THE JOINT PEEL- CALEDON

ACCESSIBILITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE (AAC)

Glenn Barnes, Chair - presided

1. CALL TO ORDER

2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES

Minutes of the Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee Meeting held on March 1, 2005

RECOMMENDATION AAC-11-2005:

That the minutes of the March 1, 2005 Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee meeting be approved, as amended.

William Goursky requested that the Committee Clerk avoid the use of abbreviations in all future Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee meeting minutes.

3. APPROVAL OF AGENDA

RECOMMENDATION AAC-12-2005:

That Presentation Item 5b be brought forward to be dealt with prior to Presentation Item 5a;

And further, that a group discussion regarding the Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee tour of the Region of Peel Summerville Pines seniors rental building be added under Other Business as Item 9a;

And further, that the agenda for the April 12, 2005 Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee meeting be approved, as amended.

 

4. COMMUNICATION ITEMS

¨P. Saito departed at 2:00 p.m.

5. PRESENTATIONS

Item 5b was dealt with.

b. Brian Lauder, Intermediate Planner, Town of Caledon, Regarding the Site Plan Review Process

Received

Brian Lauder, Intermediate Planner, Town of Caledon, provided a brief overview of the site plan process. He then sought input from the Committee regarding the draft "What You Can Expect" form letter that the Town of Caledon Planning department proposes to provide to all owners/ applicants as part of the site plan review process. Brian Lauder explained that the form letter advises the owner/applicant that they are responsible for presenting the site plan to the Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee. He noted that currently the only requirement under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act is that site plans be presented to the Accessibility Advisory Committee. There is no mandate to incorporate the recommendations of the Committee by the owner/applicant that has submitted the site plan.

Glenn Barnes, Chair, explained that the members of the Committee are not experts in planning and/or architecture and as such the plans presented to the Committee should provide an uncluttered visual depiction of the site plan. For Regional and Town facilities a similar approach should be used for floor plans, with the presenter being prepared to verbally detail information about the plan such as a turning radius between doors or the height of a desktop. An electronic version of the plan should be provided one week in advance of the meeting where the presentation is to occur so that members have an opportunity to prepare feedback. The electronic version of the plan will be displayed during the meeting to facilitate group discussion.

Councillor Hames advised that the City of Brampton has a staff committee that reviews plans and makes suggestions for both public and private buildings. Staff utilize the City of Brampton accessibility standards that were developed by drawing upon best practices from other municipalities that have developed accessibility review standards in Ontario. Staff then forward plans to a subcommittee of the City of Brampton Accessibility Advisory Committee which subsequently provides feedback to the entire Accessibility Committee along with their recommendations related to the plan presented.

*P. Saito arrived at 2:30 p.m.

Brian Lauder indicated that clear expectations regarding the required format and presentation criteria from the Committee would be beneficial to both staff and the owner/applicant to ensure that presentations before the Committee meet the requirements of the members.

Diana Simpson, Accessibility Coordinator, City of Mississauga noted that a draft City of Mississauga accessibility guideline has been developed. The guideline was utilized for a recent site plan presentation to the City of Mississauga Accessibility Advisory Committee and the presentation was well received.

Maureen Tymkow sought clarification on the types of plans that would be presented to the Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee. Brian Lauder responded that site plan approval by the Town of Caledon is only required for new buildings and developments. The site plan approval process applies to the site on which the building will be built and does not include a review of the floor plan.

Councillor Paterak explained that the interior of buildings is governed by the building code; the exterior of new buildings is subject to site plan approval by the lower tier municipality (town/city). The site plan approval process does allow staff an opportunity to provide comment to the owner/applicant about the building but the town only has approval authority over the site plan.

Councillor Saito stated that Committee members must be clear on the distinction between a floor plan and a site plan. The city or town is responsible for approving site plans which include the exterior of the building including site access, parking requirements and curb cuts. Generally site plan approval is only required for the construction of a new building or renovations to a building within a designated area such as a building fronting on a major thoroughfare. Floor plan review is subject to Ontario Building Code and Fire Code requirements. Currently, Accessibility Advisory Committees review floor plans for municipally owned buildings with a possible expanded role under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. It is very important that staff establish accessibility guidelines or standards to be utilized during the site plan review process because it would be very difficult for the Accessibility Advisory Committee of the City of Mississauga to review every site plan that is submitted.

Glenn Barnes suggested that perhaps information regarding the City of Brampton and City of Mississauga accessibility guidelines/standards could be provided as part of the Town of Caledon site plan application process. Councillor Saito noted that each municipality will have different standards based upon local planning requirements and municipal by-laws. She suggested that staff should review the accessibility guidelines/standards of the City of Mississauga and the City of Brampton and report back to a future Committee meeting.

Councillor Paterak inquired if the Region has a process in place for reviewing the accessibility requirements of leased floor space. Kent Gillespie, Commissioner of Corporate Services responded that Meenu Sikand, Accessibility Planning Specialist, Region of Peel, is currently working with Housing and Property staff to develop an accessibility review process for all Regional facilities. He further noted that there is no authority under the Planning Act for site plan review as it relates to leased facilities. With regard to accessibility standards, he suggested that the Committee should consider best practices from other Ontario municipalities.

Kent Gillespie requested that Town of Caledon staff further consult with the Regional Clerk and the Region of Peel Accessibility Planning Specialist regarding the Town of Caledon "What You Can Expect" form letter before it is finalized or distributed.

Group discussion occurred resulting in the following recommendation:

RECOMMENDATION AAC-13-2005:

That staff from Town of Caledon Planning department, and the Region of Peel Housing and Property department review the City of Mississauga and the City of Brampton guidelines regarding accessibility considerations utilized in the site plan and municipally owned facilities approval process;

And further, that Regional Housing and Property staff prepare a report to the Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee regarding the adoption of similar guidelines for the review of Regional buildings;

And further, that Town of Caledon Planning department staff investigate and report back to the Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee on the feasibility of incorporating similar guidelines into the Caledon site plan review process;

And further, that Regional Housing and Property staff advise the Region of Peel Accessibility Planning Specialist of all Regional leases upon approval by Regional Council for the purpose of obtaining an accessibility review of facility floor plans;

And further, that the Region of Peel Accessibility Planning Specialist liaise with the Chair of the Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee, when necessary, to consider the eligibility of plans for review by the Committee as a whole.

¨E. Kolb departed at 3:05 p.m.

a. Terri LeRoux, Executive Director, and Carla Warwick, Resource Councillor, Learning Disabilities Association of Mississauga, Presenting an Awareness Session on Learning Disabilities

Terri LeRoux, Executive Director and Carla Warwick, Resource Councillor, Learning Disabilities Association of Mississauga provided a high level introduction to the organization, the services provided and important facts about learning disabilities.

Insufficient time was available to provide the presentation in its entirety and as such the presentation was rescheduled to a future meeting of the Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee.

Deferred to the Tuesday, July 12, 2005 Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee meeting

b. Brian Lauder, Intermediate Planner, Town of Caledon, Regarding the Site Plan Review Process

Item 5b was dealt with earlier in the meeting

6. REPORTS

7. REPORT FROM THE ACCESSIBILITY PLANNING COORDINATORS

a. Colleen Grant, Town Prosecutor and Solicitor, Town of Caledon

Received

Colleen Grant, Town Prosecutor and Solicitor, Town of Caledon, provided a brief update on recent staff activities related to accessibility including preparations in advance of the presentation by Brian Lauder regarding the Town of Caledon site plan review process and the drafting of a report for Town Council on Bill 118, Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.

b. Meenu Sikand, Accessibility Planning Specialist, Region of Peel

Received

William Goursky requested that Meenu Sikand provide the presentation on "Barrier Identification and Tracking Tool" that was noted in the report of the Accessibility Planning Specialist, dated April 5, 2005, titled "Monthly Activity Report", to a future meeting of the Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee.

Councillor Saito asked that the Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee budget be brought to a future meeting of the Committee for discussion.

Glenn Barnes suggested that when the budget information is presented to the Committee that staff explain that all expenditures related to accessibility projects are allocated through the Regional departmental budgets and are not part of the Committee budget.

Charlotte Gravlev, Regional Clerk, explained that costs related to the administration of the Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee are shared equally between the Region of Peel and the Town of Caledon. Whereas the expenses related to the Accessibility Planning Specialist position and the Corporate Accessibility Planning program are strictly a Region of Peel cost. Charlotte Gravlev confirmed that the requested information would be brought forward to a future meeting of the Committee for discussion, as requested.

8. REPORT OF THE ACCESSIBILITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE CHAIR

Received

Glenn Barnes requested that William Goursky provide a brief update regarding the ConnecTions 2005, 6th Annual Resource Fair for Persons with Disabilities, to be held on May 7, 2005, Ste. Famille Secondary School, 1780 Meadowvale Blvd., Mississauga. William Goursky noted that the City of Brampton, City of Mississauga and the Region of Peel will each have separate tables attended by members of the various Accessibility Advisory Committees.

Glenn Barnes noted that he has accepted the position of Chair of the organizing committee for the Mississauga Rick Hansen event scheduled for June 12, 2005. He strongly urged Committee members to participate in the various local events being held in Caledon, Brampton and Mississauga.

Councillor Saito suggested that the City of Mississauga would be interested in obtaining additional information regarding community project partnership opportunities with the Rick Hansen organization. Glenn Barnes responded that he would provide the necessary information to Councillor Saito.

Councillor Paterak noted that the Town of Caledon has two accessible park/playgrounds under development and asked if the Committee would be interested in receiving a presentation on these projects. Glenn Barnes confirmed that the Committee would be pleased to participate in a review of the two accessible park/playground projects.

9. OTHER BUSINESS

a. Group Discussion Regarding the Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee Tour of the Region of Peel Summerville Pines Seniors Rental Building Held on Friday, April 1, 2005

Received

Maureen Tymkow thanked the staff of the Housing and Property department for providing the Committee with the opportunity to tour and comment on the Summerville Pines facility. She stated that the tour survey questions focussed on accessibility considerations that could have been addressed during the planning and/or building stages of the project. In addition, Maureen Tymkow noted that the seniors units did not adequately consider potential changes to the tenants level of mobility that might result from a sudden or unforseen medical condition. Constructing all of the units with greater focus on accessibility would create more flexibility for the tenant to remain within the unit should their mobility decline and allow the tenant to entertain guests who might have limited mobility.

Councillor Hames found the tour to be rewarding and appreciated the participation by staff and the builder. She agreed with the concerns raised by Maureen Tymkow and suggested that the feedback provided would be valuable for future Regional projects.

William Goursky noted that the builder of the Summerville Pines project was very innovative and creative in providing accessibility features within the facility. He added that hopefully a project such as Summerville Pines would encourage other builders to adopt best practices that achieve greater accessibility.

10. NEXT MEETING

Tuesday, May 31, 2005 (1:45 p.m. - 3:45 p.m.)
Region of Peel Headquarters
Council Chamber, 5th floor
10 Peel Centre Dr.
Brampton, Ontario

11. ADJOURNMENT

Meeting adjourned at 4:05 p.m.