The town of Amherstburg installed a plaque in the library lobby crediting others with my accomplishment.

The town remained silent during the ten years I requested equal access to the library, as documented in the Ontario Human Rights Commission’s Investigative Report.

Throughout the decade, the town pursued funding for other projects like a marina and arena, despite accessibility being the number one priority stipulated in the government grants.

Then-Mayor Tony DiBartolomeo said publicly if someone filed a human rights complaint they would be forced to do it.

I filed a human rights complaint and the town was forced to take the action it should have taken more than a decade earlier.

An elevator was installed and accessible parking spaces were designated.

The Ontario Human Rights Commission highlighted some significant cases in its 2004 Annual Report, including:

Linda Saxon v. Corporation of Town of Amherstburg (Settlement, H.R.T.O.)

A settlement was reached between the Commission, the complainant and the respondent Town. The complainant made an initial complaint, on the basis of disability, because she was unable to access the Town’s library, which could only be entered via a number of stairs. The library has been renovated since the complainant filed her complaint. The Town has created a lobby at ground level with an elevator and automated doors. It also attempted to make modifications to a washroom to make it accessible. The Commission’s barrier-free design expert reviewed the renovations and found some remaining barriers, but approved of the elevator itself. The Town has agreed to implement a number of the Commission’s expert’s recommendations to improve accessibility at the Town library, namely:

•  install handrails on either side of a ramp of a specified thickness;
•  make level the threshold at an entrance;
•  request the County Library to create an accessible after-hours book depository;
•  install lever hardware on a door to the accessible washroom;
•  remove a vanity unit to provide sufficient clearance in the accessible washroom;
•  relocate the light switch, side grab bar, mirror, and paper dispenser in the accessible washroom; and,
•  replace push buttons with push plates of a larger diameter that are easier to manipulate.As part of the settlement, the respondent has also agreed to retain a qualified consultant to provide a mandatory training session for the members of the town council on the accommodation of individuals with disabilities.

The first edition of Barriers In The Burg was created in protest of this event meant to celebrate accessibility and inclusion but Amherstburg is not an inclusive community.

Barriers create exclusion and isolation and requests to remove them continue to be ignored, dismissed and minimized.

Segregation is shameful. It’s 2025 but people with disabilities, the largest minority, still face marginalization, tokenism, ableism, attitudinal barriers and euphemisms like ‘people of all abilities.’

Rich Donovan, 4th AODA reviewer, hand picked by the provincial government, said, “I think the root of this problem is decades of discrimination, starting with eugenics, which was a state-supported approach to eliminate disability in some countries. We can’t forget that reality and that’s what’s at the base of these issues.” 

Amherstburg contacted Essex County to host the 2025 event. What will the town showcase? An inclusive playground where there’s a trip hazard to get to it? An outdated, segregated wheelchair swing under lock and key without any signage to indicate how to access it? Any inclusive recreation aside from the Miracle League?

Is that the extent of Amherstburg’s display?

As Mayor Prue declared, ‘this town has not been compliant.’

Aside from errors and the misspelling of Cholchester, my opinion is that the survey does not seek meaningful feedback.

The title on ‘talk the burg’ is, Year 3 Multi-Year Accessibility Plan Survey, but then it states Year Two: “The Town of Amherstburg needs your feedback to assist with the Year Two Public Consultation on the Multi-Year Accessibility Plan.”

It states, “This year’s focus will be on five key areas” but lists only three:

1. Parkland/Trails and bench placement;
2. Recreation/Play Equipment and its placement;
3. Accessible Street Parking.

Another error is the date; it states, “All surveys must be received by Tuesday, July 3, 2025.” It should read Thursday, July 3.

As for the survey questions, under the heading, Parkland, Trails & Recreational Amenities, did you use a bench on multi-use paths or trails, where, was it conveniently placed?

Same if you used a bench in a park.

Under the heading, Recreation/Play Equipment, if anyone in your household requires accessible playground structures, which parks you use, if placement of accessible playground elements was conveniently placed.

Under the heading, Accessible Street Parking choose your primary and secondary means of travelling in town: car, bus, taxi, walk, mobility device, other and if you require accessible parking, what percentage of the time you locate a spot, or select ‘I do not require an accessible parking,’ (space missing) which shouldn’t be a choice if you selected yes to requiring accessible parking.

There’s a fourth heading, not listed, for Communication. The accessibility advisory committee has focused on an Aphasia Friendly initiative this past year; the town applied for and received a $16, 375. provincial grant to “raise public awareness and enable change in all aspects of public life. The Town of Amherstburg has partnered with Aphasia Friendly Canada and the Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory at the University of Windsor with the goal to establish Amherstburg as the country’s first Aphasia Friendly community.” I have reached out to the group a few times but my questions remain unanswered.

Under the heading, Communication the survey asks for self-identification of having a communication disability and what is used to communicate with people outside the home, such as at a business or the municipality (the assumption is that one doesn’t use communication aids in the home I guess). Selections include sign language, electronic device, cards, personal assistance, other, and ‘I am not a person with a communication disability’ which, like the parking question, shouldn’t appear if the answer is yes.

There are two unrelated questions pertaining to your awareness of and attendance at last year’s inaugural Accessibility for All event at Cholchester Harbour in Essex. (The proper event title is, “Accessibility Fest-for-All”) and the same for the 2025 event at the Libro.

Three members were absent: Chris Drew, Councillor McArthur and Christine Easterbrook and Chair Shirley Prue was on zoom. (She was loud, unlike when she’s in person and the mic is sometimes off to the side so it’s difficult to hear her). Vice Chair Pietrangelo chaired the meeting. For whatever reason he, like Prue usually does, called on the clerk to read the land acknowledgement.

Co-An Park Inclusive Playground Design

Heidi Baillargeon, Director, Parks, Facilities and Recreation via zoom, asked if anyone had any questions about the design. Shirley Prue said she thought there was one and offered to read it just because ‘she’ was not going to be there. (‘She’ wasn’t referred to by name but I assume ‘she’ was absent member Christine Easterbrook and ‘she’ actually had three questions).

Question 1: where does the ramp go? It looks the same as the playground apparatus at Ranta, where the ramp goes nowhere; at the end they encounter steps. 

Baillargeon: the ramp does only go up so far within the design; she knows that the design does meet all of the compliance, it is considered fully inclusive; it was the only design that was fully inclusive so when it says fully inclusive, it takes into consideration there’s music panels on there, other play panels, the elements in it and around the playground itself as well as the surfacing and access and egress in and around the playground and to it is what makes it a fully inclusive playground design.  

Prue: What ‘she’ said was that if you let the child get on the ramp and then they just watch everybody play. 

Baillargeon: I guess I would say the intent of the design is they’re allowed to access so far within the structure itself, and then when they’re there, it’s encouraging interactive play in and among the elements so they can get up to all the other areas. So they can go to the top on this one, in terms of coming down that extra wide slide and that’s extra wide if they had somebody assisting to be able to go down there; it accommodates a number of kids at one time, so they can play inclusively alongside those kids.

Question 2: Then ‘she’ asked as well about the swing – is it possible to get a child in a wheelchair on it? 

Baillargeon: the Libro Centre has one. The ones where the wheelchair can fit on don’t meet the public standard, because they need to be fully enclosed, and there has to be a key for them because if the weight of that struck another child on the playground it has the potential to kill them. So those types of swings are in a very controlled environment where there is staffing and personnel. We couldn’t put that out in the general public.

Question 3: ‘She’ did also ask if there was any sort of financial requirement here, but it looks like everything’s covered in the presentation.

Pietrangelo asked if a child in a wheelchair that reaches that area can they go any further right around the curve and go down the slide if they’re in a wheelchair? Baillargeon: in a wheelchair they have to be transferred and then kind of work their way up to the other platform. 

Pietrangelo: so as far as a wheelchair goes, they go up to where it says 305, and there is equipment around there that they can play and even though they’re sitting in their wheelchair, that there’s things. Baillargeon: all the way around that deck. And if they were assisted with somebody else, they could be guided up to the other deck, as well as to the end where the slide is that they could go down with somebody else or another child.

Pietrangelo:  so you’re saying that by themselves, going from that area where it says 305, to the area where is 1.22 they would have to be assisted to go up there, they wouldn’t be able to go up there on their own in a wheelchair. Baillargeon: in a wheelchair, no, depending on their mobility issues they’d have to leave the wheelchair at that point to progress to that stage.

Pietrangelo: and there’s no way, I see figure 1.53 there’s no way that a wheelchair could go over that; there’s barriers around it. Baillargeon: they wouldn’t be able to cross that threshold where it says 305, up to the other one without some kind of assistance to get up. 

Pietrangelo asked what to do and the clerk advised, at this point, the committee could endorse it, receive it, whatever it chose to do. Generally, at this point, the committee does endorse the RFP at this stage. Marc Renaud moved to endorse the proposal as laid out and it carried.

Malden Park RFP for a New Accessible Playground

Baillargeon mentioned this was the first process patterned off of Essex, where there’s a public vote component. The public can visit talk the burg to vote for the playground of your choice of eight designs. Voting closed on April 4 and it’s on Council’s April 14 agenda for approval. Other than Pietrangelo’s question about the survey results, there was no discussion and Renaud’s motion to accept the proposal as presented carried.

Jack Purdie Park RFP for Multi-Use Trail

Baillargeon mentioned the trail is 10 feet wide, fully paved, and inclusive, connecting all elements within the park; ‘little signs’ (hopefully accessible signs) will indicate distances. Baillargeon also noted that every element that they currently have in the park is connected, and every element they develop in the future will also be connected.  (I disagree, given that the accessible swing is segregated). A sledding hill will be installed. Prue asked if they have washrooms in this one. Baillargeon said they’d love to have a washroom; they don’t have funding yet, but they are in the design as well as a future splash pad and a sports court but they’re doing it in phases and this was phase two.

Baillargeon said it would go before council April 14 and let the committee know that all of the bids were over the approved budget for the park in terms of what was allocated just for the trails. Enbridge contributed $30,000 to help fund this project.

Pietrangelo asked how much over budget they were and Baillargeon said all in all, $100,000. The clerk interjected with, just with regards to the role of the committee financials really are not in the realm of the advisory committees. The advisory committee’s purpose and focus is meant to be on the respective subject matters that they deal with, with regards to matters of the financing that really is more of a council matter. Motion to accept as presented carried.

Update on Accessibility Fest for All

Amherstburg offered to host the Essex County Accessibility ‘Fest for All’ to be held at the Libro on September 12. The clerk mentioned how the town has a number of amenities that it can focus on at this location:

1. the wheelchair swing, one of three in the county
2. the miracle league diamond itself
3. sledge hockey 
4. they’re also working with their aphasia friendly friends for the commitment the town has made to push for that proposal for the town to be aphasia friendly. 

Unfinished Business: 

1. The clerk mentioned the progress of the aphasia-friendly Amherstburg initiative, aiming to train businesses and organizations in non-verbal communication strategies with a goal to having the town certified as aphasia-friendly by October 2025. (Individuals or businesses could be certified by taking the basic training, but I fail to see how an entire town could be certified). The clerk said if they’re welcoming people to come to our community, they want them to be able to walk into any business and receive that level of support. (Not everyone can just walk into any business if there are stairs and steps though).
2. The Miracle League is looking for volunteers.
3. The Seymour Street reconstruction.
4. Renaud wanted someone to explain the process of accessible parking, how it works, and the requirements for a home based business for example.
5. Accessible Parking and Enforcement Blitz.
6. Promote the email address for accessibility concerns: accessibility@amherstburg.ca

Adjournment since there was no new business.

A reader reached out and I said I’d make inquiries, which I did yesterday. I sent the following questions to CAO Critchley and specifically mentioned I was making inquiries for my blog; I copied members of council.

1. what accessibility legislation/standard/guidelines/criteria were used for the newest sidewalks in Kingsbridge on Whelan for the tendering process?
2. what is the reason for the elevation changes at driveways? 
3. who was responsible for inspection upon completion?
4. was the inspection upon completion satisfactory/dissatisfactory?
5. was public consultation held?
6. did any member of council visit the area of concern?
7. did any member of staff visit the area of concern?
8. what is the process to file a claim with the town for damage to assistive devices as a result of this situation?

I thought they were all generic questions but CAO Critchley’s response was, “As your email seems to indicate that the information you are seeking is connected to a possible insurance claim against the Town, we are unable to comment at this time. Should someone wish to file a damage claim, this can be down through the Municipal Clerk’s Office. (original typo).

I thanked her but wrote back that perhaps she would answer all the other questions.