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HomeMy WebLinkAboutJanuary 28, 2026 Accessibility Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes Main Committee Room January 28, 2026 - 07:00 PM Present: S. Azhar D. Currie B. Ferguson K. Hale D. Schick M. Shackleton S. Snyders A. Jagdeo, Senior Project Manager, Digital Services L. Wang, Digital Services Application Specialist T. Higgins, Accessibility Coordinator J. Currie, Legislative Coordinator, Recording Secretary Regrets: C. Rudberg-Chin A, Topple, Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade Review and Approval of Agenda Moved By B. Ferguson Seconded By D. Currie That the Agenda for the January 28, 2026 Meeting of the Accessibility Advisory Committee Meeting be approved. Carried Disclosure of Interest There were no Disclosures of Interest Approval of Minutes 1. 2. 3. 1 Minutes, October 15, 2025 T. Higgins, Accessibility Coordinator reviewed the October 15, 2025 Minutes and provided updates on various action items, including: Human Resources (HR) staff explored the opportunity to engage in a second phase of the Pathways to Employment program in 2026, but was not able to proceed; • A. MacGillivray circulated the Accessible Housing Sub-Committee material to I. Janton, Senior Planner, Site Planning; and, • T. Higgins recirculated the Multi-Year-Accessibility-Plan (MYAP) Renewal and Survey to Committee Members for further review. • Moved By K. Hale Seconded By D. Schick Moved by That the Minutes of the October 15, 2025 Meeting of the Accessibility Advisory Committee be approved. Carried Delegations/Presentations Kelly Ng, Autism Home Base, Outreach and Inclusion Manager Re: Supporting Autism in Pickering With the aid of a PowerPoint and video presentation, K. Ng, Autism Home Base, Outreach and Inclusion Manager, provided an overview of Autism Home Base and highlighted their programming including "The Hub" and organized day trips to various community venues such as recreation centres and libraries. K. Ng noted that there were several potential avenues for future collaboration with the City of Pickering, including consultation, representation, training opportunities, and exploring program partnerships. A question and answer period ensued between Committee Members and K. Ng regarding: whether Autism Home Base programs could be delivered in Pickering facilities that do not currently offer quiet zones; • whether community outings could be expanded to include Pickering families • 3.1 4. 4.1 Accessibility Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes January 28, 2026 2 and take place within Pickering locations; the importance of preventing social isolation and providing activities that support community connection; and, • opportunities for partnership, including engaging Autism Home Base in the design considerations for the City’s new facility, the Dorsay Community & Heritage Centre, and supporting the development of a mutually beneficial and inclusive environment within the new facility. • T. Higgins to bring forward discussion regarding consultation with Autism Home Base on the design of the Dorsay Community & Heritage Centre at the next Pickering Accessibility Core Staff Team (ACST) meeting. T. Higgins to invite Autism Home Base to attend Pickering's Canada Day event to feature the "Zen Den". New Business Microsoft Dynamics Initiative - Consultation With the aid of a PowerPoint and video presentation, A. Jagdeo, Senior Project Manager, Digital Services, and L. Wang, Digital Services Application Specialist, appeared before the Committee to provide an update regarding the City of Pickering's Digital Strategy. A. Jagdeo highlighted the rapid growth of the City of Pickering and noted the City’s goal of providing accessible, trustworthy, and convenient digital services to Pickering’s diverse and growing population while ensuring continuous and robust privacy and security measures. A. Jagdeo summarized the Digital Strategy Work plan outlining change management, engagement strategies, and project timelines. A question and answer period ensued between Committee Members and staff regarding: whether the new system would track and isolate accessibility related content and ensuring relevant key words were entered with every incident report to assist with tracking and sorting; • whether the resident portal provided an opportunity for mining accessibility data to understand resident's needs for the purpose of identifying and linking residents to targeted services; • whether existing in-person and non-digital options would remain available as • 5. 5.1 Accessibility Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes January 28, 2026 3 Customer Service options to residents; whether there was a contingency plan should there be a digital failure; and,• whether quick links such as QR codes could be provided at city facilities for residents to easily access information on the City website. • AAC’s 2025/2026 Report to Council – Planning T. Higgins, Accessibility Coordinator, advised that the Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC) 2025 - 2026 Report to Council would be developed using the Committee’s minutes as the primary source of content. He noted that additional input would be sought from Committee Members to ensure the report accurately reflects the Committee’s work and priorities. He further advised that the report was scheduled to be presented at the May 25, 2026 Council Meeting. T. Higgins invited Committee Members to consider speaking to the AAC 2025 - 2026 Report to Council as delegates at the May 2026 Council meeting. ONAP November Conference - Highlights T. Higgins, Accessibility Coordinator, shared highlights of the Ontario Network of Accessibility Professionals (ONAP) November Conference including presentations on nature based programming conducive to mental health, accessibility standards being developed by the Canadian Government, Indigenous Communities and disabilities, and the municipal accessibility policy toolkit. T. Higgins to share content of the ONAP conference via email with Committee Members. Best Practices - Federal Accessibility Standards T. Higgins, Accessibility Coordinator, advised that improvements to the federal accessibility standards currently under development were continuing to evolve and, in some cases, exceeded the requirements of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). He noted that these emerging federal best practices presented an opportunity to inform and strengthen the City’s Multi-Year Accessibility Plan, particularly through the incorporation of “Accessibility by Design” principles and trends. 5.2 5.3 5.4 Accessibility Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes January 28, 2026 4 Action Items Review T. Higgins and B. Ferguson noted that the Action Items list could be utilized to inform the 2025 - 2026 Report to Council and could be included as an attachment in the Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC) Agenda's moving forward to. T. Higgins to include the Action Item List on the March 18, 2026 AAC meeting as an attachment. 2025 Compliance Report - Update T. Higgins provided that the 2025 Compliance Report was informed by evidence and documentation of compliance, with careful consideration and pre-verification of the details of requirements as specified in the regulations and noted that the 2025 Compliance Report was available on the City's website. Hidden Disability Sunflower Initiative - Update T. Higgins provided that the Hidden Disability Sunflower Initiative was successfully implemented. The City of Pickering has joined the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower (HDS) Program, becoming one of the first municipalities in Ontario to do so. This initiative equips staff with the knowledge to recognize and support individuals with non-visible disabilities, using the internationally recognized Sunflower symbol. Once 80% of staff have completed the training, Pickering will be officially designated a “Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Destination”, reinforcing its commitment to accessibility and inclusion. As of January 2026, most of Pickering’s staff were trained and the Sunflower promotional materials have been distributed widely to various City locations to be available to residents. 2026-2030 MYAP Survey – Update T. Higgins invited Committee Members and the Public to complete the Accessiblity Survey, available on the Let's Talk Pickering website, to help inform the Multi-Year- Accessibility-Plan 2026-2030. Other Business T. Higgins announced the resignation of A. Khan from the Accessibility Advisory Committee. S. Snyders raised concerns regarding the lack of reliability of the accessible automatic 5.5 5.6 5.7 5.8 6. Accessibility Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes January 28, 2026 5 doors at various City facilities, noting that inconsistent functioning of these doors created barriers for residents who relied on them for independent access. While S. Snyders acknowledged that some improvements had been made, he emphasized the importance of continued attention to this issue. Moved By S. Snyders Seconded By B. Ferguson That the Pickering Accessibility Advisory Committee request Council to direct staff to prepare a report outlining current practices, identified gaps and options to improve the reliability and accountability of accessible door infrastructure across municipal facilities. Carried S. Snyder raised concerns that accessible parking spaces were being used for snow piling at City Facilities, noting particular issues at the Chestnut Hill recreation Centre in both the front and rear parking areas. S. Snyder emphasized that accessible parking spaces must remain available at all times and requested confirmation that staff responsible for snow clearing were aware of this legal requirement. T. Higgins to request information regarding snow removal from City staff and report back to the Committee. T. Higgins to provide a Report to Council regarding the Motion to request a staff report regarding accessible door infrastructure. New Business Roundtable Updates T. Higgins invited Committee Members to provide roundtable updates. Correspondence There was no correspondence. Next Meeting - February 18, 2026 Adjournment 5. 5.9 7. 8. 9. Accessibility Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes January 28, 2026 6 Moved By D. Currie Seconded By B. Ferguson That the meeting be adjourned. Carried The meeting adjourned at 9:20 p.m. Accessibility Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes January 28, 2026 7