
Member Bell reported on a Mock
Disaster exercise, noting that the written report on this event made no mention
of disability issues. She indicated she
would follow-up to ensure some content is included in the future.
Communications
Vice Chair Hubley reported on Member
Timusk’s progress with the website and that he was looking at including
biographies of AAC members thereon.
Taxi Advisory Committee
Member Vincent indicated she would
be chairing a sub-committee on Accessible Taxis, which will begin meeting in
mid-August. She added that, while the
concept of accessible taxis has strong allies, there are concerns with whether
there is enough demand. In reply to a
question from Member Tonge, Ms. Vincent confirmed that the concept of coverage
has been discussed.
Ottawa Capital Games Steering
Committee
Member Bell reported that things are
moving well and that a framework for summer and winter games is envisaged,
however these would not be held every year.
Members of the disabled community are well included in the discussion.
Budget Sub-Committee
Vice Chair Hubley reported that
minutes of the Open House consultation were circulated and that the comments of
the AAC were brought forward.
Reports on the activities of the
Urban Transit, School Board Liaison and International Day of the Disabled were
deferred to the next meeting.
That
the Accessibility Advisory Committee receive updates from each of its
Sub-Committees.
RECEIVED
OTHER BUSINESS
AUTRES QUESTIONS
7. ACCESSIBILITY
ADVISORY COMMITTEE PAMPHLET
Chair McMahon requested that members
review the Committee pamphlet and provide their comments to Vice Chair Hubley.
8. LETTER
FROM GILES WARREN ON HANDICAP-ACCESSIBLE
Chair McMahon suggested, and the
Committee concurred, that Member Warren’s letter to the Editor, The Ottawa
Citizen of July 17, 2002, be part of the meeting Minute.
MOTION TO MOVE IN CAMERA
Moved by A. Hubley
That the meeting of
the Accessibility Advisory Committee move In Camera, pursuant to Section 12(1)
of the Procedure By-law, to consider Confidential Agenda items 1 and 2, being
personal matters about an identifiable individual, including staff.
CARRIED
Moved by A. Hubley
That the
meeting resume in Open Session.
CARRIED
ADJOURNMENT
LEVÉE DE LA SÉANCE
The meeting adjourned at 6:45 p.m.
M.
J. Beauregard, Acting Coordinator B.
McMahon, Chair
