Tag Archives: accessibility

RECAP Accessibility Advisory Committee Meeting April 14, 2026

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This recap reflects the audible portions of the meeting. Members of the committee spoke without their microphones activated several times during the meeting, including Chair Shirley Prue who frequently speaks away from the microphone. I have raised the issue several times with council and administration.

The committee could still benefit from training on procedures, as I suggested during my June 2022 delegation. There seems to be confusion about the necessity of motions.

Also notable is member Emily Rutherford’s repetitive requests she made in January to address three concerns adversely affecting people with disabilities in the community.

There were only two scheduled agenda items:

  1. The multi-year accessibility plan
  2. National AccessAbility Week 

Chair Shirley Prue asks the clerk to take the roll call and read the land acknowledgement.

2026 Multi-Year Accessibility Plan

  • Prue asks the clerk to read her message to be included in the plan.
  • Prue asks if any comments from them, other than editorial was received. 
  • Clerk mentions receiving comments from various stakeholder groups, including service providers and employment agencies, all very supportive of the plan.

    No one asked how many comments or what they were.
  • All the comments echoed this seems a very progressive plan that puts accessibility in the forefront. 
  • Some feedback was specific. For example, TWEPI sent information on hosting accessible events. 
  • Once this is adopted, the final adopted version will come back to the next committee meeting to discuss next steps and the implementation; look at 2026 and 2027 goals.

Implementation and Ongoing Efforts

  • The clerk discusses the committee’s efforts to incorporate stakeholder engagement in various activities and the importance of ongoing feedback.
  • The plan is described as a living document with projects that will be reviewed annually to ensure they remain priorities.
  • Marc Renaud praises the committee’s active role in identifying and addressing accessibility issues, emphasizing the need for continuous improvement.
  • Prue encourages members to stay informed and communicate issues to ensure the highest common denominator of accessibility is met.

National AccessAbility Week Update

  • The clerk outlines the schedule for National AccessAbility Week, May 31 to June 6, including a multimedia campaign, flag raising ceremonies, and speaking engagements.
  • Mayor Michael Prue and Chair Shirley Prue will speak about the importance of accessibility at the June 3 flag raising at the Libro. (Someone previously encountered barriers at the town hall flag raising).

I’m looking forward to the speeches. Mayor Prue has acknowledged the town has not brought it (AODA) into force; has said if people won’t get out of the way on sidewalks, they won’t get out of the way; and stated, “This town has not been compliant. And I have promised, as mayor, and the council has promised, that we will hence for, hence forward, going forward, always be AOD compliant. And I want people to know that the those who have disabilities have every right to use every one of the services in this town, the same as everyone else,” at the start of 2025 – the AODA deadline.

But the town continues with Open Air and an agreement with Movati.

  • The town will feature an accessibility-focused book display at the Amherstburg branch of the Essex County Library.
  • Invitations will be sent to various local organizations to participate in events and activities during the week.
  • Easter Seals pledge forms will be available at the flag raising ceremony to encourage community commitment to accessibility.
  • Anyone can make that pledge there, hold it up, wearing their red shirt, publicly reaffirm their position, and hopefully that encourages a sense of advocacy and support and community activism that will really sort of drive forward change in communities and different places.

I have advocated for a strong commitment to accessibility for 35 years. And I know other residents are committed to change, but we need a strong political commitment, not another piece of paper.

Communication and Outreach

  • The clerk details the communication plan for National Accessibility Week, including social media posts, Rivertown Times articles, and gateway sign messaging.
  • The purpose behind this proposal will be to really celebrate National AccessAbility Week by raising awareness about accessibility and promoting the initiatives to be more inclusive
  • Key messages will be that:
  • National AccessAbility Week celebrates the leadership, achievements and contributions of persons with disabilities in building stronger and more inclusive communities
  • Accessibility is a shared responsibility, that together residents, businesses and community partners can help make Amherstburg more inclusive for everyone. 
  • Throughout the week, the town will showcase local accessibility features and municipal parks, trails and facilities and share supports that are available to support persons with disabilities. 
  • The flag raising ceremony will serve as a symbol of our continued commitment to accessibility, inclusion and community collaboration. 
  • Our communication channels will be using the website to feature these announcements, social media posts, which will be featuring local champions and accessible spaces and tips. 
  • The hashtag #NAAWeek2026 will be used to promote the week and encourage community engagement.
  • Emily raises a concern about the inclusion of assisted living facilities in the outreach; the clerk promises to reach out to them.
  • Tony Pietrangelo suggests reaching out to grade schools, emphasizing the importance of involving students in accessibility initiatives.

Unfinished Business

  • Tony Pietrangelo requests an update on the committee’s finances, including the status of the reserve fund.
  • The clerk explains that the reserve fund is built up annually with a base contribution of $55,000, with additional funds from specific projects.
  • The committee discusses the need for regular financial updates and the importance of identifying barriers before allocating funds.
  • Emily brings up the issue of a hazardous pylon near the beer store, which the clerk acknowledges and promises to address.

    She brought this up in January; see list of her January concerns below.
  • Emily mentioned she wasn’t at the last meeting, but she was at the previous one and believed something they discussed was meeting up about the blind sign over at Blue Haven and what we were going to do at the crosswalk that they’re trying to implement near blue Haven. She wondered if that was still something that they were going to discuss. The clerk said when her availability is open, they’ll have that call.

She brought this up in January; see list of her January concerns below.

Emily brought up three concerns at the January meeting:

  1. She pointed out the pylon in the middle of the sidewalk near the Beer Store that’s been there for about a year and a half. At that meeting the clerk said we hope to affect the repair as quickly as we possibly can, following that and remove that notification of the hazard as we remove the hazard itself; he can follow up to find out.
  2. She raised concerns about the safety of crossing Front Road near the Blue Haven facility. The clerk advised in January the budget deliberations addressed those concerns in terms of council hearing the concerns of the residents and moving a motion to include the funds necessary to construct the crosswalk in close proximity to Blue Haven.
  3. She raised concern about signage indicating a blind resident lives in the area. The clerk said at that time certainly I can take that and follow that up offline. Generally, those requests, we receive them often in terms of areas where you know there may be needs and then signage is erected to reflect that need. So that’s not a problem. We can follow up on that. Let’s chat after the meeting and we’ll pursue that for you. 

New Business

  • Emily raises concerns about the placement of barriers during Open Air weekends; the clerk agrees to review and address.
  • The committee discusses the importance of ensuring accessibility for all, including the use of sidewalks and proper placement of barriers.
  • Prue emphasizes the need for continuous improvement and community involvement in accessibility initiatives.
  • The meeting concludes with a motion to adjourn, which is seconded and approved.

The committee would receive emails. I requested copies of those emails but have not received a response. I have repeatedly requested that documents be attached to agendas to create efficiencies.

Meeting adjourned.

RECAP Accessibility Committee Meeting February 26, 2026

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My defamation lawsuit against the town clerk and town of Amherstburg followed my January 2022 critique of the draft multi-year accessibility plan.

Some of my answers to the multi-year accessibility plan survey questions that I completed in January 2026 are missing from the documents and verbal report on the survey findings.

Memorable Meanderings:

Shirley Prue said she’s intrigued about the federal standards; “took only 20 years but there you go.”

(As I keep pointing out, Mayor Prue stood up in the provincial legislature just over 20 years ago to vote in favour of the AODA. In 2025, he said this town has not been compliant). 

Tony Pietrangelo asked, “where are the definitions as to what a public space is and a private space is? Where is that definition? Is there a standard that’s put out by the Government of Ontario?”

(The Design of Public Spaces Standards under the AODA were enacted on January 1, 2013). 

Centennial Park redevelopment

Council already approved option 1 at its February 23 meeting so Heidi Baillargeon presented a recap on zoom:

  • consultations with the tennis club, sports organizations, and North Star High School. (no mention of mandatory consultation with people with disabilities).
  • two dedicated tennis courts and two basketball courts, with one set of tennis courts fully fenced and the other non-fenced.
  • A multi-use trail, accessible parking spaces, and tree planting are also part of the design, with a focus on maintaining Russell Renaud Hill.
  • The design includes rest stations every 100 meters, with some as close as 50 meters apart, and connections to accessible parking spots near the tennis and basketball courts.

Baillargeon mentioned the intention is to start the build in the winter for a spring completion.

Tony Pietrangelo gave Baillargeon his blessings and asked if the parking lot would be paved. Baillargeon explained only the accessible parking spaces would be paved – the rest will remain gravel.

(So, a million dollars for courts and yet another walking trail but people with disabilities will still encounter barriers trying to navigate through a parking lot. Priorities).

Pietrangelo asked what was budgeted for the project. Councillor Donald McArthur said it was just over a million.

Chris Drew said, I think you guys did a fantastic job. He mentioned some criticism about the trail system, but he thought the people in the area need that. He said a lot of them don’t have any way to get out to the Libro and they don’t have a way to get to the green away trails. 

(The criticism I saw was related to the fact that over a million dollars is being spent on another amenity like a walking trail while infrastructure is crumbling, there are sidewalks to walk on, and sidewalks and roads are in desperate need of repair).

Baillargeon provided more details. The trail length is around 800 meters in total, 2.4 metres wide. Bench station spacing is an average maximum of 100 but the average spacing in this design here is around 75. We have 10 benches in total around the trail, with a cross slope is 2% on the trail. So that’s 2.5 inches in 10 feet. The parking spaces: four type A parking spaces 3.4 metres wide for a van, ten Type B parking spaces 2.4 metres wide for a car with a 1.5 metre wide shared aisle between the spaces.

Prue said we always think about, how do we get onto the trail if we’re in a chair.

(Maybe Prue should spend more time thinking about all the barriers in town that prevent people with disabilities from equally participating. Mayor Prue, her husband, did say in 2025 this town has not been compliant. That’s right – the town failed to meet the January 1, 2025 AODA deadline).

Accessible On-Street Parking Space

Prue said okay, 7.2 accessible on street parking space. What’s that one about?

(The agenda description is an aerial of Briar Ridge. The committee discussed this at the January 22 meeting: create an accessible on-street parking space at Briar Ridge Park, for approximately $500 for paint and signage and conduct public consultations for on street parking. This was to be one of the highlighted projects during National AccessAbility Week).

The committee was advised that the traffic by-law would need to be amended to have parking only on one side.

There seemed to be some confusion about where people would park and if they would be exiting their vehicle onto grass.

Multi-Year Accessibility Draft Plan and Survey Results

Prue said, okay, moving on to 7.3, which is the multi-year Accessibility Plan, draft. What you got?

(Just like her husband, she hands items over to staff. The meetings are for members to discuss items; staff should only be called on for clarification).

Admin said at a high level, the survey was successful in promoting some discourse in the community. 

(I wonder how success was measured. I saw percentages, one document with pie charts and another document with bar graphs. It was later revealed that 17 people participated. Given the approximate 6400 Amherstburg residents with disabilities, that’s a poor result in my opinion).

Admin continued – if results indicate there’s some dissatisfaction there may be further need to refine and focus on those areas to understand what those concerns are. 

(There was plenty of time to refine questions because the multi-year plan wasn’t due until December 2026).

Admin said responses were received from a variety of individuals, including people with disabilities and caregivers, although no breakdown was given.

(There should’ve been a breakdown given because the question was, ‘Do you wish to identify as… a person with a disability. The percentages indicate eight people identified as a person with a disability).

Admin then reviewed the survey questions and answers. 

(Not all the answers; I noticed some of mine were missing).

Do the Town parks, including multi-use paths and trails, playground structures, and other amenities, meet your accessibility needs?

Admin said generally, they seem to be meeting the need for a vast majority of the respondents (11 people) but 25% (4 people) said no. 

Admin said now that they know, they can use that to guide some of the focus of further inquiry on the plan. 

(The questions should’ve been more comprehensive now. Again, there was plenty of time to refine questions because the multi-year plan wasn’t due until December 2026).

Have you encountered barriers at any Town parks, trails, or amenities?

38% (7 people) said yes.

One survey document does not list the barriers.

Another survey document lists top barriers:  

  • Parking
  • Pathways
  • Rest areas

Admin echoed the barriers that were identified were parking, pathways and rest areas. And, since the committee just discussed those items in Centennial Park, the conclusion was, ‘it seems like the committee is focused on the right things in that regard. And what we’re hearing from the respondent survey is that that’s where the attention should lie.’ 

(Should the focus really be based on seven responses?).

Does town recreation programming meet your accessible needs?

Once again, admin said that’s where more refined questions around what sort of programming is missing out. Admin mentioned sledge hockey and the Miracle League.

Do the town sidewalks meet your accessibility needs?

About 24% (4 people) said no. Reasons: the age and design of the infrastructure or maintenance standards. 

Do the transportation options available in Town meet your accessibility needs?

The question about what would enhance the accessibility of transportation options within the Town wasn’t reported on or included in the reports. Again, admin mentioned further future questions to find out more.

A couple of questions about customer service: 12% (2 people) used the accessible customer service kiosk in the past year; of those that use them, 100% (2 people) said that they did meet their accessible needs. Admin said that’s a significant finding, it indicates that the kiosks are currently meeting the need. 

(The kiosks are currently meeting the need of two people; that’s not a significant finding or indication that it’s accessible to the disability community).

How do you access information shared by the Town?

76% (13 people) use the town website, 76% (13 people) use the town social media, and 53% (9 people) word of mouth. 

Pietrangelo asked how many people took the survey.

Admin said 130 people interacted with the talk the burg site, 61 accessed the areas that have the survey, only 17 of them completed the survey.

Pietrangelo emphasized the difference between percentages and real numbers. He wondered why they don’t get more people participating, especially under 18 years old. 

Admin said if a barrier affects one person, they have that same standard to meet it. 

(But the number one complaint in the residents’ OpenAir survey is accessibility and nno meaningful action was taken).

Pietrangelo asked who designed the questions and was told the communications team.

Drew said one thing that bothers him is these open houses are made available, surveys are made available, and people sit at home and don’t bother to do anything, but then they come out of the woodwork later with all kinds of stuff, like the Centennial Park. People are coming out saying, oh, they should be putting a swimming pool in, they should be doing putting a splash pad in, they should be doing this, they should be doing that; they don’t need the walking trails and stuff like that. Where were they when we had these open houses and the surveys for them?

(Drew also complained on my facebook page, saying most people are too lazy or don’t care).

Instead of blaming or shaming, the committee should’ve reviewed where the survey was advertised, how many times, and asked if there were any barriers to participation. I did point out to admin that if surveys can be emailed out, they should be able to email them back instead of having to take them in person to the town hall).

Prue asked if there were any other questions. 

(It would be so refreshing to have decorum at meetings).

Projects and Initiatives in the Accessibility Plan

  • Admin outlined the projects and initiatives in the multi-year accessibility plan, drawn from existing documents: the town’s seven-year capital projects, transportation master plan, and parks master plan.
  • The plan will be open for public feedback and will be revised based on the committee’s input and the survey results.

Admin mentioned the federal standards. Prue said she’s intrigued; took only 20 years but there you go.

(As I keep pointing out, Mayor Prue stood up in the provincial legislature 20 years ago to vote in favour of the AODA. In 2025, he said this town has not been compliant). 

Unfinished Business and New Business

  • Admin provided updates on unfinished business, including the funding for accessible parking spaces at the Libro and Briar Ridge.
  • The committee discussed the donation of a temporary accessible ramp to the Co-An Park Board for use at their stage.
  • The motion to donate the ramp passed, and the committee agreed to review the multi-year accessibility plan and provide feedback at the next meeting.
  • Meeting adjourned.

Inconsistencies: Councillor Allaire – Accountability

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Accountability seemed to be the basis for Councillor Allaire’s motion to seek a draft policy requiring a report following attendance at conferences, conventions, or similar events during the February 9 meeting.

Why now?

Accountability always gets mentioned during an election campaign.

Allaire has already declared she will run again as a candidate in the upcoming election to be held October 26.

Any member could’ve voluntarily given a written or verbal report any time during the last three years and two months.

Any member could’ve posted a report on social media, a tool used extensively by some.

Council’s first Accountability and Transparency policy was passed on November 25, 2019, as mandated by the province.

The policy was updated and presented in an annual report to council on December 16, 2024 – two years into this council’s term.

Councillor Allaire was the first to move the policy BE AMENDED in accordance with the November 26 report titled Annual Policy Report 2024.

The report noted, “there were no alterations to the policy’s core content.”

“Council and Staff are committed to practicing open and proactive communications and involving the community, business sector, developers, public partners and other in the ongoing work of the Town,” states section 6.8 of the policy.

I attempted to hold Allaire accountable for her April 14, 2025 statements about the library.

I asked her if she would explain how this library is not accessible; if this was just her opinion, or if she obtaIned an expert opinion; if she could cite an authority for her statement or a basis, and who is the ‘we?’

I followed up several times, but Allaire did not respond.

During the April 29 council meeting, Allaire asked for a bit more transparency.

Allaire mentioned more transparency again at the May 12 meeting, “which is what I would love,” she said.

In June, I emailed her some of her statements about transparency at meetings: “I’m genuinely asking for a bit more transparency in adding it to our social media” and “I feel that the transparency was limited recently, and I think that that’s what the public really wants” and “I actually appreciate the fact that it keeps some sort of transparency.”

A policy requiring reporting back after conferences might be just another document that gives the appearance of accountability.

People will continue to wonder if a commitment to accountability and transparency is credible until accountability measures are consistently utilized.

Put Away Your Shovels

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Since 2017, the town of Amherstburg is responsible for clearing and salting all 58 km of municipal sidewalks and trails.

There was some confusion and/or misinformation about sidewalk snow removal in response to my Slushy Sidewalk Barriers post and Facebook post about another dangerous icy sidewalk.

Image description: ice and snow covered municipal sidewalk posing a barrier to people with disabilities.

The town’s website states: Snow Removal on Sidewalks – “At the December 11, 2017 Council meeting Council approved a Town wide sidewalk snow removal program. By-law 2005-04 regulating residents performing sidewalk snow removal WAS REPEALED by Town Council and no longer in effect.”

 “Please be aware that all municipal sidewalks will now be cleared of snow and ice by Town Staff.” – Town of Amherstburg

The town site lists  519-736-3664 as the Infrastructure Services Department number to call for a problem between 8 am and 4 pm.

The emergency after hours number is 519-561-6365.

The Supreme Court of Canada, in Nelson (City) v. Marchi, 2021 SCC 41, ruled municipalities can be held liable for injuries caused by its snow clearing decision.

Ms. Marchi was injured when she crossed a snowbank to access a municipal sidewalk.

The judges said the city owed her a “duty of care.”

Slushy Sidewalk Barriers

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Sidewalks that have not been cleared thoroughly pose dangerous barriers to people with disabilities, as I discovered last Friday during a trip to the downtown post office.

in 2025 Prue referenced the AODA and said, ‘this town has not been compliant. And I have promised, as mayor, and the council has promised, that we will hence for, hence forward, going forward, always be AOD compliant. And I want people to know that the those who have disabilities have every right to use every one of the services in this town, the same as everyone else.’ So, we have the right – we just can’t exercise it, right? 

Defamation And Disability Advocacy

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My defamation lawsuit against the town clerk and town of Amherstburg is the result of my disability advocacy four years ago.

In January 2022, I critiqued the draft multi-year accessibility plan council approved in December 2021.

I submitted what I perceived to be deficiencies of the draft plan to council, as I had done for decades.

I conveyed my concerns about the plan, council’s approval of the traditional voting method for 2022 and highlighted some barriers. 

I provided input on the town’s accessibility plans since the Ontarians with Disabilities Act (ODA) 2001 required organizations to create them annually.

The ODA’s purpose was to “improve opportunities for persons with disabilities and to provide for their involvement in the identification, removal and prevention of barriers to their full participation in the life of the province.” 

The ODA mandated plan contents. 

Plans were to include a report on measures taken, measures in place, and the next year’s measures to take to identify, remove and prevent barriers. 

The town was also required to assess, review and list its by-laws, policies, programs, practices and services to identify barriers.

I delegated to council and the accessibility committee; I emailed and wrote letters to the editor to help raise awareness of some barriers.

I had already advocated for ten years for an accessible library, but the town remained silent.

Throughout the decade the town pursued funding for other projects like a marina and arena, despite the provincial government’s grant stipulation that accessibility was the number one priority.

Finally, my human rights complaint against the town was settled and an elevator was installed in the library along with accessible parking spaces.

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

I reiterated some of the barriers that were either not included in the plans or were not removed when they could have been.

For example, an accessible town website was relegated to year 3 of the town’s first accessibility plan, then listed as a priority for 2005, and then 2006.

A 2007 report informed council that the website was compliant with W3C accessibility standards but it wasn’t, according to an external expert. 

In 2009, a newly designed website was unveiled and problems continued. 

In 2011, I mentioned difficulty navigating the website. 

In 2014, Amherstburg was invited to hire esolutions when Essex County redesigned its site to meet accessibility standards; Leamington and Essex had already hired the company, but Amherstburg declined. 

According to the town’s site, esolutions redesigned Amherstburg’s site in 2016, although it still had issues.

Thousands of dollars and redesigns later, in 2020 administration recommended, and council agreed, to request the province to extend the AODA January 1, 2021 website compliance deadline to at least January 1, 2022 due to COVID-19.

Following the January 1, 2022 deadline extension request, the province agreed the town’s work should be completed prior to December 31, 2024. 

The new website redesign and refresh was not to exceed $70,000, excluding HST.

The AODA 2005 now requires organizations to review their multi-year plans every five years but report annually on barrier removal progress.

Although the town’s plan review is due by December 2026, the town posted a 2026 Multi-Year Accessibility survey on January 26, 2026.

The survey introduction states, “The Town’s Multi-Year Accessibility Plan outlines the outcomes and initiatives that reaffirm the Town’s commitment to an accessible community and to building an equitable and inclusive society that values the contributions of people with disabilities.”

I do not feel like my contributions have been valued – my decades of input parallel decades of barriers.

Despite my repetitive requests for a strong commitment to accessibility, the town failed to meet the 2025 AODA compliance deadline.

In fact, Mayor Prue even declared, ‘this town has not been compliant.’

Commentary by Linda Saxon

Happy Election Year!

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We get to exercise our democratic right to vote for candidates we feel will best represent us.

I haven’t felt represented, except for Councillor Pouget who isn’t even on the accessibility committee.

At the start of 2025, Prue referenced the AODA and said, ‘this town has not been compliant. And I have promised, as mayor, and the council has promised, that we will hence for, hence forward, going forward, always be AOD compliant. And I want people to know that the those who have disabilities have every right to use every one of the services in this town, the same as everyone else.’

Parks were touted as accessible but still pose barriers to some children with disabilities.

Councillor Allaire said she would like the library to have a new place ‘that’s accessible’ and our library service is small and ‘not as accessible as we want it to be,’ and ‘its challenges are inaccessibility.’ She has refused to answer questions about her statements.

Council decided to continue the time old tradition of in person voting, which will still create barriers for some disabled residents.

Councillor Crain led the momentum to shut down any further debate about the contentious Open Air, aka Closed Streets, which will continue to pose barriers to some residents with disabilities.

Council took no meaningful action in response to the number one Open Air survey complaint – accessibility.

Council hasn’t reviewed the controversial procedure by-law that reduced opportunities for residents’ participation in the decision making process.

Some residents were allowed to bypass the procedure by-law rules.

The town continued its swim arrangement with Movati, forcing some disabled residents to go to LaSalle if they wanted to swim – but they had to pay.

The town continued to unapologetically approve inaccessible businesses.

The town applied for, and received, a grant to promote the Aphasia Friendly initiative where some businesses might become Aphasia friendly yet they may remain inaccessible. I reached out to the group a few times but my questions remain unanswered.

The accessibility committee continued with its annual symbolic flag raising ceremony during National AccessAbility Week, requiring minimal effort.

The town hall still has some accessibility issues. Money spent on pickleball, trails and a dog park could’ve been prioritized for accessiblity.

When the first dog park opened Prue was quoted as saying, it ‘reflects our commitment to creating a vibrant and inclusive community for all residents, including our beloved canine companions.’

For as long as barriers exist, and they do, no one should claim we are an inclusive community. It takes strong leadership and a strong commitment to remove the barriers and keep promises.

Amherstburg Gingerbread House: Accessibility Issues

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The Amherstburg Gingerbread House is called a warming house, but it might not be welcoming since it’s not disability inclusive.

Image description: Amherstburg park pavilion building dressed up as a seasonal gingerbread house.

Look! The International wheelchair access symbol sticker is on the door. What makes this accessible? It has a ramp, said the elf. No automatic door, just the second class wait outside for assistance treatment.

The signage might also have accessibility barriers.

Image description: dark brown entrance doors with the international wheelchair access symbol sticker.

Amherstburg is not a disability inclusive community.

Amherstburg library accessibility journey

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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.

Evaluating Amherstburg’s Commitment to Accessibility: A Community Call

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The accessibility committee will discuss a report in favour of in-person voting that council already approved last month, review my 3 year old voting barriers submission to council that was to go to committee before council’s decision (as per council’s motion) and receive a communications plan for next May’s National AccessAbility Week with key messages. I have a few too, in blue below the town’s.

• Accessibility is a shared responsibility—together, residents, businesses, and community partners can help make Amherstburg more inclusive for everyone.

But some residents’ concerns have been dismissed and council took no meaningful action on the number one complaint of accessibility in the residents’ Open Air survey. My repeated requests for consultations with the disability community have also been dismissed. My emails to council members have been disregarded, except for Councillor Pouget and she’s not even an accessibility committee member. Councillor McArthur volunteered to be on the committee and he actively champions trails and Open Air, although I have encouraged him to equally champion accessibility. The town has approved, and welcomed, inaccessible businesses.

• Throughout the week, the Town will showcase local accessibility features in municipal parks, trails, and facilities, and share supports available to persons with disabilities.

The minimally accessible yet not inclusive parks that still exclude some children with disabilities? the trails that need more rest areas? lack shade? lack washrooms? lack drinking fountains? Facilities like the town hall that has accessibility barriers? the Gordon House that is inaccessible? Which supports? The Aphasia Friendly initiative where some businesses might become Aphasia friendly yet remain inaccessible?

• The flag raising ceremony will serve as a symbol of our continued commitment to accessibility, inclusion, and community collaboration.

A flag raising, or symbolic gesture, requires minimal effort. There can be no community collaboration if the disability community is ignored. Continued commitment? Dictionary meaning: existing firm decision. When barriers at Closed Streets are embraced, the least accessible voting method is endorsed, parks are not inclusive, and other barriers continue to exist or are created, the decision is that accessibility is not a priority. I have been requesting a stronger commitment to accessibility for over 3 decades.

Have you heard the term “performative allyship?” It’s used to describe when someone claims to be an ally to a marginalized group, but their actions don’t match their words. Performative allyship can be harmful because it can lead to tokenism, exploitation, and a false sense of progress. Read the full article.

Last but not least, the town used grant funding on this segregated accessible swing at Jack Purdie Park. Shameful.