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HomeMy WebLinkAboutNovember 13, 2019 Page 1 of 6 Minutes/Meeting Summary Accessibility Advisory Committee November 13, 2019 7:00 pm Main Committee Room Attendees: Peter Bashaw Bianca D’Souza Donna Holmes Saima Fatima Glenn Lang John McLellan, Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade Megan Thorpe Ross Sue Wilkinson David Wysocki Tim Higgins, Staff Representative Renée Michaud, Recording Secretary Rumali Perera, (Acting) Committee Coordinator Absent: Dan Hughes Anthony Lue Guests: Pat O’Reilly, Visitor Experience Projects Planning Manager, Parks Canada Kaitlyn Chow, Parks Canada Nancy Heath, Pickering Resident Arnold Mostert, Senior Coordinator, Landscape & Parks Development, City of Pickering Item/ Ref # Details & Discussion & Conclusion (summary of discussion) Action Items/Status (include deadline as appropriate) 1. Welcome & Introductions T. Higgins welcomed members and other participants to the meeting. Introductions made around the table. S. Fatima provided an update on the DRPS 35th Annual Children’s Games, the Regional Accessibility Awards annual dinner, and the Remembrance Day AAC wreath laying. As well, S. Fatima extended an invitation to the AAC Members to attend a Holiday Page 2 of 6 Item/ Ref # Details & Discussion & Conclusion (summary of discussion) Action Items/Status (include deadline as appropriate) Lunch at the Pickering Islamic Centre on Sunday, December 8th. 2. Disclosure of Interest a. No disclosures of interest were noted. 3. Review & Approval of Agenda a. T. Higgins reviewed the agenda items. Agenda approved. 4. 4 Review and Approval of Minutes - October 9, 2019 a. Moved by G. Lang Seconded by B. D’Souza That the Minutes of the October 9, 2019 meeting of the Accessibility Advisory Committee be approved. Carried 5. 4 New Business 5.1 Parks Canada Collaboration P. O’Reilly and K. Chow appeared before the committee to provide information on the Rouge Park. The Rouge National Urban Park is the first national urban park in the country and the only park to have access to public transit. The role of the park is to be a gateway park to national parks. The park works closely with Indigenous groups, farmers and environmental groups and will strive to protect its natural and strong agricultural heritage. The park provides training programs on canoeing, hiking, camping and other park activities. K.Chow provided information on trails and the accessibility of Rouge Park. K. Chow advised that trail heads will have signage on the trail standards allowing individuals to assess and decide the difficulty level. The trails will be constructed with crushed Page 3 of 6 Item/ Ref # Details & Discussion & Conclusion (summary of discussion) Action Items/Status (include deadline as appropriate) sandstone which is intended to allow access for cyclists and walkers. Discussions ensued regarding wheel trans for seniors, rest areas, power stations to charge wheelchairs, and accessibility for visually/cognitively impaired individuals. A. Mostert appeared before the committee to provide information on the Seaton Neighbourhood Connector Trails. The Seaton community was originally planned with a Three-tier approach for a trail networking system: Primary Neighbourhood Connecting Trails, Primary Recreation Trails, and Secondary Recreation T rails. At this time the City and TRCA are reviewing only the location and design of the Primary Neighbourhood Connecting Trails. A number of the planned trails have been deleted or relocated due to the extreme conditions and sensitive areas encountered in these locations. The current plan is that the neighbourhood connector trails will be approximately 3.0m wide, asphalt surfaced, with lighting for night time use, suitable for maintenance & emergency vehicles, winter maintenance, and accessibility. Based on the topography and natural features on site, meeting the Exterior Path of Travel requirements of the AODA is going to be nearly impossible in some locations without significant tree removal and regrading of the land. A. Mostert noted that the City is making best efforts to meet Exterior Path of Travel requirements where the existing terrain permits:  5% slope or less where possible  Ramps at 8% slope (maximum 10% in extreme cases)  On ramp areas, provide level rest areas at 9.0m intervals with seating T. Higgins to invite Rouge Canada for further discussions in February. Page 4 of 6 Item/ Ref # Details & Discussion & Conclusion (summary of discussion) Action Items/Status (include deadline as appropriate)  Provide handrails on one or both sides of ramps where possible, particularly on the downhill side of the path where there is a drop- off  Centre handrails are not possible due to the requirement for winter maintenance and emergency vehicle access 5.2 2019 AODA Compliance Reporting and 5- Year Accessibility Plan Review T. Higgins reviewed each of the 21 questions contained in the 2019 Accessibility Compliance Report and discussed potential responses to these questions for member consideration. T. Higgins advised that, on the whole, the City of Pickering is in compliance and often goes beyond minimum AODA requirements. The AAC provides advice to the City of Pickering in meeting and exceeding compliance where possible. T. Higgins directed Members to pages 10, 11, 12, 13, 14 and, 15 of the current 5-Year Plan to consider/suggest appropriate update disclosures. T. Higgins noted that consultations and development on the new 5-Year Accessibility Plan will begin early 2020. D. Wysocki stated that City of Surrey has a strong and creative Accessibility Plan. 5.3 Service & Support Animal Initiative – Status T. Higgins noted that this is an exciting project that potentially will attract funding support from the Province of Ontario. This is the first time that this type of partnership has been established between the Province of Ontario and a municipality. The City of Pickering will take leadership of this initiative. T. Higgins noted as well as the specific project deliverables, that this initiative will inform subsequent policy development work by the Province. Members to review the questions contained in the 2019 Accessibility Compliance Report, as well as status the 5- Year Accessibility Plan and provide comments to T. Higgins to inform reporting. D. Wysocki to provide information to members regarding the City of Surrey Page 5 of 6 Item/ Ref # Details & Discussion & Conclusion (summary of discussion) Action Items/Status (include deadline as appropriate) 5.4 Strengthening Inclusive Culture in Durham N. Heath, a Pickering Resident with visual challenges, appeared before the committee to discuss her meeting with the Mayor on strengthening inclusive culture in Durham. N. Heath discussed negative personal experiences surrounding disability and public interactions. She discussed the lack of education surrounding disability in society and the resulting issue of alienation from the public. This topic resonated with a number of the AAC members and who provided further examples of exclusive behaviours they had experienced. Further discussions considered opportunities to enhance society’s inclusion of disabled individuals. T. Higgins noted that this could be an opportunity to partner with other municipalities to shift the culture on disability. 5.5 Event Training Resources T. Higgins noted that Canada’s W onderland has developed and published a great training tool on their website with respect to accessibility standards. This type of detailed webpage could inform a training/orientation tool to be developed by the City of Pickering for working with external contractors. T. Higgins to create a working session on what AAC could do to grow a more inclusive culture and partner with other municipalities to champion such a cultural shift. 6. Other Business & Updates 6.1 Residential Accessibility Standards S. Wilkinson enquired about the possibility of making a motion to Council regarding the lack of accessible and affordable housing in Pickering. R. Michaud noted that there may already be a parallel motion to Council on affordable housing that could be used as a model write-up. R. Michaud to provide a copy of the affordable housing motion to T. Higgins for distribution to members. Page 6 of 6 Item/ Ref # Details & Discussion & Conclusion (summary of discussion) Action Items/Status (include deadline as appropriate) 6.2 Member Updates P. Bashaw noted that Participation House Durham is creating a program to train individuals with a disabilities to acquire work skills. S. Wilkinson noted some City sidewalks that require snow clearing. D. Holmes noted that the Durham College is currently working on welcoming service dogs. J. McLellan noted that he will be sharing a recap of the discussions from this AAC meeting with his coworkers. A. Mostert noted that a lack of sidewalks on Kingston Road is due to the future reconstruction of the road by DRT. Pending reconstruction, the City is looking into creating interim accessibility solutions T. Higgins reviewed the meeting dates schedule for 2020. Moved by S. Wilkinson Seconded by D. Holmes Carried 6.3 December AAC Festive Meet & Greet T. Higgins noted that the AAC’s annual festive Meet & Greet will be held on December 11, 2019 around 6:00 pm in the Main Committee Room. 7. Adjournment Meeting adjourned at 9:15 pm :rp Copy: City Clerk