March 27, 2007 Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC)
Page Content:
1. Call to Order
2. Approval of Minutes
3. Approval of Agenda
4. Communication Items
5. Presentations
6. Reports
7. Report from the Accessibility Planning Coordinators
8. Report of the Accessibility Advisory Committee Chair
9. Other Business
10. Next Meeting
11. Adjournment

 

JOINT PEEL-CALEDON

ACCESSIBILITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE (AAC)


MINUTES


AAC-2007-3

 

The Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee met on March 27, 2007 at 1:03 p.m. in the Council Chamber, Regional Administrative Headquarters, 10 Peel Centre Dr., Brampton.

Members Present: G. Barnes; W. Goursky; S. Hames*; J. Hardman; N. Husain; J. Spry; M. Tymkow
 
Members Absent: H. Bajwa; E. Kolb, due to other municipal business; S. McFadden; R. Paterak, due to other municipal business
 
Also Present:

R. K. Gillespie, Commissioner of Corporate Services and Regional Solicitor; C. Gravlev, Regional Clerk and Director of Clerk's; J. Payne, Acting Accessibility Planning Specialist, Corporate Services

   
_____________________________________
*See text for arrivals
¨See text for departures

William Goursky, Chair, presided.

 

1. CALL TO ORDER

William Goursky, Chair of the Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee called the meeting to order at 1:03 p.m. and welcomed everyone present.

 

2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES

RECOMMENDATION AAC-8-2007:

That the minutes of the February 27, 2007 Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee meeting be approved.


3. APPROVAL OF AGENDA

RECOMMENDATION AAC-9-2007:

That an item be added under Other Business as Item 9b regarding the use of sign language interpreters at Regional Council meetings;

And further, that an item be added under Other Business as Item 9c regarding the upcoming Oshawa Accessibility Advisory Committee (O.A.A.C.) Forum;

And further, that an item be added under Other Business as Item 9d regarding the "Visitable Housing Canada" Website launch;

And further, that an item be added under Other Business as Item 9e regarding Caledon Representation on the Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee;

And further, that the agenda for the March 27, 2007 Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee meeting be approved, as amended.


4. COMMUNICATION ITEMS

a. Member Communication: Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), dated March 12, 2007, Regarding the Notification Process for Permits Seized under the Ministry of Transportation (MTO) Accessible Parking Permit (APP) Program

Received

 

5. PRESENTATIONS

a. Accommodation Policies of Peel Regional Paramedic Services for Persons with Disabilities, Overview Provided by Randy Diceman, Public Awareness and Prevention Officer and Verna Jones, Paramedic Training Officer, Peel Regional Paramedic Services (Oral)

Received

Randy Diceman, Public Awareness and Prevention Officer, Peel Regional Paramedic Services provided a high level overview of the current Paramedic Service policies related to Persons with Disabilities.

Naz Husain inquired if paramedics received training regarding invisible disabilities. Randy Diceman responded that paramedics are trained to handle calls where the individual is non-verbal, and do so routinely with a wide range of patients.

Glenn Barnes sought additional information regarding the type of training that the paramedics receive. Verna Jones, Paramedic Training Officer responded that training includes sensitivity training, diversity training, discrimination training and non-verbal communication.

Jim Hardman advised Randy Diceman and Verna Jones that training opportunities are available from organizations like the Canadian Hearing Society. He requested that consideration be given to including these types of organizations into the twice annual training received by Paramedics.

Jan Spry explained that if the ambulance call is to a residence where the individual has a service dog, that the dog can be left in the residence provided that a next of kin or another person has been made aware of the situation. She asked if Paramedics are aware that service dogs are not aggressive and not trained to be protective in nature. Verna Jones responded that Paramedic staff are aware of the nature of service dogs. It was further clarified that every effort will be made to trust the care of the service dog to a Paramedic Supervisor, police office, or appropriate
by-stander agreeable to the owner, wherever possible.

William Goursky inquired if the "Vial of Life" program (a small container kept in the refrigerator containing medical and contact information) is still utilized. Verna Jones responded that the program is still in use and that Paramedics are trained to check the refrigerator for the "Vial of Life".

Sandra Hames, City of Brampton Councillor, arrived at 1:19 p.m.

 

6. REPORTS

a. Accessibility Audit Report - Caledon Community Services, October 24, 2006

Received

Maureen Tymkow provided a brief overview of the Caledon Community Services (CCS) Accessibility Audit performed by members of the Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee on October 24, 2006. She extended thanks on behalf of the CCS and advised that many positive changes were and will be undertaken as a result.

William Goursky extended thanks on behalf of the Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC) for the hospitality of the CCS staff and the openness shown to the AAC during the site accessibility audit.


7. REPORT FROM THE ACCESSIBILITY PLANNING COORDINATORS

a. Colleen Grant, Town Prosecutor and Solicitor, Town of Caledon (Oral)

Deferred to the April 17, 2007 AAC meeting


b. Jeff Payne, Acting Accessibility Planning Specialist, Region of Peel (Oral)

Received

William Goursky informed the members of the Committee that Jeff Payne has agreed to take on the role of Acting Accessibility Planning Specialist until such time as Meenu Sikand is able to return to her position.

Jeff Payne briefly touched upon the need to establish the membership of the Site Plan and Floor Plan Review Subcommittee in response to a request from Housing and Property staff to provide input to upcoming minor facility upgrades.

The following members agreed to serve on the Site Plan and Floor Plan Review Subcommittee on an as needed basis:

William Goursky; Jim Hardman; Naz Husain; Jan Spry and Maureen Tymkow


8. REPORT OF THE ACCESSIBILITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE CHAIR

a. Naz Husain, Citizen Member, Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee, Update Regarding the Spring 2007 Joint Meeting of Municipal Accessibility Advisory Committees (Oral)

Received

Naz Husain provided a summary of the March 21, 2007 planning meeting for the Joint Municipal Accessibility meeting. Group discussion followed regarding meeting particulars resulting in the following:

Date: Tuesday, May 15, 2007
Time: 1:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
Location: Council Chamber, 5th Floor, Region of Peel Administrative Headquarters, 10 Peel Centre Dr., Brampton, ON
Topic: Accessible Housing
Format:

Guest speaker followed by panel format question and answer

Panel: Individuals from various segments of both the public and private housing sector as well as a consumer/resident representative (4-5 panel members in total)
Accessibility: Live internet audio broadcast of the meeting will be provided for those unable to attend in person
Refreshments: Light refreshments would be provided during the meeting

 

9. OTHER BUSINESS

a. Jan Spry, Citizen Member, Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee, Regarding Winter Curb Cut Maintenance Issues, Steeles Avenue, Brampton (Oral)

Received

Naz Husain suggested that a letter be sent to all relevant parties (Region of Peel and City of Brampton Public Works departments, Brampton Transit Commission with a copy to City of Brampton Councillor Hames) detailing the events related to the issue of curb cut winter maintenance and requesting a response from all parties.


Additional Items - Items 9b to 9e


b. Jim Hardman, Citizen Member, Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee, Regarding Sign Language Interpreters at Regional Council meetings (Oral)

Received

Jim Hardman clarified that he sought assurance that sign language interpreter services are available upon request at meetings of Regional Council. It was not intended that the service be provided on an ongoing basis for all Regional Council meetings.

R. Kent Gillespie, Commissioner of Corporate Services and Regional Solicitor informed the members of the Committee that Regional Council has given direction to staff to investigate televising of Regional Council meetings. As part of that process closed captioning and the use of sign language interpretation services will be explored. The Clerk's division arranges sign language interpreter services for accessibility meetings and these contacts can be utilized to make similar arrangements for Regional Council upon request.


c. William Goursky, Citizen Member, Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee, Regarding the Upcoming Oshawa Accessibility Advisory Committee (O.A.A.C.) Forum (Oral)

Received

William Goursky informed the members of the Committee of the upcoming Oshawa Accessibility Advisory Committee (OAAC) Forum. The key note speaker will be John Draper speaking on the topic of "Building Accessible Communities". Details as follows:

Date: Monday, May 7, 2007
Time: 8:15 a.m. to 3:45 p.m.
Location: General Motors Centre, 99 Athol Street East, Oshawa ON
Registration Fee: $35.00

Members of the Committee interested in attending the OAAC Forum are requested to respond to the related e-mail from staff, staff will then undertake registration arrangements for those wishing to attend the forum.

Glenn Barnes volunteered to arrange accessible transportation to the forum in Oshawa.


d. William Goursky, Citizen Member, Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee, Regarding the "Visitable Housing Canada" Website Launch (Oral)

Received

William Goursky advised of a communciation he received regarding the launch of the "Visitable Housing Canada" Website. The site can be viewed at the following address: www.visitablehousingcanada.com


e. Maureen Tymkow, Citizen Member, Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee, Regarding Caledon Representation on the Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee (Oral)

Received

Maureen Tymkow inquired if consideration could be given to seeking additional citizen representation from the Town of Caledon on the Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC). Charlotte Gravlev, Regional Clerk and Director of Clerk's, responded that the Steering Committee will be reviewing the current Terms of Reference for the AAC during this term (2006-2010) of Council.

Further discussion occurred regarding Citizen representation from Caledon on the AAC and it was agreed that should a qualified person from Caledon express interest in participating on the Committee that consideration would be given to expanding membership and approval from Regional Council could be sought.



10. NEXT MEETING

Tuesday, April 17, 2007
1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Region of Peel Administrative Headquarters
Council Chamber, 5th floor
10 Peel Centre Dr.
Brampton, Ontario


11. ADJOURNMENT

The meeting adjourned at 2:58 p.m.