THE JOINT PEEL- CALEDON

ACCESSIBILITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE

B. Zeran presided.

1. Call to Order - Bonnie Zeran

Bonnie Zeran welcomed members and provided brief introductory comments.

2. Introductions

a) Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC) Members

AAC members introduced themselves to the Committee and Accessibility Plan Work Group (APWG) members.

b) Region of Peel Accessibility Plan Work Group (APWG) Members

Kent Gillespie, Commissioner of Corporate Services and Regional Solicitor provided welcoming and introductory comments.

APWG representatives from each department at the Region introduced themselves, their fellow department representatives and provided an overview of their department's programs and services.

c) Town of Caledon Staff Working Group Members

Eriks Eglite provided an overview of the services provided by the Town of Caledon. Brian Lauder provided background information on Caledon's services as they relate to accessibility issues.

3. Member Orientation

a) Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2001 (ODA)

Kent Gillespie reviewed the evolution, purpose, scope and enforcement of the Act. Definitions were provided as they relate to Peel's own Plan. Experiences and achievements of Peel and Caledon regarding accessibility issues were covered.

Kent Gillespie stated that the goal of the Region is to have the final Plan published and submitted to the Province of Ontario by September 30, 2003.

b) Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee - Roles and Responsibilities

Bonnie Zeran presented the role and mandate of the Accessibility Advisory Committee. She provided an overview of: the benefits of the Joint Committee; the mandate of the AAC; the composition of AAC membership; responsibilities of members; the terms of members; the election and term of Chair and Vice-Chair; procedural matters and expense reimbursement for members. In addition, it was noted that the AAC will at a future meeting discuss and recommend a long-term strategy to ensure continuity of AAC membership.

Bonnie Zeran noted that staff will aim to hold future meetings at accessible municipal facilities throughout Peel.

It was proposed that a schedule of 2004 meeting dates be developed so that members may set aside days as early as possible for AAC business.

c) Region of Peel Proposed Action Plan to Achieve the Ontarians with Disabilities Act September 30, 2003 Deadline

Bonnie Zeran provided members with details on timeframes required in order to meet the September 30, 2003 publication deadline.

It was noted that there may be a conflict with the presentation of the draft Accessibility Plan to General Committee (GC) on September 11, as the Access Ontario Conference is being held September 10 - 12 in Sault Ste. Marie.

It was agreed that further discussion would be held at the August 12 meeting of the AAC as to whether the Draft Plan should be presented to General Committee on September 11, or to the September 18 meeting of Regional Council, once attendees to the Access Ontario Conference are known.

In response to concern raised over the set timeline, it was noted that although the timeline for providing input into the Draft Plan is limited, members will find the Plan is high-level and sets out plans for action in 2004.

In response to questions regarding Regional and Municipal accessibility plans, Emil Kolb clarified the differences between regional and municipal service responsibilities. He explained that each municipality must have a plan for its services, and the Region of Peel is also required to have a plan for its services.

d) Town of Caledon Proposed Action Plan to Achieve the Ontarians with Disabilities Act September 30, 2003 Deadline

Eriks Eglite provided an overview of Caledon's progress with their draft Accessibility Plan. He clarified that Caledon's Plan has been modelled to parallel that of the Region of Peel.

e) Accessibility Advisory Committee Members' Feedback, Questions and Answers

There were no additional comments or questions.

4. Election of Chair and Vice-Chair (Conducted by Bonnie Zeran)

a) Election of the Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee Chair

RECOMMENDATION AAC-01-2003:

That Glenn Barnes be appointed as Chair of the Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee for a term ending on December 31, 2004.

b) Election of the Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee Vice-Chair

RECOMMENDATION AAC-02-2003:

That Maureen Tymkow be appointed as Vice-Chair of the Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee for a term ending on December 31, 2004.

G. Barnes assumed the Chair to preside over the remainder of the meeting.

5. Communications

a) Access Ontario Conference, September 10-11, 2003, Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario

Glenn Barnes asked which Committee members were interested in attending the conference. Six members responded with interest. Emil Kolb noted that $2600 could be allocated in order to send members to the conference. It was noted that initial allocation was based on two persons attending at a cost of approximately $1300 for hotel and transportation and other related expenses. It was suggested that in order for a number of members to attend the conference, consideration could be given to providing ground transportation such as a TransHelp bus. It was noted that driving time from the Region of Peel to Sault Ste. Marie would be approximately 10.5 hours, including rest stops.

Staff was requested to investigate alternate methods of ground transportation such as TransHelp in order to accommodate those members who wish to attend the Access Ontario Conference.

6. Next Meeting

Date:	August 12, 2003
Time:	2:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Location:	Region of Peel TransHelp Facility Meeting Room
	3190 Mavis Road Mississauga, Ontario

 

7. Adjournment

The meeting adjourned at 4:15 p.m.