Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee
The full agenda, as filed
All 6 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.
DI6.1received
Councillor Jamaal Myers, Chair, Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee will give an update to the Committee on recent initiatives and updates.
The Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee received the item for information.
DI6.2received
Major Snow Event Response Plan
Vince Sferrazza, Director, Operations and Maintenance; and Jennifer Niece, Manager, Strategic Policy and Initiatives, will provide an update on the Major Snow Event Response Plan as a result of the major snow event in January 2022. Staff will present an update on past engagement, key definitions, the updates that have been made since the January 2022 event, and current ongoing work to address additional improvements to the City's operations. Next steps and reporting timelines will be presented.
The Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee received the item for information.
DI6.3received
Alice Xu, Director, Digital City, ConnectTO will present on the development of Toronto's Expanded Free Public Wi-Fi Strategy. The presentation will include an overview of Wi-Fi today, proposed areas of focus, and the team's approach to public consultation, and an invitation to the Committee to provide feedback early in the process.
The Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee received the item for information.
DI6.4received
2025 - 2029 Multi-Year Accessibility Plan
Deirdre Boyle, Manager, Accessibility Unit and Karen Mills, Accessibility Consultant, Accessibility Unit, Equity and Human Rights, People and Equity Division will provide a presentation on the 2025 - 2029 Multi-Year Accessibility Plan (MYAP). The MYAP is the City's 5-year strategic plan to identify, remove and prevent barriers that impact City residents, visitors, and employees with disabilities. The Accessibility Unit is in the process of updating the strategic plan and will provide an overview on work underway.
The Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee received the item for information.
DI6.5adopted
Accessible Taxis and Cars for Hire Services
On March 27th, we received an information request to provide a presentation by Spinal Cord Injury Ontario (SCIO) on the topic of Accessible Taxis and Vehicle for Hire Services. Upon research conducted by the SCIO community, we have learned that finding a wheelchair accessible Taxi or Vehicle for Hire Service has become increasingly difficult in the Greater Toronto Area (GTA) since the pandemic. People with disabilities are waiting record times to get access to transportation that their fellow residents without disabilities can access in under ten minutes. It is for this reason that we believe Spinal Cord Injury Ontario should have the opportunity to speak at the upcoming Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee. They are a provincial organization that specialize in serving people with spinal cord injuries and other disabilities. As such, they regularly hear the lived experience perspective from across Ontario and are best equipped to bring the needs of the disability community to City Councilors. Stories from SCIO's community have led to recent media stories, where accessible Taxi and Vehicle for Hire Service end users were interviewed on television, highlighting the barriers that are in place. Moreover, people with disabilities have started a change.org petition, bringing attention to this matter that is impacting thousands of lives on a daily basis, leaving them stranded or incurring fees simply for taking accessible vehicles. After consulting with the disability community, there are three recommendations being made to City Council: 1. Every Taxi and Vehicle for Hire must provide equitable on-demand transportation service to people with disabilities. 2. The City of Toronto immediately regulate an equitable industry standard for on-demand Taxi and Vehicle for Hire service for people with disabilities. Industry standard on-demand service is approximately ten minutes from ride request to pick-up. 3. The City of Toronto must ensure that people with disabilities are not incurring additional fees to access Taxi and Vehicle for Hire services that are above and beyond standard fares. We strongly support SCIO's attendance at the upcoming Accessibility Committee Meeting as their input and insights will greatly impact the future of Toronto and whether it is inclusive to the disability community.
The Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee: 1. Invited Spinal Cord Injury Ontario to do a presentation on the topic of Accessible Taxis and Vehicle for Hire Services at Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee's meeting on June 24, 2024.
Staff recommendation as filed
Dana Francoz and Luke Anderson, Members, Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee jointly recommend that the Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee: 1. Invite Spinal Cord Injury Ontario to do a presentation on the topic of Accessible Taxis and Vehicle for Hire Services at Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee's meeting on June 24, 2024.
DI6.6received
Training Session on Meeting Process and Governance
Carlie Turpin, Manager, Boards, Tribunals and Council Advisory Bodies, City Clerk's Office will provide a training session on meeting process and governance.
The Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee received the item for information.