A newly created Burnaby committee has until September 2023 to create a plan to improve accessibility in the city.
The Accessible British Columbia Act, which was approved in June 2021, mandates that all local B.C. governments form a committee to create an accessibility plan and have it available for public comment by that month.
The committee needs to have a majority of members who identify as having a disability or represent organizations that serve people with disabilities, according to Helaine Boyd, executive director of Disability Alliance of BC. Boyd said this requirement is in place “to make sure that whatever improvements and developments happen in regard to accessibility are fully informed by people with disabilities.”
The Accessible British Columbia Act created a framework to help governments “work in partnership with people with disabilities and the broader community to identify, remove, and prevent barriers to the full and equal participation of people with disabilities in B.C.,” Samantha Thompson, administrative officer for the committee, said in an email.
Part 3 of the Act requires local governments form accessibility committees. While the City of Burnaby has had an access subcommittee reporting to city hall's social planning committee since 1988, it has been promoted to a select committee of city council since the act passed, while keeping some of its members.
While the older version of the committee advised on wheelchair accessibility and automatic doors, according to a 2017 report, committee member Rachel Goddyn hopes the city will also focus on staff training to break down attitude barriers to people with any kind of disability. “I think that’s a harder thing to capture,” she said.
The Disability Alliance of BC received $3 million in funding from the B.C. government to help public sector organizations get up to date with the act. Boyd noted that while local governments like Burnaby’s are responsible for complying with the act, citizens have a duty to “hold their public sectors accountable, to be like, ‘Hey, you need to meet this requirement by September 1.’”
Boyd said she doesn’t know if the provincial government will fine local governments who don’t meet the deadline. “But if this is going to be meaningful, intentional, the public also needs to be aware of these requirements and to hold the public sector to account,” she said.
A presentation at the inaugural committee meeting was full of advice for creating the accessibility plan, but urgent concerns were also raised, including about primary care facilities that are not wheelchair accessible and crosswalks with audible signs turned down low.
Goddyn said the city is committed to improving accessibility.
“The members of the committee aren’t paid, so they’re not going to volunteer if they don’t think that there isn’t a responsiveness and interest on the part of the city to do what’s possible to improve things,” she said.
Burnaby residents can contact the access advisory committee by emailing [email protected].
