THE JOINT PEEL- CALEDON

ACCESSIBILITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE

Glenn Barnes, Chair - presiding

1. CALL TO ORDER

Glenn Barnes, Chair of the Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee called the meeting to order at 1:55 p.m. and welcomed everyone.

2. Approval of April 13, 2004 Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee Minutes

RECOMMENDATION AAC-14 -2004

That the minutes for the April 13, 2004, Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee meeting be approved.

3. Approval of the May 18, 2004 Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee Agenda

RECOMMENDATION AAC-15-2004

That the agenda for the May 18, 2004, Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee meeting be approved.

William Goursky requested that staff investigate the possibility of increasing the visibility of Glenn Barnes in Council Chambers, given that a number of the members are unable to see him from the location that he is sitting in.

Jeff Payne, Legislative Coordinator, indicated that he would discuss the issue with Property Services and determine what options are available and report back at a future meeting.

Glenn Barnes suggested that the members could move to the one side of the room and that this would solve the problem in the interim.

Item 7 was dealt with.

7. REGION OF PEEL SOCIAL HOUSING APPLICATION PROCESS
Presentation by Nancy Duff, Supervisor of Community Relation, Housing Policy & Program, Region of Peel

Received

Nancy Duff, Supervisor of Community Relations, Housing and Property, provided an overview of the Region of Peel's Social Housing Application Process.

William Goursky asked if all of the accessibility units available were apartments or if there were townhouse units available for families. Nancy Duff replied that there are a few accessible townhouse units.

Naz Husain requested clarification on what is meant by a modified unit. Nancy Duff defined "modified" as a unit that facilitates independent living for a person with a disability. The degree to which the unit is altered varied from complete to limited. Nancy Duff indicated that currently there is an inventory being prepared of accessible units in Peel and that she will report back to the Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC) in the Fall of 2004 after the inventory has been completed.

Glenn Barnes, Chair of the AAC, asked if the Committee could provide assistance to staff by writing a letter to the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing in support of a single application process for qualified persons seeking accessible public housing. Nancy Duff responded that staff has been in contact with the Ministry and are currently awaiting a response.

Glenn Barnes expressed his desire for the Region of Peel to become a leader in developing and managing the centralized list of modified units as well as by establishing standards and an audit process that can be used to review the accessibility of modified units or in the construction of new affordable housing units.

Councillor Saito indicated that she had raised the issue of a single application process for persons with disabilities at the General Committee meeting on May 6, 2004. She indicated that Council has asked staff to report back on this matter. Councillor Saito further stated her support for a resolution to be brought before Council for approval.

Glenn Barnes thanked Nancy Duff for her time and insights.

4. COMMUNICATION ITEMS

a. Toronto Star Article dated April 7, 2004 Regarding a Deal Reached Between Seven Major Restaurant Chains and the Ontario Human Rights Commission Aimed at Improving Accessibility

Received

b. News Release: From the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration, dated April 8, 2004, Demonstrating the Tetra Society of North America's "TrailRider", a Mobility Device for Rough Terrain

Received

See also Item 4g

c. Ms. Nadia Temple, Director, The Accessibility Directorate, Ministry of Citizenship & Immigration Letter dated April 16, 2004, Thanking the Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee for the Correspondence Regarding Recommendations to Make the Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2001 More Effective

Received

See also Item 4f

d. Press Release: From the Accessibility Directorate of Ontario, Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration, dated April 20, 2004, Providing Statistical Background Information to Assist with the Development of Accessibility Plans for 2004

Received

e. Cathy McCall, Health Support Analyst, Peel Health, Letter dated April 20, 2004, Providing Additional Information to the Members of the Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee Regarding Services to be Provided at Peel Health's New Meadowvale Public Health Clinic

Received

f. Dr. Marie Bountrogianni, Minister of Citizenship & Immigration Letter dated April 22, 2004, Thanking the Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee for the Correspondence Highlighting Suggested Improvements to Make the Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2001 More Effective

Received

See also Item 4C

 

g. Press Release: From the Region of Peel, dated April 23, 2004, Announcing the "Take a Hike Toronto" Event on Sunday, May 30, 2004, Hosted by the Tetra Society of North America to Demonstrate the "TrailRider", a Mobility Device for Rough Terrain

Received

See also Item 4b

5. ACCESSIBILITY PLANNING COORDINATOR'S REPORT (Oral)

Received

Meenu Sikand provided the Members of the AAC with an update on the revised wording of the Strategic Action approved by Regional Council and its incorporation into the Region of Peel's Strategic Plan. She made available to the Members of the AAC copies of the recent reports submitted to Council involving the AAC titled Interim Status Report - 2003 Accessibility Plan and Activities of the Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee and Disability Education and Sensitivity Training for Region of Peel Staff. Brief updates were also provided on the AAC press release and the CAO's authorization to use the Region's Making Way Logo by the City of Mississauga. Meenu Sikand noted that she is continuing to meet with Departmental Management Teams (DMT's) at the Region and that she is beginning to see staff momentum in a number of areas. She advised Members that she is trying to coordinate an accessibility audit of the new Battleford Community Recycling Centre (CRC) and expressed that this would be an excellent opportunity to pilot a facility accessibility audit tool. Meenu Sikand also reported on her recent invitation to attend the Annual General Meeting of the Association of Municipal Managers, Clerks and Treasurers of Ontario (AMCTO), to present at a workshop titled "Ontarians with Disabilities Act (ODA) One Year Later". Meenu Sikand also noted that she is working on behalf of the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO), as part of the Wheelchair/Scooter Safety Working Group, which includes representatives from the Ministry of Transportation, Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration, March of Dimes and the Ontario Traffic Conference to develop guidelines for the safe use of motorized wheelchairs and scooters on city streets. This initiative resulted from recent approval of a by-law passed by the City of Cornwall regarding the use of motorized wheel chairs and scooters on city streets. Councillor Pat Saito requested Meenu Sikand to share the details with the Accessibility Planning Co-ordinator of the City of Mississauga as City staff is currently working on the development of a similar by-law.

William Goursky raised a concern about the recent AAC press release in that it had not been picked up by the media. He suggested efforts be made to raise the profile of the AAC with the local media. Glenn Barnes followed up by proposing the media be invited to the next meeting of the AAC. Maureen Tymkow added that the AAC has been meeting for almost one year and in that time there has been no media coverage of the Committee's activities.

Maureen Tymkow noted that the AAC had been together for almost one year and that she was not seeing significant action resulting from the work of the Committee. Glenn Barnes stated that the Committee was an important outlet for the community and the Members of the AAC to bring forward suggestions that are and will continue to result in change. He noted that once the sensitivity training for Regional Council and the accessibility audit tool are completed the Committee can turn its attention to moving forward with public forum focus groups and reaching out to the community. Naz Husain added that it is important that Members get together at the Subcommittee level so they can be more task oriented. Councillor Saito noted that the press release was a good idea but it is too easy for the media to ignore. She suggested that during the accessibility audit of the Battleford Community Recycling Centre and the training session for EMT and the Council, the media should be invited to attend. Further, Councillor Saito suggested the AAC should utilize the Regional Communications department to ensure the message of the AAC is reaching the media.

¨Councillor Saito departed 3:40

William Goursky suggested that awareness of the AAC could be raised if the Members attended the Annual General Meetings for various organizations such as the United Way.

Glenn Barnes indicated that correspondence from the AAC on issues such as the accessible public housing application process for persons with disabilities and governance issues in the Region of Peel are a way that the AAC can provide valuable input. William Goursky stated that governance is an important issue to the disabled community because of the potential impact on public housing, Transhelp and community safety, issues that are very important to all persons with disabilities.

Glenn Barnes and William Goursky agreed to meet to discuss drafting resolutions or correspondence from the AAC for consideration at a future meeting.

6. REPORT OF THE ACCESSIBITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE CHAIR (Oral)

Received

Glenn Barnes noted that he had experienced computer problems over the past week and apologized for any issues this may have caused.

Glenn Barnes announced that the Coalition of Persons with Disabilities would be having its Annual General Meeting at the Mississauga Living Arts Centre on June 18, 2004 and he would ensure that all of the Members were invited.

7. REGION OF PEEL SOCIAL HOUSING APPLICATION PROCESS
Presentation by Nancy Duff, Supervisor of Community Relation, Housing Policy & Program, Region of Peel

This item was dealt with earlier in the meeting

8. OTHER BUSINESS

a. Community Outreach and Communications Subcommittee Report

• Disability Education and Sensitivity Training

Received

Meeu Sikand stated that sensitivity training would be going ahead as noted in the report to Regional Council. Jeff Payne confirmed that efforts were under way to secure a sufficient block of time on a Council agenda to conduct the training. The most likely date was Thursday, June 17, 2004 but this was still being confirmed by Human Resources and Executive Office staff.

9. NEXT MEETING

June 8, 2004
1:45 p.m. to 3:45 p.m.
Region of Peel Headquarters
Council Chambers, 5th floor
10 Peel Centre Dr.
Brampton, Ontario

10. ADJOURNMENT

Meeting adjourned at 4:15 p.m.