Commentary by Linda Saxon

People have been asking – how did Amherstburg become certified as an ‘Age-Friendly Community?’

I tried to find out.

MPP Anthony Leardi told council he had the pleasure of being at the March 9 council meeting on behalf of Raymond Cho, Minister of Seniors and Accessibility.

“We have a special award to present to the town of Amherstburg tonight. It is an award that does not go to every municipality. In fact, very few municipalities have received this award. Fewer than 15% of the municipalities in Ontario have achieved this recognition. It is a recognition given to municipalities who achieve age friendly communities. And I am pleased to present this to you, mayor and council, on behalf of Minister Raymond Cho the Minister of Seniors and Accessibility, in recognizing Amherstburg’s attainment of the Age Friendly Community award. Congratulations,” said Leardi.

The photo op:

Councillor Linden Crain posted the above photo and mentioned initiatives in his March 10 social media posts.

“Proud to see Amherstburg recognized as an Age-Friendly Community by Ontario’s Minister for Seniors and Accessibility, Raymond Cho. Thank you to MPP Anthony Leardi for his continued support of initiatives that help make our community more welcoming and accessible for seniors,” wrote Crain.

On March 12, I asked council for the “initiatives that help make our community more welcoming and accessible for seniors.”

No answer.

I also shared my opinion; given how some seniors and people with disabilities are disgracefully treated in this community, council should be ashamed, not proud.

On March 13, I left a lengthy comment on the town of Amherstburg’s Facebook page when it shared the above photo.

Good optics, but Amherstburg is not an age-friendly or inclusive community given its historical treatment of some seniors and persons with disabilities. Concerns about some barriers in the community have been ignored. For example, accessibility is the number one concern in the first residents’ survey but council took no meaningful action regarding the feedback. Thanks to a very restrictive procedural by-law, and Crain’s motion, residents are prohibited from delegating regarding Open Air barriers for two years. 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.’ We know we have the right to equal participation but we can’t exercise it. The town continues with an agreement with Movati for swims despite knowing the pool is inaccessible to some residents. The town continues to approve businesses that are inaccessible to some residents despite knowing the AODA customer service standard was enacted in 2008. The town hall still has barriers. Playgrounds are minimally accessible but not inclusive. The senior centre parking lot is a disgrace but money has been prioritized on unnecessary items like walking trails. Some feedback on the multi-year accessibility plan has not been included in reports. When people complained about patio barriers on sidewalks, Prue said if they won’t get out of the way on the sidewalk, they won’t get out of the way. He thought a business case had been made, and he believed that is in the best interest of the town to be a welcoming and friendly place for people to sit out and have a meal in the sun. Clearly, barrier removal is not being prioritized.

No answer.

On March 15, I visited Crain’s Facebook page and asked, “what initiatives?”

I reminded Crain that I asked on Facebook and by email but no one answered. I also reiterated my opinion that Amherstburg is not an inclusive or age friendly community given how some seniors and people with disabilities are treated.

No answer.

I also reached out to the ministry on March 12.

Officially, the honourable Raymond Cho, Minister for Seniors and Accessibility, recognized 69 communities, including Amhersturg, at the Age‑Friendly Communities Recognition Ceremony at the Rural Ontario Municipal Association (ROMA) conference in Toronto on January 18.

“The Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility (MSAA) Age-Friendly Communities (AFC) Recognition Program recognizes municipalities and organizations that create more accessible environments for people of all ages and abilities. This includes safe and accessible public parks and community centres, as well as recreation programming to help local seniors stay active in more walkable communities, with access to transportation and services that make it easier for people to get around,” emailed Wallace Pidgeon, Director of Communications, Office of Minister Raymond Cho.

“MSAA has an evaluation process and criteria that are used to determine which communities receive recognition based on demonstrated progress and initiatives that support age‑friendly, inclusive environments,” stated Pidgeon.

Pidgeon provided two contacts for Amherstburg for more information: Valerie Critchley vcritchley@amherstburg.ca and Councillor Donald McArthur dmcarthur@amherstburg.ca 

I asked both Critchley and McArthur, “what was the criteria and what did the nomination process entail?”

No answer.

I followed up with the Ministry at the end of March, “Can you advise where I would find the specific criteria for the awarding of the certificate, assuming it’s the same for every municipality?”

“All communities are assessed against the same criteria. The criteria for the Age-Friendly Communities is outlined here at: Ontario’s Creating a More Inclusive Ontario Age-Friendly Community Planning Guide for Municipalities and Community Organizations (AFC Guide),” said a ministry spokesperson.

“In AFCs, community leaders and residents work together to ensure that local policies, programs and services are inclusive and support the social and physical environments that enable Ontarians to live safe, active and meaningful lives,” notes the Guide.

Four steps in the 2021 Guide’s Age-Friendly process are:

• Step 1: define local principles
• Step 2: assess need
• Step 3: develop action plan
• Step 4: implement and evaluate

Amherstburg received a $60,000 Inclusive Communities Grant to ‘foster inclusive community involvement‘ in 2020-2021.

The $60,000 was used to hire a consultant to complete a Needs Assessment and Action Plan Report, obtaining direct input from those most affected, seniors 55+, older adults 65+ and persons with disabilities.

The town appointed some members of each of the accessibility and seniors committees to form the new Inclusive Community Advisory Committee on April 27, 2021.

Amherstburg’s needs assessment aligned with the World Health Organization’s (WHO) eight domains of quality community life that overlap and intersect to affect an individual’s personal well-being, their independence and active living.

The 8 Domains:

1. Respect and Social Inclusion
2. Outdoor Spaces and Buildings
3. Transportation
4. Housing
5. Communication and Information
6. Social Participation
7. Civic Participation and Employment
8. Community Support and Health Services

The WHO website contains a detailed explanation and a history of AFCs.

So, what the town of Amherstburg did to become an AFC seems vague.

I know what an AFC is, in theory, but the reality doesn’t seem to fit.

Some of the town’s strengths listed in the report:

These five pages of the report list all identified existing strengths and suggested improvements.

Strengths like sufficient accessible parking, information about transportation services, and valued input from seniors and people with disabilities are noted.

Residents have complained about a lack of parking spaces; information about transportation is pointless if transportation is limited and/or unavailable.

My input as a person with a disability has not been valued. I’ve advocated for a strong commitment to equality without success for decades.

The number one complaint in the first residents’ Open Air survey is accessibility, but council took no meaningful action after learning about the survey results.

The parking lot at the seniors centre has needed repairs and paving for years but it hasn’t been prioritized.

Social media posts about seniors at the centre having to supply their own mop and bucket to clean the building, also used by others, circulated recently.

Seniors Advisory Committee meetings were last held February 8, 2022 when recorded votes were taken for approval of minutes and adjournment with minimal or no substance to discussions.

Perhaps the most convincing evidence of the lack of a commitment to inclusivity is Mayor Prue’s 2023 declaration that in this town we have not brought it (AODA) into force.

“2025 we’re going to have to make everything accessible in this town, that’s the law. I was in the legislature 20 something years ago, and I spoke to this issue when the bill was presented in the legislature, and I scoffed at them. I scoffed at the liberals who were standing up waving this piece of paper around, saying we’re going to be accessible, because it could take 25 years to bring it into force. Well, in this town, we have not brought it into force.”

Listen to the audio.

“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,” said Prue at the start of 2025 – the AODA deadline.

Ontario launched the Age-Friendly Program in 2017 ‘to recognize municipalities and organizations across the province that have made outstanding progress in creating inclusive and accessible communities for people of all ages and abilities,’ states a provincial press release.

Ontario’s first Age-Friendly Community Recognition Awards were given to 40 communities for Being Inclusive and Accessible for Seniors.

“We hope to make this an annual event,” emailed Pidgeon.

Provincial recognition of an age-friendly community will trigger eligibility for pan-Canadian recognition and international endorsement through the World Health Organization.

Related: Comparing Amherstburg To Other Municipalities: Inclusive Communities Grants.