One of then-candidate Michael Prue’s 2022 campaign website priorities was, ‘Ensure all town buildings are accessible to facilitate an open and inclusive municipality.’

The JS Held Facility Condition Assessment Report stated, The building is non AODA compliant for, it is not possible to convert this building to make accessible due to the general construction of the building. This building was designed as a multilevel building with provision for accessibility in mind. Council considered the report in 2023 that also stated ‘the cost to convert the town hall to AODA compliant is $291,117.78.’

Dog Park = $165,000.
Libro Trail Over expenditure = $170,000
Total spent on two projects = $335,000.

Pickleball courts $450,000.

In the meantime, all goods and services provided to the public at Town Hall are able to be accommodated based upon the current design.’

CAO CRITCHLEY

According to Councillor Allaire, CAO Critchley advised her:

“The Corporation of the Town of Amherstburg is committed to fulfilling the requirements set out in the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005, and all regulations under that Act which require the Town of Amherstburg to establish policies, procedures and practices governing the provision of its goods and services to persons with disabilities.

To meet the goal of a fully accessible Town of Amherstburg on or before January 1, 2025, the establishment, implementation, maintenance and documentation of a Multi-Year Accessibility Plan outlines the Town of Amherstburg’s strategy to prevent and remove barriers.”

It should be further noted that the AODA requires that all newly built or significantly renovated structures from the date of adoption (2005) must comply with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and Ontario Building Code requirements. Buildings which were constructed prior to that date are not required to conform to those standards when determining whether the Town is in compliance with the standards.

That said, the Town of Amherstburg has adopted the Facility Accessibility Design Standards (FADS) of the City of Windsor, which are utilized to provide guidance on projects that involve the redevelopment of, or construction of, new facilities, with higher than legislated standards for the built environment. The Town has also recently embarked on a Facility Condition Needs Assessment Study and will be completing a Space Needs Analysis, with the findings to be presented to Council on what should be done with aging facilities. 

Should a recommendation involve the significant renovation of, or construction of, a new Town Hall building, then the building would be required to comply with the AODA, and the design would also entail suggested areas of improvement based upon the Facility Accessibility Design Guidelines for Council’s consideration.