Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee
The full agenda, as filed
All 8 items in the clerk’s order. Each carries the city’s own words: the staff recommendation, what the body decided, and its status. Nothing below is written by us.
DI1.1received
Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam, Chair, Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee will give a presentation to the Committee on recent initiatives and updates.
The Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee received the item for information.
DI1.2received
Mandate of the Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee and Meeting Processes and Procedures
Max Greenwald, Senior Corporate Management Policy Consultant, City Manager's Office and Carol Kaustinen, Committee Administrator, City Clerk's Office, will provide an overview of the mandate of the Committee and meeting processes and procedures.
The Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee received the item for information.
DI1.3amended
The two Vice Chairs of the Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee are elected by the Members of the Committee for a term of office ending on November 14, 2022, and until successors are appointed. All members are eligible for election.
The Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee: 1. Elected Stefanie Marinich-Lee and Glen Hart as Vice Chairs of the Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee for a term of office ending on November 14, 2022, and until successors are appointed.
DI1.4received
Accessibility Feedback on Vehicle-for-Hire Accessibility Strategy
Fiona Chapman, Director of Business Licensing and Regulatory Services, Municipal Licensing and Standards will give a presentation on the Accessibility Strategy component of the Vehicle-for-Hire Bylaw Review.
The Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee received the item for information.
DI1.5amended
Accessibility Review - On-street Bikeway Design Guidelines
Jason Neudorf, Project Manager, WSP Consulting will provide an overview of the draft content in the On-street Bikeway Design Guidelines with a review of the accessible design of cycling facilities. The practitioners Guide will support the design and delivery of projects included in the Cycling Network Plan and is intended to lead to better design outcomes, consistency in design and more efficiency in cycling facility selection and design implementation.
The Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee recommends that: 1. The Infrastructure and Environment Committee direct the General Manager, Transportation Services to consider the communications received on item DI1.5, and establish a special consultation session of accessibility and pedestrian advocates to further understand technical concerns and have it further guided by the Toronto Complete Street Guidelines before finalizing the report on the On-street Bikeway Design Guide.
DI1.6received
Accessibility Review - Toronto Vision Zero 2.0 Road Safety Plan Update
Sheyda Saneinejad, Senior Project Manager, Public Realm Section, Transportation Services will give a presentation on Toronto Vision Zero 2.0 Road Safety Plan Update, in order to receive feedback from the Committee on accessibility related to the Road Safety Plan.
The Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee received the item for information.
DI1.7deferred
Accessibility Feedback on Preparing the City of Toronto for Automated Vehicles
Ryan Lanyon, Manager, Transportation Policy and Innovation, and Chair, Interdivisional Working Group on Automated Vehicles will give a presentation on Preparing the City of Toronto for Automated Vehicles, in order to hear feedback from the Committee. The presentation will include an update on the progress of the Automated Vehicles Tactical Plan.
The Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee deferred consideration of the item until its June 4, 2019 meeting.
DI1.8adopted
Improving Representation of Persons with Disabilities on City Boards, Committees, and Tribunals
On February 11, 2019, the People Equity and Human Rights Division (PEHR) and the City Clerk's Office held an information session to provide information to the persons with disabilities community on the requirements and recruiting processes for appointments to public boards, committees, and tribunals. Participant feedback during the information session indicated that there are citizen concerns regarding the diversity of appointments to City boards, committees and tribunals, with particular regard to the lack of representation of persons with disabilities. Participants also discussed the potential unconscious bias on the part of the selection committee, as well as qualification requirements that exclude capable applicants. It is important to acknowledge that the City Clerk's Office has been making significant strides towards improving diverse recruitment, particularly with regard to gender. Unfortunately, efforts toward greater inclusion do not always translate through the selection process. For example, Public Appointment statistics show that 10.5% of applicants were persons with disabilities. However, only 7.7% were appointed. These numbers are current as of January 31, 2019, and are available on the Public Appointments website. The City of Toronto promotes itself as "home to a diverse population." This diversity should be reflected in our public appointments, to ensure that City boards, committees and tribunals are truly representative of the resident population.
The Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee recommends that: 1. The Executive Committee direct the City Clerk, in consultation with the Executive Director, People, Equity and Human Rights and key community stakeholders, to report back to the Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee, on September 26, 2019, with a strategy to strengthen the recruitment and civic appointment selection process for public appointments to City boards, committees and tribunals, with the goal of increasing representation of persons with disabilities, and striving toward equitable representation by the year 2025.
Staff recommendation as filed
Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam recommends that: 1. The Executive Committee direct the City Clerk, in consultation with the Executive Director, People, Equity and Human Rights and key community stakeholders, to report back to the Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee, on September 26, 2019, with a strategy to strengthen the recruitment and civic appointment selection process for public appointments to City boards, committees and tribunals, with the goal of increasing representation of persons with disabilities, and striving toward equitable representation by the year 2025.