Comments from Councillor McArthur and Councillor Allaire following Monday night’s council meeting presentation by Library Board Chair Bachetti and Library CEO Adam Craig prompted me to write this post and email to those involved.

Please do not misinterpret space preferences or needs for accessibility. Following my ten year campaign to make the Amherstburg library accessible, which culminated in a human rights complaint, the Ontario Human Rights Commission hired a renowned accessibility expert, and the town eventually implemented his recommendations. The town also installed a plaque at the library crediting others with my accomplishment.

Other than concerns about the elevator, which is the town’s responsibility to ensure its maintenance and operability, there are no documented accessibility concerns. Instead, the often repeated plea is for a modern one floor library.

During an Amherstburg residents’ meeting I asked Deputy Mayor Gibb if the library board noted any deficiencies, and he answered none whatsoever.

I then emailed Adam Craig in September 2023: has the essex county library board noted any deficiencies with the amherstburg branch?

Mr. Craig asked me to be more specific and he stated, “In the time that I’ve been here we’ve noted a handful of issues that have popped up, and in every case the Town of Amherstburg has done a fantastic job of addressing them. I’m thinking specifically of some problems with the elevator that have been addressed, some heating and cooling issues, and so on.”

One year later, a September 9, 2024 letter from Mr. Craig and Library Board Chair Joe Bachetti states, in part, “As you’ll see, one of the most striking deficiencies across the County is at the Amherstburg Branch” which was in reference to space/square footage. The letter further stated, “the attached review doesn’t speak to other ongoing concerns with the current facility, not least of which are its accessibility and aging structural features.”

During the September 2024 Amherstburg council meeting, Deputy Mayor Gibb said the building is beautiful but no longer serves the purpose of what a modern library is. He didn’t put a timetable on addressing it but said it is an issue and a lack of square footage would become a bigger problem in future years.

I emailed Mr. Craig to advise that I read the report regarding square footage and accessibility concerns and noted that the majority of the report was about the square footage, comparisons with other municipalities and there was a vague reference to accessibility concerns. I asked if he would elaborate on the accessibility concerns: who determined there were accessibility concerns at the Amherstburg branch? what criteria was used? What specifically are the accessibility concerns?

Mr. Craig acknowledged that he thought what I was referencing was included in the covering letter and not the report:

‘…the space review doesn’t speak to other ongoing concerns with the current facility, not least of which are it’s accessibility and aging structural features.’

Mr. Craig further stated that he should have qualified that by noting that the library does meet the appropriate standards BUT contemporary library design shies away from multi-floor facilities because of the inherent difficulties with access. Even in the case of a branch like Amherstburg where we have an elevator in place, given the choice between an elevator and having everything on one floor, the best option is always a single floor (emphasis added). The concern is always with the reliability of the elevator.

Following the February 24, 2025 presentation to Amherstburg council by Mr. Bachetti and Mr. Craig, Councillor McArthur commented about the design of physical spaces to promote flexible, welcoming branches that are accessible and modern. He also mentioned having a beautiful building and shared his thoughts about how it’s not as modern or as accessible as it otherwise might be ideal. Finally, he asked Mr. Craig for his thoughts on that. Mr. Craig’s response pertained to a more modern space, modern library design and outdated architecture, outdated hardware and equipment.

Councillor Allaire stated, “so we’re trying to improve accessibility for our town, but our elevator seems to be out quite often at our library” and asked Mr. Craig if he knew how often it was down. Mr. Craig stated that he did not have the numbers in front of him, but he thought it was more regular than they would like; he added that he thought that was kind of inherent with any elevator. Councillor Allaire acknowledged that he was saying what they were lacking was space and the needs of a modern one level and Mr. Craig agreed that it was the size of the space.