WHEREAS the Accessibility for Ontarians With Disabilities Act (AODA) is groundbreaking legislation, created to help people with disabilities fully participate in society, bring them to the table in crafting regulations, and build mechanisms to enforce standards;
WHEREAS Rich Donovan, an expert in accessibility issues, was appointed as the Independent Reviewer of the Act in 2022, and in his 2023 legislative review declared a crisis as a necessary catalyst to get Ontario back on track for accessibility;
WHEREAS at least 2.9 million Ontarians currently live with a disability, representing at least 22% of the consumer base and the workforce, but due to barriers, Ontarians with disabilities are too often falling short of their full potential;
WHEREAS the AODA aims to develop, implement and enforce standards related to goods, services, accommodation, employment and buildings before Jan. 1, 2025, and municipalities, as the level of government closest to the people are at the front lines, developing, implementing and enforcing these standards without meaningful guidance on its implementation and/or enforcement by the Province;
WHEREAS people with disabilities and advocates, including Prince Edward County's Accessibility Advisory Committee, note the slow pace of current and previous Ontario governments in implementing the AODA and there are growing concerns there will be no renewed push to keep accessibility issues at the forefront after 2025;
WHEREAS Haldimand County is dedicated and committed to creating a welcoming environment so that all people may have equitable access to programs, goods, services and facilities, but making investments to achieve the AODA standards has been challenging given the lack of consistent and stable funding for municipalities to remove accessibility barriers;
THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED THAT the Haldimand County Council strongly encourages action on the part of the Provincial Government to urgently:
a) create a "Municipal Accessibility Fund" for municipalities to develop, implement and enforce AODA standards related to goods, services, accommodation, employment and buildings. Such a fund could be modeled after the Canada Community-Building Fund or the Ontario Cannabis Legalization Implementation Fund on a per household basis;
b) to commit to working with municipalities to implement the Donovan Review immediate crisis recommendations;
AND FURTHER THAT Haldimand County Council supports Prince Edward County Council's resolution sent to the Minister of Seniors and Accessibility, and that a copy of this resolution be sent to the Premier of Ontario, the Minister of Children, Community, and Social Services, the Minister of Health, the Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing, the Federation of Canadian Municipalities, and the Association of Municipalities of Ontario.