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.
DI8.1received
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.
DI8.2received
Accessible Parking Review Update
Michael Cude, Project Manager, Transportation Services, City Planning will provide a presentation regarding the potential solution to the request from Councillor Moise's motion MM16.23 - Strengthening bylaw loopholes regarding accessible permits.
The Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee received the item for information.
DI8.3received
2025 - 2029 Disability Inclusion Action Plan - Update and Guiding Principles
Karen Mills, Accessibility Consultant and Nick Rossi, Accessibility Consultant, Accessibility Unit, Equity and Human Rights, People and Equity Division will provide an update on the Disability Inclusion Action Plan and a review of the Guiding Principles. The Accessibility Unit is in the process of reviewing and updating the City's five year Accessibility Plan to identify, remove and prevent barriers that impact City residents, visitors, and employees with disabilities and will provide an overview of work underway.
The Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee received the item for information.
DI8.4deferred
Accessibility Protection Zones Around Construction Projects
Please see the below letter that I am submitting to Toronto Accessibility Access Committee on behalf of Corina McCoy: "My name is Corina McCoy and I have a newly acquired disability and have quickly become aware that construction projects limit my access to the city as well as creating unsafe situations for me as I move throughout it. In trying to figure out what to do to change this situation I came across the Toronto Accessibility Access Committee (TAAC). Therefore, I am writing to you to ask that you request City Staff to create an Accessibility Access Protection Zone Policy. Some further details are below. I have had the chance to watch recordings of some of your meetings and see that TAAC has had several presentations about accessibility in construction zones from City Staffers, however I have noticed the following. 1. There are great Ideas for improved access, but implementation is based on "culture change" and "education of stakeholders". In other words, hope is a strategy that there will be improvements. 2. There are no timeframes, goals, or metrics, KPIs, OKRs or stated desired outcomes. 3. There are no paths to change, processes, guidelines, or implementation plans. And one checklist tool. 4. The change for disability access in Construction Projects is tied to bike access and able bodied pedestrians access. What they have not applied is the notion that "clearing a path for special needs clears the path for everyone ." 5. There is nothing for non-City projects that are Commercial or Residential in nature. Additionally, not seeing much substance in the way of policy and becoming frustrated as I wheeled through an obstructed sidewalk on a much-publicised City of Toronto project I looked to my right and saw some trees in a Tree Protection Zone which is a well known City of Toronto construction related policy that has guidelines, a reporting and investigation method and a penalty if broken. It also applies to government commercial and residential construction projects. That's when it hit me, we should have Accessibility Access Protection Zones in Construction Sites as well. Similar to the trees an Accessibility Access Protection Zone Policy would be real policy with reporting procedures, investigation processes and fines for bad actors. As next steps I contacted the Chair of this Committee's Office and have been communicating with the Director of Policy and Planning and he gave me some good news on June 3rd. The Councillor and/or his team has started to investigate the solution I have proposed to create a new policy for Accessibility Protection Zone. - This will require work from City Council; the process will need to start with an exploratory request. I have asked the Director of Policy if I can be part of the solution and he suggested sending him some notes, but I thought it might be good to also speak with TAAC to see if there's interest in: 1. Putting the request forward to explore creating an Accessibility Access Protection Zone Policy. 2. Providing suggestions on what should be included in the policy. Some of the areas I was thinking of include: - Policy areas: A. unplanned blockages on pathways/sidewalks/road crossings B. planned blockages for sidewalks/pathways/road crossings, sidewalk access for size/terrain, road closures etc…. - Project Timings to be considered; short term (less than 7 days), medium term ( more than 8 days and less than 3 months) and long term (more than 3 months) construction projects. - Types of projects to be considered encompassing residential, commercial and government builds with the same principles but different magnitudes and specifics to each. - Recommendations and regulations for proper implementations, for example proper temporary ramps versus self made ramps by wood or asphalt, or signage in different media to allow for visual and audio directions. (This is where some of the existing city work can be applied.) - Penalties and fines for non-compliance with different variables for residential versus commercial or government. - Reporting mechanisms for when an issue is encountered. There has been some work on this from the presentations I reviewed but not enough or the same as there is for the trees and that ties back into penalties and fines or suspension from contracts the way trees are protected."
The Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee: 1. Deferred the consideration of the item to the next meeting of Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee on October 17, 2024.
DI8.5amended
Overview of the Social Procurement Program and Policy - Accessibility Feedback
The Purchasing and Materials Management Division will present on the City's Social Procurement Program and proposed program and policy improvements for the Committee's feedback in advance of a report to Executive Committee on December 10, 2024.
The Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee recommends that the Executive Committee recommend that: 1. City Council direct that the Chief Procurement Officer to: a. include businesses owned by people with disabilities (PWD) specifically in the mandate of the Social Procurement Program and Policy; b. develop certification and procurement policies that will make it easier for businesses owned by people with disabilities; c. track the number of business owned by people with disabilities participating in the social procurement program; d. track the number of contracts awarded to businesses owned by people with disabilities participating in the Social Procurement Program; and e. investigate and report to the Executive Committee on the feasibility of collecting disaggregated business ownership data for City suppliers, including businesses owned by people with disabilities, to improve tracking and reporting.
DI8.6received
Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee 2025 Meeting Schedule
The Terms of Reference for the Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee state that the Committee will hold up to six meetings per year at the call of the Chair or Vice-Chairs on delegation of the Chair. The Chair has scheduled the following meetings for 2025: Friday February 28, 2025, at 9:30 a.m. Friday May 9, 2025, at 9:30 a.m. Monday, June 23, 2025, at 9:30 a.m. Monday, September 8, 2025, at 9:30 a.m. Friday, October 24, 2025, at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, December 11, 2025, at 9:30 a.m. City Council on July 24 and 25, 2024, approved the 2025 schedule of meetings for City Council and its Committees. The schedule of meetings for Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee has been developed to avoid dates, whenever possible, that conflict with the approved City Council schedule; and to avoid days of cultural or religious significance.
The Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee received the item for information.