Region of Peel Accessibility Advisory Committee terms of reference

• Amended by Resolution 2019-1156
• Revised by Resolution 2022-111
• Revised by Resolution 2023-291

Terms of reference

Committee name

The committee shall be known as the Region of Peel Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC).

Mandate

The Region of Peel Accessibility Advisory Committee shall act in an advisory capacity to Region of Peel Council as outlined in the Region of Peel Procedure By-law.

The mandate of the AAC is as follows:

• To advise Regional Council on ways to improve opportunities and remove barriers for persons with disabilities through the identification and removal of barriers with respect to programs and services delivered by the Region of Peel.
• To advise Regional Council on the requirements and implementation of the Accessibility Standards under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) and the preparation of accessibility reports.
• To advise Regional Council each year on the preparation, implementation and effectiveness of the Region of Peel Multi-Year Accessibility Plan.
• To review in a timely manner site plans and drawings described in section 41 of the Planning Act.
• To review in a timely manner all site plans and drawings as set out in the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulations (IASR) of the AODA as pertaining to the Design of Public Spaces Standards: exterior paths of travel, rest areas, and on-street parking spaces.
• To assist with planning and participate in community events and trade fairs to promote accessibility; and
• To perform all other functions specified in the Ontarians with Disabilities Act (ODA), AODA and subsequent regulations.

Definitions

"Barrier" as defined by the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, section 2 means:

anything that prevents a person with a disability from fully participating in all aspects of society because of his or her disability, including a physical barrier, an architectural barrier, an information and communication barrier, an attitudinal barrier, a technological barrier, a policy or practice.

"Disability" as defined in the Ontario Human Rights Code means:

1. any degree of physical disability, infirmity, malformation or disfigurement that is caused by bodily injury, birth defect, or illness and, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, includes diabetes mellitus, epilepsy, a brain injury, any degree of paralysis, amputation, lack of physical co-ordination, blindness, or visual impediment, deafness or hearing impediment, muteness or speech impediment, or physical reliance on a guide dog or other animal or on a wheelchair or other remedial appliance or device;
2. a condition of mental impairment or a developmental disability;
3. a learning disability, or a dysfunction in one or more of the processes involved in understanding or using symbols or spoken language;
4. a mental disorder; or
5. an injury or disability for which benefits were claimed or received under the insurance plan established under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997.

Reporting function

The AAC shall report to Regional Council through the minutes to a Regional Council Agenda.

Membership

The AAC shall be comprised of a minimum of ten to a maximum of sixteen (16) members in total. A majority of the members shall be persons with disabilities. To ensure that the AAC is able to carry out its duties each of the 3 local municipalities in the Region of Peel (Cities of Brampton and Mississauga and Town of Caledon) shall have representation: one from among the elected membership and one from among the non-elected membership.

1. Elected members
   
   • A minimum of 3 Regional Councillors, 1 being from each local municipality (Cities of Brampton and Mississauga and Town of Caledon) and the Regional Chair (ex-officio*) shall comprise the elected representation on the AAC. Vacant positions from among the elected member component of the Committee shall be filled by seeking interest from among members of Regional Council, and approved by Council resolution.
   • If the Regional Chair is a member of the committee he/she shall be counted in determining the size of the committee.
2. Non-elected members
   • There shall be a minimum of 7 non-elected members of the AAC appointed by Regional Council and who fulfill the eligibility requirements as set out in, Eligibility Requirements.
   • Each local municipality (Cities of Brampton and Mississauga and Town of Caledon) shall have, at a minimum, 1 non-elected member.
   • There may be up to 2 members who represent a group or organization that acts on behalf of persons with disabilities residing in the Region of Peel and shall be counted as a member of the Municipality in which the organization serves its clients.

The Non-Elected member selection process shall be completed in accordance with Corporate Policy G20-14 Community Member Appointments to Committees and Boards.

Term of appointment

The term of appointment for Committee members, both elected and non-elected members, shall coincide with the term of Regional Council.

Regional Council may give preference to qualified applicants who have not had a previous opportunity to serve over those who are seeking re-appointment after serving two consecutive terms.

Members will continue to serve on the Committee past the expiration of their term until they are reappointed or replaced.

Committee Chair and Vice-Chair

The AAC shall elect a Chair and Vice-Chair from among its membership at the first meeting subsequent to Council and Committee appointments for a new term of Council and at the first meeting subsequent to mid-term Council and Committee appointments (thus being generally a two-year term).

Membership responsibilities

Members are expected to be familiar with the ODA, the AODA, and subsequent regulations as well as the Terms of Reference for the Committee. Members will be expected to contribute their expertise actively during meetings of the AAC.

Members are required to declare any situation that creates a conflict of interest between the member's personal or family financial interests and the interests of the Region of Peel in relation to any proposal for reducing barriers that may be under consideration and refrain from participating in the discussion and decision making in respect of that matter. A financial interest in common with all persons who have similar disabilities, without more, is not a conflict of interest.

Each member of the AAC is an independent member of the Committee and does not represent the concerns of only one disability, geographic area or group. Members of the AAC will work together for the purpose of developing a common approach that is reasonable and practical.

The AAC may form specific ad hoc working groups as may be practical to address specific accessibility action items. A Chair shall be selected from amongst the membership for any ad hoc working group and the Chair of the ad hoc working group shall be a voting member of the AAC.

Members will participate in training as deemed required by the Regional Clerk.

The Non-Elected member selection process shall be completed in accordance with Corporate Policy G20-14 Community Member Appointments to Committees and Boards.

Mid-Term Appointment Process

When a vacancy needs to be filled during the Term of Council, it shall be completed in accordance with Corporate Policy G20-14 Community Member Appointments to Committees and Boards. Vacancies shall not be filled after March 31st of an election year.

Frequency of meetings

Meetings of the AAC will be held in accordance with the Region of Peel Procedure By-law.

Quorum

Quorum for the AAC shall be set at five members. Of the five members required for quorum, one shall be a member of Council.

Procedure

The Chair, or in the absence of the Chair, the Vice-Chair, or in the absence of both a member appointed by those in attendance at the meeting as Acting Chair, shall preside at all meetings of the AAC. The meetings shall be conducted in accordance with the rules of procedure applicable to committees of Regional Council, including the power to waive the rules of procedure so that meetings may be conducted informally as necessary, provided that all decisions shall be approved by the indication of a majority of those members in attendance at the meeting.

The basis of the Committee rules shall be the Region of Peel Procedure By-law.

Staff resources

The Regional Clerk will provide administrative support to the Committee. This will include preparing the minutes, agendas, meeting preparations and other duties as provided in the Region of Peel Procedure By-law. The Regional Accessibility Planning Specialist will provide advisory support to the Committee.

Remuneration and expenses

Members of the AAC will serve without remuneration. Non-elected members of the AAC shall be eligible for reimbursement of expenses incurred which are deemed necessary f or full participation in the Committee (such as, sign language interpretation services, braille translation services, transportation, and support care services).

Eligibility requirements

Persons eligible for appointment to the non-elected membership of the AAC shall be those who are:

• A qualified elector of the Region of Peel pursuant to the Municipal Elections Act, 1996; and/or
• A person who is a qualified elector in Ontario, that represents a group or organization that acts on behalf of persons with disabilities that reside in the Region of Peel;
• Not an elected official of Regional Council or of the Council of a municipality in the Region of Peel; and
• Not an employee of the Region of Peel or of a municipality in the Region of Peel

The minimum eligibility requirements for all community member committee appointments include that a candidate shall be:

• a Canadian citizen;
• a minimum of 18 years of age at the time of application;
• a resident, or the owner or tenant of land in the Region of Peel, or spouse of such person; or,
• a member of a community organization representing the interests of members of the community in the Region of Peel.
• a candidate will be required to provide, as a condition of appointment, confirmation that they do not have a criminal record for which a pardon has not been granted

Preference will be given to individual applicants who have specific skills, knowledge or experience which may be an asset to the AAC.

Schedule A Regional of Peel Accessibility Advisory Committee Recruitment of Non-Elected Members Procedure in Accordance with Resolution 2019-1156

A new non-elected member of the Region of Peel Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC) may be appointed at any time within the term of Regional Council as outlined in the following procedure.

1. The prospective candidate must express their interest in participating in the AAC. They can do so by submitting a resume and/or cover letter to the Regional Clerk. The prospective member must meet the following minimum eligibility requirements as outlined in the Terms of Reference.
   The prospective candidate must be:
   1. A qualified elector in the Region of Peel pursuant to the Municipal Elections Act, 1996 OR
   2. A qualified elector in Ontario that represents a group or organization that acts on behalf of persons with disabilities that reside in the Region of Peel.
   The prospective candidate cannot be:
   1. An elected official of Regional Council or of the Council of a municipality in the Region of Peel.
   2. An employee of the Region of Peel or of a municipality in the Region of Peel.
2. The prospective candidate must be familiar with the Ontarians with Disabilities Act (ODA), the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) and subsequent regulations.
3. The Regional Clerk, the Director of Culture and Inclusion and the Accessibility Planning Specialist will prepare and post an advertisement and application form based on the approved eligibility criteria. The advertisement will be posted for a minimum of two weeks.
4. Applications must be received in the Office of the Regional Clerk by the set due date; no applications will be accepted after the due date.
5. The Regional Clerk, the Director of Culture and Inclusion and the Accessibility Planning Specialist will prepare a skills matrix to measure applicant skills and experience with respect to the approved eligibility criteria.
6. The Regional Clerk, the Director of Culture and Inclusion and the Accessibility Planning Specialist will review applications for minimum eligibility requirements and provide scoring on the skills matrix.
7. The AAC Interview Panel shall be comprised of the Regional Clerk, the Director of Culture and Inclusion, the Accessibility Planning Specialist and the Committee Chair and/or Vice Chair.
8. The interview panel will choose applicants to be interviewed.
9. Interviews will be scheduled in cooperation with the interview panel for candidates meeting the eligibility requirements and scoring highest on the skills matrix.
10. The Director of Culture and Inclusion and the Accessibility Planning Specialist (with the assistance of Human Resources staff) will prepare interview questions based on the approved eligibility requirements.
11. The interview panel will select the top candidates based on results of the skills matrix and interview questions.
12. Subsequent to completion of the interviews, the Director of Culture and Inclusion shall forward a report to Regional Council regarding the suitability of the prospective candidates and their rankings. Information from all eligible candidates will be made available to Council for review.
13. Regional Council shall appoint all community members by resolution.
14. The term of membership for new members appointed through this process will coincide with the term of Regional Council in which the appointment occurs.

Schedule B Region of Peel Accessibility Advisory Committee Membership Responsibility Agreement

The Region of Peel Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC) assists Council in removing barriers for persons with disabilities to access Regional programs, services, and facilities.

Individual members are subject to the following responsibilities in carrying out their duties as a member of the AAC. Failure to fulfill these responsibilities may result in the removal of the member from the AAC.

1. A member shall make every effort to attend AAC meetings and the meetings of the ad hoc working group to which they are appointed.
2. A member shall promptly notify the Regional Clerk or their designee if they are not able to attend a regular scheduled meeting.
3. A member shall make every effort to actively participate in all AAC meetings and in the ad hoc working group to which they are appointed.
4. A member is responsible for complying with the AAC Terms of Reference and the Region of Peel Procedure By-law 9-2018.
5. An AAC member shall not speak as a representative of the AAC before any organization or professional association unless expressly authorized to do so. Requests to speak on behalf of the committee must be forwarded to the Director of Culture and Inclusion; and the AAC Chair or Vice-Chair if the request to speak is from the AAC Chair. Committee members speaking at conferences or meetings who are not representing the Region of Peel must not appear to represent the opinion or policy of the Region of Peel and may not present any confidential information gained as a result of their membership on the AAC.
6. Members approached by the media shall refer all inquiries to the Region of Peel's Marketing and Communications division.
7. Members should recognize that information discussed at AAC meetings is made available to the public.
8. AAC members shall not use confidential information shared with the AAC about Regional initiatives or use Regional material for business uses without written consent from the Region of Peel.