Tag Archives: Open Air

Councillor McArthur’s Open Air Comments Appalling

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I was appalled by Councillor McArthur’s comments during the February 22 Open Air discussion.

I missed part of the meeting because the agenda and link to livestream were not posted on the town’s website but I did check in and found council was discussing the tourism budget.

McArthur’s speech lasted about 5 minutes; Open Air, programming, hotel, the February 21 delegates/ businesses wanting to give the town $20,000, the reception given to them and he was shocked.

How did anyone act like they were urinating on the rug? Listen to the audio. Weren’t members of council just asking the delegates questions?

During the February 21 meeting, Councillor McArthur said everybody he talked to loves Open Air the way it is. He also said he didn’t think that now was the time for speeches on Open Air, that there was no motion on the floor when Councillor Pouget spoke about it.

I emailed him questions: did he not give a speech about the bike trails when there was no motion on the floor? Did he not recall emails I sent to members of council in opposition because it creates barriers to persons with disabilities? Did he only consider the views of people he ‘talked to’ and not consider emails? As council’s rep on the accessibility advisory committee, how will he represent the interests of the disability community?

Councillor McArthur did not respond by the time of writing.

Council Motion To Review Open Air Options Carried

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During February 22 council meeting of budget deliberations, Councillor Courtney moved a motion to have administration review options. Councillors Courtney, Pouget and Allaire voted in favour; Councillors McArthur, Crain and Deputy Mayor Gibb voted against. Mayor Prue broke the tie vote in favour of the motion.

more to follow.

Thrive Amherstburg Wants Open Air To Continue And More Money Spent On It

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Thrive! Amherstburg will present its white paper on Open Air to council at its Tuesday, October 12 meeting.

The group recommends:

  1.  Continue with Open Air in 2022
  2.  Invest at least an additional $20,500 in new programming in 2022

Some municipalities closed their downtown to support retail operations and specifically did not include entertainment or additional costs to the taxpayers.

Open Air Amherstburg Access Questioned

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This opinion by Linda Saxon was published in the River Town Times, March 31, 2021.

RE: Open Air Weekends Approved March 24, 2021

It was interesting to read about the variety of ideas that might possibly entice visitors or change the purpose of the weekend events.

The article mentioned, “Councillor Marc Renaud said there is a lot of parking a short walk from the downtown core, noting many will walk to and around shopping malls.”

In a report to council, Anne Rota and Nicole Rubli noted what the transportation planners suggest is an acceptable range of walking distance for retail, employee and special event parking.

The figures mirror those in an article originally published in 1994 when the authors discussed conditions that should be taken into account to determine how far people using parking garages should be asked to walk. It was determined that there was a lack of consensus for what is considered maximum walking distance.

The report mentions beliefs, perception and“the travel distance acceptable to an individual is contingent on an individual’s willingness to walk.” Transportation studies mention a willingness to walk in terms of close proximity to transit.

Notably absent was any reference to accessibility guidelines or consultation with residents with disabilities and the Amherstburg Accessibility Advisory Committee which has a mandated duty to advise council about the requirements and implementation of accessibility standards.

A separate report to council regarding accessibility requirements noted, “no consultation with the committee was possible at this time” due to COVID, yet the committee met previously during COVID on zoom, as has council.

Given mandatory training on the human rights code and accessibility legislation, why was there no checklist identifying potential barriers and their removal? If persons with disabilities had been consulted, barriers could have been prevented. For example, placing a group of accessible parking spaces on Dalhousie street is unacceptable, considering the slope on the southwest side.

Administration would also recommend the elimination of the Kings Navy Yard Parklot being a primary accessible parking location. Why? These spots were allegedly under-utilized. The town is obliged to provide a specific number of accessible parking spaces so it should not remove them, unless they cannot be accessed due to road closures.

Other potential barriers should have been identified. How many accessible parking spaces are type A? type B? What is the percentage of accessible seating in the eating areas? Are there any rest areas? How many accessible washrooms are there? Are the pathways unobstructed? Is signage accessible? Is marketing material available in alternate formats?

If there is a parking problem, maybe the problem is with the plan that barricades access to the downtown area.