THE REGIONAL MUNICIPALITY OF PEEL

ACCESSIBILITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE

MINUTES

AAC-3/2021
-
Council Chamber, 5th Floor
Regional Administrative Headquarters
10 Peel Centre Drive, Suite A
Brampton, Ontario
Members Present:
  • C. Belleth
  • C. Chafe
  • R. Chopra
  • P. Crawford-Dickinson
  • M. Daniel
  • P. Fortini
  • A. Groves
  • N. Husain
  • N. Iannicca
  • A. Karim
  • M. Mahoney
  • I. Sinclair
  • M. Tymkow
Members Absent:
  • A. Misar
Staff Present
  • S. Baird, Commissioner of Service Excellence and Innovation
  • G. Kent, Chief Financial Officer and Commissioner of Corporate Services
  • K. Lockyer, Regional Clerk and Director of Administration
  • J. Sheehy, Commissioner of Human Services
  • A. Adams, Deputy Clerk and Manager of Access to Information and Privacy
  • C. Thomson, Deputy Clerk and Manager of Legislative Services
  • R. Khan, Committee Clerk
  • S. Valleau, Legislative Specialist
  • S. MacGregor, Legislative Technical Coordinator
  • J. Jackson, Director, Office of Culture and Inclusion

Raj Chopra, Committee Chair, called the Region of Peel Accessibility Advisory Committee meeting to order on November 18, 2021, at 1:35 p.m., in the Council Chambers, Regional Administrative Headquarters, 10 Peel Centre Drive. Members of the Committee and staff participated electronically.

  • RECOMMENDATION AAC-7-2021:

    That the agenda for the November 18, 2021 Region of Peel Accessibility Advisory Committee meeting, be approved.

Nil.

Presentation by Julia Márquez, Architectural Technologist and Tiffany Tosheff, Associate Manager of Architecture, IBI Group

  • Received
  • RECOMMENDATION AAC-8-2021:

    That the site plan for the Rapid Housing Initiative - Affordable Housing Project identified in the report of the Commissioner of Human Services, listed on the November 18, 2021 Region of Peel Accessibility Advisory Committee agenda titled “Affordable Housing Project – Rapid Housing Initiative 5 Rutherford Road South, Brampton, Ward 3 – Accessibility Features”, be approved.

Julia Márquez, Architectural Technologist, and Tiffany Tosheff, Associate Manager of Architecture, IBI Group, provided an overview of the site plan for 5 Rutherford Road South, Brampton, Ward 3. The presentation highlighted the various accessibility features incorporated into the project.

Members of the Committee commended staff for the various accessibility considerations incorporated into the project and made the following suggestions: include a relief area for service animals, install power-operated garbage chutes, incorporate placement of garbage cans in washroom floor plan, coat hooks should be placed at various levels, use barrier-free hand dryers, use lever-type interior door handles, consider handles in kitchen cupboards, use high contrast colour for accessible signage and tactile indicators, avoid monochrome colours in hallways, and consider increasing the number of accessible parking spaces.

Presentation by Shauna Marshall, Manager, Marketing and Digital Communications and Michail Karteros, Supervisor, Digital Marketing
(For information)

  • Received
  • RECOMMENDATION AAC-9-2021:

    That staff be directed to report back to a future meeting of the Region of Peel Accessibility Advisory Committee to provide an update on the website compliance work underway.

     

Shauna Marshall, Manager, Marketing and Digital Communications, and Michail Karteros, Supervisor, Digital Marketing, provided an update of the initiatives underway to ensure the Region of Peel website meets compliance requirements. The ongoing response to the pandemic and reallocation of resources has delayed compliance work, however, the Region of Peel’s  journey to digital accessibility is continuous.

In response to Committee member questions regarding accessible keyboard functions, Region of Peel website pop-up windows, and SharePoint online accessibility, Michail Karteros noted that the headings and links on the Region of Peel website are designed to be as descriptive as possible, the use of pop-up windows is avoided, and that staff will take into consideration screen reader capabilities of Sharepoint. A suggestion was also made for the use of camel-style hashtags on the Region of Peel social media accounts.

Committee Chair Chopra commented on the complexity of digital design and accessibility and commended staff for their ongoing efforts. She requested that staff report back to a future meeting to provide a progress update.

(Oral)
Presentation by Mark Castro, Director, TransHelp

  • Received

Mark Castro, Director, TransHelp, provided an overview of TransHelp’s 40th Anniversary celebration and highlighted the evolution of the program. He provided an update on the COVID-19 response and current state of TransHelp including: staff redeployment during the pandemic, trips to support COVID-19 vaccinations; reduction in total trips; and, health and safety measures. The Director stated that future key priorities include: recovery and rebuilding post pandemic; reviewing and updating the Accessible Transportation Master Plan; and, the electronic bus pilot.

(For information)

  • Received
  • RECOMMENDATION AAC-10-2021:

    That staff be directed to report back to the next meeting of the Region of Peel Accessibility Advisory Committee with a proposed strategy to improve the site plan review process.

     

     

Veronica Montesdeoca, Accessibility Planning Specialist, provided an update on the work of the Accessibility Planning Program to date. A lot of time and effort was focused in preparing for the Provincial Compliance Report to be filed by the end of the year. The upcoming 2021 International Day of Persons with Disabilities (IDPD) will be commemorated through a lunch and learn for staff with the theme of “I am More than My Disability”.

Committee members raised concerns that the Committee meetings did not present ample time for a thorough review of site plans and requested that staff explore the site plan review process, including the possibility of reinstating the Site Plan Review Subcommittee or establishing a working group to carry out this function.

E-mail dated November 15, 2021, Regarding Challenges Faced by Ontarians Living with Disabilities (Receipt recommended)

  • Received

(Oral)
Update Regarding Health Standards and Public Consultations

Committee Chair Chopra provided an update on the development of the proposed Health Care Accessibility Standards. She noted that public consultations on the proposed standards have concluded and that the committee has been reactivated. All comments received will be reviewed by March 2022, before submission of a final report to the Minister for Seniors and Accessibility.

Thursday, February 17, 2022
1:30 p.m. – 3:30 p.m.
Council Chamber, 5th Floor
Regional Administrative Headquarters
10 Peel Centre Drive, Suite A
Brampton, Ontario

Please forward regrets to Rusha Khan, Committee Clerk, at [email protected].

The meeting adjourned at 3:35 p.m.