There’s one more meeting before the holiday break, and it belongs to the Accessibility Advisory Committee. It’s been a busy year for the AAC, and much of this meeting will cover business that’s been covered at other points this year including the very contentious topic of voting options for the 2026 Municipal Election. Also at this meeting are park designs, new building plans, and cycling infrastructure.
NOTE #1: This meeting will take place in Meeting Room A at City Hall, but you can also watch it on video via Cisco Webex. (Find the link on the meeting agenda.)
NOTE #2: Accessibility-related accommodations available upon timely request to Leanne Warren 519-822-1260 extension 2670; TTY 519-826-9771 email: leanne.warren [at] guelph.ca
NOTE #3: The meeting begins at 3 pm and is expected to wrap up around 5 pm.
2026 Municipal Election: Voting methods and accessible voting service enhancements – After being unable to come to any solutions at a special meeting in November, the AAC will need to draft a motion to direct the staff recommendation about alternative modes of voting for the 2026 election. A final recommendation will be shared with the committee in Q1 2024.
Solid Waste Letter to the Federal Government – Deputy CAO of Infrastructure, Development and Enterprise Services Jayne Holmes prepared a letter to outline concerns about the Single-Use Plastics Prohibition Regulations from the federal government, especially the prohibition on plastic straws, which are essential for some people with disabilities. Many of the points outlined in the letter were presented by AAC Chair Lorelei Root at a September 2022 council meeting about our own local single-use plastics policy.
College Avenue Protected Cycling Infrastructure – At the August meeting of the AAC, the committee asked for some more information about safety and winter maintenance that will come with the proposed changes to the intersection at College and Edinburgh. In terms of that winter maintenance, operations staff say that there may be need for this intersection to get an assist from snow removal by hand, but they will have to keep an eye on it. Transit staff are also concerned about not being able to see people waiting at transit stops and any time that cyclists might fail to stop at those transit stops along College. Staff also met with the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) and municipalities that have installed protected intersections to see how they addressed safety concerns for people with disabilities.
University Village Park Playground – Staff will talk about some of the upgrades that they want to make to increase accessibility at the University Village Park playground. Improvements will include wheelchair access, rubber surfaces, shade, and accessible signage and wayfinding. As discussed at an AAC meeting earlier this year, University Village Park is one of the priority playgrounds for updated accessibility based on the metric of every Guelph resident being within 250 metres of accessible playground equipment. See some artist renderings here.
Central Station: New Construction – Although construction on this projet isn’t starting till 2028, staff are bring plans for the new Guelph Central Station building to the AAC for feedback. This building will have an indoor waiting area, ticket counter, and washroom facilities, and obviously they will need to be accessible. The committee will provide notes for the project.
Silvercreek Park: Washroom Renovations & Picnic Shelter – Silvercreek Park is at the southwest corner of Wellington and Edinburgh, and it’s due for some inclusive upgrades. Planned renovations for the park include making the existing washrooms heated/open year-round and accessible, plus an accessible parking spot, trail improvements and connections, a replacement pavilion and accessible seating. The AAC will be asked about their notes about the plans.
Guelph Politico 