HomeMy WebLinkAboutJanuary 17, 2024 Page 1 of 7
Minutes/Meeting Summary
Accessibility Advisory Committee
January 17, 2024
Hybrid Electronic Meeting Main Committee Room 7:00 pm
Attendees: C. Rudberg-Chin
B. Ferguson D. Currie S. Azhar M. Thorpe Ross
S. Snyders
M. Shackleton K. Sullivan J. McLellan, Ajax-Pickering Board of Trade Councillor M. Brenner
Councillor M. Nagy L. Gibbs, (Acting) Director, Community Services M. Murray, Division Head, Culture & Community Programming C. Addo-Bekoe, Manager, People & Culture
J. San Antonio, Senior Advisor, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion
I. Janton, Senior Planner – Site Planning T. Higgins, Accessibility Coordinator (Staff Liaison) A. MacGillivray, Legislative Coordinator (Recording Secretary)
Absent:
A. Khan
Item/ Ref #
Details & Discussion & Conclusion
(summary of discussion)
Action Items/Status (include deadline as appropriate)
1. Review and Approval of Agenda
Moved by B. Ferguson Seconded by C. Rudberg-Chin That the Agenda for the January 17, 2024 Meeting of The
Accessibility Advisory Committee Meeting be approved.
Carried
2. Disclosure of Interest
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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 C. Rudberg-Chin Seconded by B. Ferguson
That the Minutes of the October 18, 2023, meeting minutes of the
Accessibility Advisory Committee be approved. Carried
4. Presentations/Delegations
There were no presentations or delegations.
5. New Business
5.1 Welcoming New Members
Kevin Sullivan provided introductory remarks to the Committee and spoke to his background, including his legal and policy experience in various Provincial government ministries as well as his experience living with invisible disabilities.
Michael Shackleton provided introductory remarks to the Committee and spoke to his experience in the Ontario Public Service (OPS) including in the Accessibility Directorate.
Members and staff provided brief introductory remarks. 5.2 Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Strategy Clara Addo-Bekoe, Manager, People & Culture and Jaclyn
San Antonio, Senior Advisor, Equity, Diversity & Inclusion provided a Community Update regarding the City’s Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion (EDI) Strategy and spoke to:
• the background events that have led to the creation of
the City’s EDI Strategy;
• the staff team working on the EDI Strategy;
• the key milestones in the process of developing the
EDI Strategy;
• the key learnings and themes uncovered through community consultations;
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Item/ Ref # Details & Discussion & Conclusion (summary of discussion) Action Items/Status (include
deadline as
appropriate)
• the vision, mission, and the priority areas of focus for the City’s EDI strategy; and,
• an overview of the next steps in the EDI Strategy process.
Committee Members were encouraged to submit any
additional feedback regarding the City’s EDI Strategy by January 26, 2024.
A question and answer period ensued between Committee Members and Jaclyn San Antonio and Clara Addo-Bekoe
regarding:
• whether there would be anticipated resistance to training and education pertaining to EDI;
• whether there would be continued engagement with the City’s Committee’s regarding the EDI Strategy; and,
• how the City could provide education to the
community using various methods including
advertising on Durham Region Transit (DRT). 5.3 Site Plans Review
1100 Azelea Avenue, Durham District School Board (S 14/23) Isabelle Janton provided an overview of the Site Plan for a two-story public elementary school and childcare centre in
the Lamoreaux Neighbourhood in Seaton.
Discussion ensued amongst the Committee Members and staff regarding:
• clarification regarding the all-gender washrooms provisioned for the school;
• concerns regarding having one elevator provisioned for the school and how persons requiring the elevator would
move between floors in emergencies if the elevator was out of order;
• the provisioning of future portable classrooms on the site and the need for ramped entrances given their typical
raised floor design;
• clarification regarding the amount of accessible washroom stalls on each floor of the school;
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Item/ Ref # Details & Discussion & Conclusion (summary of discussion) Action Items/Status (include
deadline as
appropriate)
• concerns that the material submitted by developers, builders, and architects not having to proactively address accessibility needs;
• whether the City Development department could consider
requiring an accessibility standards checklist or
statement as part of the development application process;
• clarification that the Site Plan will be reviewed by the Site
Plan Review Panel;
• the expert to that the City is expected to contract (subject to budget approval) that could potentially assist in developing guidelines for developments; and,
• the stage that is provisioned for the school gymnasium and it’s access by the school’s elevator.
1800 Brock Road, Suncor Energy Inc. (S 15/23)
Isabelle Janton provided an overview of the Site Plan for a
redevelopment of a Petro Canada gas station which will also feature an A&W restaurant and electric vehicle charging stations.
Discussion ensued amongst the Committee Members and
staff regarding:
• the accessible universal washroom provisioned for the convenience store/restaurant;
• whether a second accessible parking space be provisioned for the other side of the existing accessible ramp to the convenience store/restaurant;
• whether accessible spaces can be provisioned for the
outdoor seating for the restaurant;
• whether the redevelopment of the Shell gas station at Whites Road and Kingston Road could provide any
learnings that could be incorporated on this site; and,
• clarification regarding how comments from the Committee are provided to developers and whether developers can be solicited for responses to the
comments.
5.4 DRT Service Update Councillor Maurice Brenner spoke to the service changes
implemented by Durham Region Transit (DRT) on January
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Item/ Ref # Details & Discussion & Conclusion (summary of discussion) Action Items/Status (include
deadline as
appropriate)
1, 2024 including the standardization of 800 metre distances
between bus stops and the reduction of buses serving Pickering. He remarked on the lack of community input and the numerous complaints the City had received regarding this matter, and suggested that the changes created barriers to elderly users and users living with disabilities. Councillor
Brenner expressed that DRT has committed to reviewing the service changes and he was seeking a strong statement from the Committee regarding these changes. Discussion ensued amongst the Committee Members and
staff regarding:
• concerns regarding the lack of volume for audible bus stop announcements;
• concerns regarding the lack of consultation;
• concerns regarding the closure of bus stops being potentially wrongly advertised as being due to weather conditions rather than service changes; and,
• concerns regarding the service changes being implemented in winter season;
• clarification that DRT’s On Demand bus service only
picks up passengers from the nearest bus stop; and,
• the DRT’s past refusal to implement audible bus stop announcements and the Ontario Human Rights Commission (OHRC) order to implement that measure;
and,
• concerns regarding how the service changes were communicated to the public.
Moved by B. Ferguson Seconded by C. Rudberg-Chin
1. That the Accessibility Advisory Committee finds the Service Changes implemented by Durham Region Transit implemented on January 1, 2024 to be in contravention of
the Ontario Human Rights Code (OHRC) and the
Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA); and, 2. That the Accessibility Advisory Committee requests that
the Council of the City of Pickering send a letter to the
Region of Durham requesting that they reverse the service changes immediately and consult with Pickering residents and key stakeholders; including those with accessibility needs; on any future services changes.
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Item/ Ref # Details & Discussion & Conclusion (summary of discussion) Action Items/Status (include
deadline as
appropriate)
Carried
5.5 Onley & Donovan AODA Review Reports Councillor Maurice Brenner spoke to the Independent 4th Review of the Accessibility
for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) authored by Rich Donovan dated June 5, 2023 and its findings. He indicated that the Report speaks to the Province of Ontario failing to it’s accessibility commitments by 2025 and declares an “accessibility crisis”. He further spoke to the summary of
recommendations found within the Report and expressed that he was seeking the Committee’s endorsement of the summary of recommendations, the declaration of a crisis, and that Council would be requested to do the same.
Discussion ensued amongst the Committee Members and staff regarding:
• concerns relating to the practicality of inter-governmental roles, responsibilities and collaboration proposed by by
the Report; and,
• clarification that endorsement is not being sought for the entire Report but rather the summary of recommendations made to the Province of Ontario.
Moved by B. Ferguson Seconded by K. Sullivan 1. That the Accessibility Advisory Committee endorse the
Summary of Recommendations as outlined in the Independent 4th Review of the Accessibility for Ontarians
with Disabilities Act (AODA) authored by Rich Donovan dated June 5, 2023;
2. That the Accessibility Advisory Committee requests that the Council of the Corporation of the City of Pickering: a) endorse the Summary of Recommendations as outlined in the Independent 4th Review of the
Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) authored by Rich Donovan dated June 5, 2023;
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Item/ Ref # Details & Discussion & Conclusion (summary of discussion) Action Items/Status (include
deadline as
appropriate)
b) recognize the accessibility crisis in the Province of
Ontario; and, c) that the resolution of Council be forwarded to the Premier of Ontario and other applicable parties as deemed appropriate.
Carried 5.6 Creating an Accessibility Advisory Subcommittee – Re: building an Accessibility Orientation Symposium This item was deferred to the next meeting of the Committee. 6. Correspondence
There were no items of correspondence.
7. Other Business
There was no other business.
8. AAC Member Roundtable Updates There were no updates shared by Members of the Committee.
9. Next Meeting – February 21, 2024
10. Adjournment
Moved by C. Rudberg-Chin Seconded by M. Shackleton
That the meeting be adjourned.
Carried
Meeting Adjourned: 9:15 pm