THE JOINT PEEL- CALEDON

ACCESSIBILITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE

G. Barnes presiding.

1. Call to Order

Glenn Barnes called the meeting to order at 1:40 p.m.

2. Approval of August 12, 2003 Accessibility Advisory Committee Minutes:

Glenn Barnes noted that G. Cristiano's name was omitted in the August 12, 2003 meeting minutes. He requested that the minutes of the August 12th AAC meeting be amended to show that Giancarlo Cristiano was in attendance.

RECOMMENDATION AAC-08-2003:

That the minutes for the August 5, 2003, Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee meeting be approved as amended.

3. Communications Items

a) Carl De Faria, Minister of Citizenship and Minister Responsible for Seniors

Glenn Barnes spoke on the Community AccessAbility Program and accepted comments and feedback from the members regarding the grant program offered by the Ministry of Citizenship. Glenn Barnes shared with the Committee the comment, which was expressed by some members of Council during the presentation of the Accessibility Plan at Regional Council, that money was not available in the budget and that the Ministry of Citizenship should be approached for grants. He reiterated that all that is being asked for is a basic level of service and that he wants to work with staff and apply for grants to lessen the financial burden on municipal governments.

b) Town of Caledon Council Resolution Regarding First Annual Accessibility Plan

A copy of the resolution was distributed to the committee members for their information. Glenn Barnes advised that the Plan was well received by Town of Caledon Council.

c) Regional Council Resolution Regarding the Region of Peel's First Annual Accessibility Plan

The Accessibility Plan was received on September 18, 2003 with overwhelming support. A copy of the Region of Peel Resolution was distributed to members for their information.

RECOMMENDATION AAC-09-2003:

That communication items 3 a), b) and c) be received.

4. Update from the Accessibility Conference in Sault St. Marie

Glenn Barnes advised that transcript of the conference is available from the Court Office of Sault St. Marie.

This conference was hosted by the Sault Ste. Marie AAC. Funding came from several sources such as conference fees, business registration fees, local business advertisements, the Trade Show and companies who made contributions. The Ministry of Citizenship helped through an AccessAbility grant.

Committee members discussed their experience at the conference as being very informative and enlightening. Appreciation and gratitude was extended to the individuals involved in organizing it. Glenn Barnes stated that the conference personally provided him with an opportunity to look at other cities and how they operate with different demographics, size, transportation, etc. He stated, for example, how many interesting issues were raised pertaining to accessibility in Ottawa, Toronto, Kenora and Timmins, and how the issues and problems people encounter in these areas are very different. Also, the committee was advised that an Accessibility Plan had been developed several years ago in the City of Peterborough to meet the demands of its aging population. The City of Mississauga and the City of Brampton are currently trying to look at meshing the priorities of accessibility in the existing services they currently provide. A key issue that was raised is that official standards need to be established.

Discussion was held regarding how valuable it would be to hold another conference. Kent Gillespie requested that the AAC write to the Ministry of Citizenship requesting they sponsor a conference for next year with support from local governments. There was discussion of the Region possibly hosting a conference next year. Maureen Tymkow suggested that we wait and possibly host a conference in 2005.

Members expressed appreciation and thanks for being given the opportunity to attend the Sault St. Marie Conference.

RECOMMENDATION AAC-10-2003:

That a letter be sent to the Ministry of Citizenship requesting information on financial sponsorship, by the Ministry, of future accessibility conferences.

RECOMMENDATION AAC-11-2003:

That other municipalities would be contacted to determine if another host municipality plans to hold a conference.

5. Town of Caledon Draft Cheltenham Community Room - Proposed Building Modifications and Review of Floor Plans
Presentation by E. Eglite, Town of Caledon

A copy of the Town of Caledon draft floor plans for this joint Town of Caledon- Region of Peel expansion project was circulated for the Committee's review and input. Eriks Eglite provided the committee with a brief history of the project and requested committee comments and suggestions regarding issues of accessibility. He advised that the Town of Caledon Council and Region of Peel budget approval of this project will be requested in the next couple of months. He requested comments from the members for the purpose of forwarding accessibility issues to the architect.

AAC members suggested that standards would be helpful. There was discussion stating that the building code in combination of American standards are used at the Region. Kent Gillespie reminded the group that the Region of Peel Accessibility Plan has guidelines as a Next Steps item.

Glenn Barnes asked the committee members to review the preliminary floor plans and provide Eriks Eglite with feedback before the November 18th meeting. Glenn Barnes asked that Christine Zelman distribute a copy of the floor plans to the absentee committee members.

6. Other Business

a) Review of the AAC Terms of Reference (Oral)

A copy was distributed to the members of the Committee. Bonnie Zeran reviewed the document while accepting comments and advice from members regarding the section on Membership of the Committee and the Terms of Appointment. It was agreed that options would be brought forward to the AAC in 2004.

b) Vacant AAC Seat Update (Oral)

A copy of a memo written by Kent Gillespie, dated October 17, 2003, addressed to the interview team regarding a vacant AAC position, was distributed to the members for review. Kent Gillespie advised that the CNIB, the Hearing Society and other organizations were contacted for the possible candidates.

A draft motion was also distributed requesting that the AAC members approve the following: adding Glenn Barnes to the interview team, and further that the new candidate be interviewed, and further that a selection take place from among either the previous candidates interviewed or this new candidate, and further that the name of the recommended candidate agreed upon by the interview team be put forth to Council for approval.

RECOMMENDATION AAC-12-2003:

That the Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC) members approve the proposal to have Glenn Barnes the AAC Chair, or a designated alternate as required, added as a member of the AAC interview team, for new AAC members, that is currently comprised of three Commissioners from the Region of Peel and a staff member from the Town of Caledon;

And further that the new candidate for the vacant AAC position, a person from the blind community, be interviewed by the interview team;

And further that a selection take place from among either the previous candidates interviewed or this new candidate;

And further that the name of the recommended candidate agreed upon by the interview team be put forth to Regional Council for approval.

c) Update on Regional Accessibility Coordinator Hiring (Oral)

Bonnie Zeran gave an update on the status the Region of Peel Accessibility Coordinator position. A draft Job Description and Job Evaluation have been prepared. It is anticipated that the position will be posted both internally and externally in two weeks. Bonnie Zeran will share the Draft Job Description with the AAC Members.

d) New Region of Peel Expense Form (Oral)

A copy of a new expense form was distributed to the community members of the Committee. Christine Zelman will e-mail a copy of the electronic version of the form to the Chair. Christine Zelman advised that the new form was designed with a more simplified format to benefit the members and the staff at the Region.

e) Joint Accessibility Public Awareness Communication Campaign Caledon, Brampton, Missisauga and Peel (Oral)

The Accessibility Coordinators have joined forces to prepare a joint Accessibility Public Awareness Campaign. The benefits of the joint venture are that costs will be minimized and ideas will be shared to deliver a consistent message.

f) Next Steps

Region of Peel Priority Setting

Glenn Barnes requested that in addition to the public awareness campaign, focus groups and a barrier hotline are also good ideas. Kent Gillespie suggested that having a Rogers Cable TV phone in show might also be an idea. Glenn Barnes suggested that the Accessibility Coordinator could take these ideas on as their first initiatives.

Glenn Barnes asked if staff could provide and update of staff sensitivity programs. John Austin advised that there are no training programs of this kind at present. Glenn Barnes suggested putting together a sensitivity awareness program to pilot with the APWG members then expanding it to other areas.

Glenn Barnes suggested that the Website should be expanded to include information about the AAC, accessibility and barriers. Sue Ritchie spoke about the Region's Pathways site. She suggested that we show the AAC the site at our next meeting.

Bonnie Zeran said that she would ask the APWG to prioritize the 11 Next Steps and bring suggestions to the AAC in order to seek advice in priority setting.

Town of Caledon

Appreciated being given the opportunity to review and discuss floor plans for the proposed building modifications of the Town of Caledon Draft Cheltenham Community Room. It was agreed that future project floor plans should be brought forward to the Committee for input.

g) 2003/2004 Schedule (Calendar Format)

A 2004 Regional Council and Committee Meeting Schedule was distributed to all Committee members.

7. Next Meeting

Committee members were advised that there was a typo in Item 7 of the October 21, 2003 Agenda. The next meeting will be November 18th, 2003. Pat Saito had requested that the November 18th, 2003 meeting time be changed to start at 2:00 p.m.

The members discussed the change and agreed to change the next meeting starting time to 1:45 p.m.

November 18, 2003
1:45 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.
Region of Peel Headquarters Building, Brampton, ON
Mississauga Room

Future Meetings

It was agreed that all future meetings would commence at 1:45 p.m.

8. Adjournment:

Meeting adjourned at 3:42 p.m.