Headline: Mayoral race: City must support the 22K citizens with accessibility issues, says Melanson
Sub: Melanson says there are still some major issues facing people with disabilities in Greater Sudbury
The city needs to stop treating its 22,000 residents with accessibility issues as second-class citizens, says mayoral candidate Dan Melanson.
If elected, Melanson said he'll work with Access2all — a non-profit organization with the goal of setting up innovative technological concepts and mobility schemes that enable high quality mobility and transportation services for all.
He'll also work with city council, Greater Sudbury Transit and other stakeholders to help ensure that the many people in Greater Sudbury who have accessibility issues can live their lives as we all do.
“We need to support Access2all in their bid to make businesses and events in all areas of the city wheelchair accessible with their ramp building project,” he said.
Full news release below:
There are 22,000 people in our city struggling with accessibility issues. The city needs to stop treating these people as second-class citizens.
Access2all is a non-profit organization that was founded by Dan Lebrun and Nadine Law. The main aim of proposing the Access2all coordination action is to encourage Public Transport operators belonging to the project target group to adopt innovative technological concepts and mobility schemes that enable high quality mobility and transportation services for all.
Currently Access2all volunteers are out measuring entrance ways, asking for material donations and building ramps for businesses to use so that people in wheelchairs can get up and down curbs and can enter stores. Students and staff at École Jean-Paul II have volunteered to paint these ramps for the project. This is a project that the city should support.
I met with Nadine and Dan and we were joined by Andrew Olivier, who is a friend and volunteer advisor for Access2all, and we had an eye-opening discussion. Here are some of the major issues we have identified.
We need to support Access2all in their bid to make businesses and events in all areas of the city wheelchair accessible with their ramp building project.
The bylaw states … that every Accessible Taxi Owner shall ensure that the accessible taxi is operated and available for dispatch 24 hours a day, 7 days a week…” This needs to be enforced so that people aren’t stranded at an event or a movie because an accessible cab isn’t available.
We need to ensure that the number of accessible parking spaces is increased and that they are widened to ensure that there is enough room for a person in a wheelchair to exit the vehicle from the ramp at the side entrance of the vehicle.
We need to ensure that Tom Davies Square has a washroom that is accessible.
The Accessibility Advisory Panel recommended that access to sidewalks through the installation of curb cuts is necessary. What use is it for citizens in wheelchairs to use Greater Sudbury Transit’s accessible buses and then have no way of getting their wheelchair onto a sidewalk?
Sidewalk repairs need to be undertaken quickly so that people in wheelchairs or those with vision problems can navigate safely.
Snow removal at bus stops and on sidewalks must improve. No one should have to stay indoors for an entire winter.
The city’s website states that Handi-Transit service is available to from 7 a.m. to midnight every day of the year. According to Nadine and Dan, these buses are off the road earlier than that and even in an emergency situation where Dan was stranded, Handi-Transit would not respond.
There is not enough accessible housing for people with accessibility issues. We as a city can encourage developers to build more units by lowering development fees and taxes.
As mayor, I will work with Access2all, city council, Greater Sudbury Transit and other stakeholders to help ensure that the many people in Greater Sudbury who have accessibility issues can live their lives as we all do.
For more information on the work that Acess2all does visit their website Access2all.ca.
