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HomeMy WebLinkAboutJanuary 15, 2025 Page 1 of 6 Minutes/Meeting Summary Accessibility Advisory Committee January 15, 2025 Hybrid Electronic Meeting Main Committee Room 7:00 pm Attendees: S. Azhar D. Currie B. Ferguson K. Hale C. Rudberg-Chin M. Shackleton D. Schick S. Snyders K. Sullivan S. Karwowski, Director, Finance & Treasurer V. Plouffe, Division Head, Operations Services J. Robertson, Senior Financial Analyst D. Poida, Senior Project Manager, Capital Projects K. Fox, Supervisor, Customer Care T. Higgins, Accessibility Coordinator J. Currie, Legislative Coordinator Absent: A. Khan A. Topple, Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade Councillor M. Brenner Councillor M. Nagy Item/ Ref # Details & Discussion & Conclusion (summary of discussion) Action Items/Status (include deadline as appropriate) 1. Review and Approval of Agenda Moved by C. Rudberg-Chin Seconded by B. Ferguson That the Agenda for the January 15, 2025, Meeting of The Accessibility Advisory Committee Meeting be approved. Carried 2. Disclosure of Interest Page 2 of 6 Item/ Ref # Details & Discussion & Conclusion (summary of discussion) Action Items/Status (include deadline as appropriate) No disclosures of interest were noted. 3. Approval of Minutes Moved by K. Sullivan Seconded by B. Ferguson That the Minutes of the November 20, 2024, meeting of the Accessibility Advisory Committee be approved. Carried 4. Presentations/Delegations There were no Presentations or Delegations 5. New Business 5.1 Introduction of new Accessibility Advisory Committee Member T. Higgins welcomed K. Hale as the newest member of the Accessibility Advisory Committee and invited Committee Members and meeting guests to introduce themselves. 5.2 Council Chambers Renovation Project V. Plouffe, Division Head, Operations Services appeared before the Committee and provided opening remarks regarding the Council Chambers Renovation Project, noting that they were focused on the technological component of the renovation project, and emphasized the importance of the Accessibility Advisory Committees (AAC) feedback and maintaining ongoing dialogue with the Committee. With the aid of a PowerPoint presentation, D. Poida, Senior Project Manager, Capital Projects provided a summary of follow-up responses pertaining to feedback provided by the AAC at the November 20, 2024, meeting. D. Poida noted that the Operations team had made in-person visits to various municipalities’ Council Chambers, including Vaughan and York Region as recommended by the Committee. V. Plouffe noted that technology ages faster than physical buildings and that the physical design is being built with new technology in mind. V. Plouffe also discussed the hidden challenges with working T. Higgins would liaise with D. Poida to schedule a walk-about of Council Chambers by the AAC. Page 3 of 6 Item/ Ref # Details & Discussion & Conclusion (summary of discussion) Action Items/Status (include deadline as appropriate) within the limitations of an existing space and noted the high priority of being efficient with the City’s resources. Discussion ensued between Committee Members and staff regarding: • the scope of public engagement and outreach; • whether an acoustic study had been conducted; • what options had been explored concerning providing Sign Language at Council and Committee Meetings; and, • how Closed Captioning would be implemented. 5.3 Accessibility Advisory Committee 2025 Priorities T. Higgins provided that the Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC) had several obligations to fulfill in 2025 and highlighted the AAC Annual Report and requested Committee Members to speak to Council in April, when the Annual Report would be presented at the Council Meeting. T. Higgins noted that in 2025 all municipalities were required to file an AODA Compliance Report with the Ontario Ministry for Seniors and Acceessibility to attest to compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005, (AODA). T. Higgins provided that the City of Pickering Five Year Accessibility Plan would be required to be updated in 2025 to cover 2016-2030 and noted that input from the AAC would be required as well as AAC participation in a comprehensive public consultation. A brief discussion ensued between Committee Members and staff regarding who would be providing input for the City of Pickering Five Year Accessibility Plan. 5.4 Levels of Service/Asset Management Project Update With the aid of a PowerPoint presentation, J. Robertson, Senior Financial Analyst provided an overview of the Community Levels of Service Public Survey results, conducted in October 2024 and brought before the Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC) at the November 20, 2024, Committee Meeting. J. Currie to distribute a PDF version of the PowerPoint presentation. Page 4 of 6 Item/ Ref # Details & Discussion & Conclusion (summary of discussion) Action Items/Status (include deadline as appropriate) J. Robertson provided that the survey was conducted to better understand accessibility needs in Pickering and highlighted the objective, scope, and outcome of the survey. A brief discussion ensued between Members of the Committee and staff regarding: • how the use of language and the sequence of questions could influence and impact survey question responses; • increasing awareness of the value of accessibility; and, • how the survey encompassed and reflected the community’s invisible accessibility needs. 5.5 Sunflower Program With the aid of a PowerPoint presentation, S. Moore, Legislative Specialist, Town of Ajax provided a brief overview of the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower program, why it was important, and how it had been implemented in the Town of Ajax. S. Moore provided a summary of items to consider when exploring the feasibility of implementation. Discussion ensued between Members of Committee and S. Moore regarding: • how extensive the staff training had been; • how the stigma of having a disability was managed by staff; • who could join the Sunflower Program and how private businesses were encouraged to join and participate; • whether the Town of Ajax was tracking the effectiveness of the Program and how it impacted staff; and, • how the program may aid in the issue of invisible disabilities and parking in designated spots. T. Higgins to connect A. Topple with S. Moore to discuss the involvement of Pickering and Ajax businesses. 5.6 Site Plan Update This item was deferred to the February 19, 2025, Accessibility Advisory Committee Meeting. 6. Correspondence Page 5 of 6 Item/ Ref # Details & Discussion & Conclusion (summary of discussion) Action Items/Status (include deadline as appropriate) There were no items of correspondence. 7. Other Business 7.1 Snow Clearing K. Fox, Supervisor, Customer Care appeared before the Committee and provided an update regarding the City of Pickering’s Snow Clearing Program for Seniors and those Living with Disabilities. K. Fox solicited Committee Members for feedback regarding future community engagement and how to ensure information regarding the Snow Clearing Program reached a broader and targeted audience. Committee members provided various communication tools, and a brief discussion ensued between Committee Members and K. Fox regarding the qualifications to register and concerns that residents were hesitant to register due to the Snow Removal Programs perceived delayed response time. 7.2 Action Item Tracking B. Ferguson recommended that action items be tracked to inform the Committee of outstanding items as well as to track the Committee’s progress. It was also noted that item tracking would be a useful tool to inform the Annual Report. 7.3 Recreation Programs B. Ferguson noted that he was made aware of difficulties identifying which City-run recreation programs were suitable for different accessibility needs and requested that this topic be brought forward at a future AAC Meeting. 7.4 Collection of Information to Compile Citizen Needs D. Schick noted the benefits of compiling a personal information bank pertaining to accessibility needs to streamline registration and outreach to assist Pickering residents and increase awareness of Community/City Programs available. Committee Members to provide T. Higgins with any additional comment by email by the end of January, to be provided to K. Fox. To discuss further at the February 19 AAC Meeting. T. Higgins to invite K. Bradley, Special Advisor, Community Initiatives to speak at an AAC Meeting. 8. AAC Member Roundtable Updates There were no Member updates. 9. Next Meeting – February 19, 2025 10. Adjournment Moved by B. Ferguson Page 6 of 6 Item/ Ref # Details & Discussion & Conclusion (summary of discussion) Action Items/Status (include deadline as appropriate) Seconded by C. Rudberg-Chin That the meeting be adjourned. Carried Meeting Adjourned: 9:34 pm