The last meeting of the year goes to the Accessibility Advisory Committee. For this one you should expect a lot of wrap up for the work of 2024 and some teeing up for the work of 2025, but the main point of interest might be seeing what happens in this first meeting after a fairly fractious October meeting where members of the AAC laid down the law, and their concerns, about their own autonomy. So let’s check out what’s on the agenda…
NOTE #1: This meeting will take place in Meeting Room A at City Hall, but you can also watch it on video via Microsoft Teams. (Find the link on the meeting agenda.)
NOTE #2: Accessibility-related accommodations available upon timely request to the committee liaison at 519-822-1260 extension 3536; TTY 519-826-9771 email: accessibility [at] guelph.ca.
NOTE #3: The meeting begins at 3 pm and is expected to wrap up around 5 pm.
Provincial Proposed Recommendations Customer Service Standards – The Government of Ontario formed a committee to review customer service standards through the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and came up with 11 recommendations for areas of improvement including training, document formatting, the use of service animals, the use of support persons, and procurement. Accessibility Advisory Committee members are being asked to take time and review the recommendations and submit feedback by January 9.
Year-end Review of Committee Work – This is a one-page memo that makes some general notes of the work done at the AAC this year including the fact that out of 34 topics discussed at committee this year only nine were required by the AODA.
Committee Meeting Dates for 2025 – No changes for 2025, at least in terms of meeting times. Keep the third Tuesday of every even-numbered month open for your fix of the AAC.
October 17, 2024, Accessibility Advisory Committee Resolution Follow-up – In October, the AAC had a number of recommendations about how to proceed in the future following the failure to get AAC feedback before council passed the Public Space Use Bylaw. Staff didn’t respond to the motions in meeting but they have prepared this memo as a response, and while they’re open to changes to orientation documents and how members are appointed (seeing as how the terms of reference are being updated through the Advisory Committee of Council review), they are less enthusiastic about meeting scheduling and new engagement measures.
Proposed Arrangement for AAC from 2025 Onwards – As you’re probably aware, the clerks’ office has been conducting a review of the Advisory Committees of Council
Vision Zero Action Plan – According to this summery report provided in the agenda, 101 people have been killed or seriously injured on Guelph roads over a five-year period between 2018 and 2022, and 83 per cent of those collisions took place on just 10 per cent of Guelph’s fastest moving and highest volume streets. To combat this, the Action Plan aims to design safer streets, reduce speed, identify risks and protect vulnerable road users including pedestrians, cyclists and people who use mobility devices like scooters. The Action Plan will be presented to Committee of the Whole in March.
2024 Play Equipment Lifecyle Project: Colonial Drive, Holland Crescent and Highview Parks – Three parks are being looked at for improvements to both their inclusivity and accessibility, one in the north end of the city and two in the south end. General improvements include concrete pathways, new benches and bike racks, accessible ramps, and, naturally, accessible playground equipment (see above).
Transit Mobility Application – A link to the application is included in the agenda, and it looks like it’s more or less the same when compared to the one that’s presently on the City’s website. It appears that this item, and the one following it, are being brought to the committee by the request of the chair.
TaxiScrip Program – The taxiSCRIP program provides discounted coupons for Red Top Taxi’s accessible vehicle services to anywhere in the Guelph city limits. What exactly this report will tell us about the program is unknown since no report came attached with this agenda.
Guelph Politico 