ODA Committee Update
dated Oct. 13, 2004
posted Oct. 13, 2004

ONTARIANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT COMMITTEE UPDATE New Disability Bill Gets Immediate Media Attention October 13, 2004 SUMMARY Yesterday's introduction and first reading of the proposed Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) has gotten immediate coverage on CBC TV, Global TV, TV Ontario and various newspapers. We understand that Cable Pulse 24 may have an item on this tonight somewhere between 9 and 10 p.m. for a few minutes, barring last minute changes. . Below please find articles on this in: * The Globe and Mail October 13, 2004 * The Toronto Star October 13, 2004 * The Ottawa sun October 13, 2004 and * The Toronto Star on-line edition October 12, 2004   Links to online articles at the Source... Ontario proposes new disability law to cover business The Globe and Mail (subscription) By RICHARD MACKIE. The 1.5 million Ontario residents with disabilities took a big step yesterday toward full accessibility in restaurants ... Liberal legislation to mandate equal access for disabled Toronto Star, Canada Tougher standards will ensure Ontario will be barrier free for disabled persons in 20 years, Premier Dalton McGuinty said yesterday before legislation on ... Full disabled access by 2024 Toronto Star, Canada Ontario will become fully accessible for the disabled in 20 years through legislation to phase in new regulations for businesses, Premier Dalton McGuinty said ... Ontario legislation mandates equal access for disabled National Union of Public and General Employees, Canada New standards announced Tuesday by the Liberal government of Premier Dalton McGuinty will be phased in after consultations with business groups and the disabled ... Province Looks To Help Disabled 580 CFRA Radio, Canada The Ontario Government has introduced legislation it says will make the province fully accessible for the disabled within 20 years. ... Bill aims at total access for the disabled Ottawa Citizen, Canada TORONTO -- Ontario is introducing legislation it says will make the province fully accessible for the disabled within 20 years. ... Disability legislation overhaul to phase in new access rules for ... Canoe.ca, Canada By KEITH LESLIE. TORONTO (CP) - Premier Dalton McGuinty pledged Tuesday to make Ontario fully accessible to the disabled within 20 ... Disability legislation overhaul to phase in new access rules for ... Canada East, Canada TORONTO (CP) - Premier Dalton McGuinty pledged Tuesday to make Ontario fully accessible to the disabled within 20 years as his Liberal government introduced ... Send us any media you see, and also send us your feedback at: oda@odacommittee.net For a short 4-page chronology of the 10 year grass roots campaign that brought us to this point, visit: www.odacommittee.net/161.html *****   The Globe and MailWed., October 13, 2004 National News, Wednesday, October 13, 2004, p. A9 Ontario proposes new disability law to cover business Richard Mackie The 1.5 million Ontario residents with disabilities took a big step yesterday toward full accessibility in restaurants, stores, public transit and other services, with the introduction of legislation to force compliance with long-sought standards. An estimated 350,000 public agencies and private businesses will have to meet standards giving access to people who are deaf, blind, in wheelchairs or have mental disabilities. The maximum time for setting the standards and for complying with them is 20 years, with targets to be set at five-year intervals. Twenty years is a long time but not unacceptable to the 12 per cent of Ontarians with disabilities, said David Lepofsky, who has led the fight for standards for 10 years. "This is a very good bill for people with disabilities," said Mr. Lepofsky, a practising lawyer who is blind. He is with the Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee, which helped draft the proposed law. It is to be called the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. "We know that you can't make Ontario barrier-free overnight. This bill sets a time frame, not only for the end result but for making progress along the way. . . . Some barriers can come down overnight. Some are going to take a little longer. And some are going to take a lot longer," he explained. "This bill also doesn't just leave it to people to do whatever they want. It provides standards and gives both people with disabilities and business a chance to sit down at the table to work out those standards." The biggest change, he stressed, is that it will apply to private businesses, whereas existing legislation covers only the public sector. The bill got a positive reception from the Progressive Conservatives. Former citizenship minister Cam Jackson said, "We can only express our appreciation for anything that advances the cause for disabled people in our province." But he questioned who will pay to provide accessibility. Michael Prue of the New Democratic Party was more critical of the details. "There is no intervenor funding. The regulations are not spelled out. And the 2025 date is certainly not acceptable to us or the people [representing those with disabilities] who are working on this bill." Citizenship Minister Marie Bountrogianni introduced the legislation and promised "strong enforcement mechanisms" to back the standards for accessibility and the time frames for meeting them. The time frames will be determined in consultation with representatives of business and of those with disabilities. "This is an issue that touches everyone who has a family with a neurological disorder, every Ontarian with a parent who is losing eyesight, every person with a loved one in a wheelchair," she said. John Walter, senior director with the Canadian Standards Association, said the legislation will impose standards that the CSA has developed for industries that provide customer services to people with disabilities. These standards go beyond ensuring there are ramps in addition to stairs at entrances and providing Braille elevator numbers, he said. "The standards answer questions asked by those in business such as, 'What would I do in my business to make this accessible for persons with disabilities?' " Mr. Walter said. "If you are building a house, for example, you might think to put the closet on the second floor above the closet on the first floor so if somebody goes into that house and needs an elevator, they've already got the shaft built into the house. That's the kind of thing the standard requests you to look at," he said. ***** Toronto Star News, Wednesday, October 13, 2004, p. A04 Liberal legislation to mandate equal access for disabled Richard Brennan Toronto Star; Canadian Press Tougher standards will ensure Ontario will be barrier free for disabled persons in 20 years, Premier Dalton McGuinty said yesterday before legislation on accessibility was introduced at Queen's Park. Despite the long timeline, activists for the disabled community are heralding the legislation as a breakthrough. The new standards forcing construction of such things as wheelchair ramps will be phased in after consultations with businesses and the disabled. Citizenship Minister Marie Bountrogianni, who introduced the legislation, said there will be "tough penalties" - fines of up to $50,000 for an individual and $100,000 for a corporation. There are 1.5 million Ontarians living with disabilities, but McGuinty said that number is expected to double in the next 20 years as baby boomers age. Ontario Human Rights Commission chief Keith Norton has written to 20 restaurant chains asking them to voluntarily do more to help disabled customers use their businesses. The current disabilities act, introduced by the previous Conservative government in 2001 and largely voluntary, "has no teeth," said Bountrogianni. She told reporters after the bill was tabled that the plan is to phase in change, including making 25 per cent of public and private transportation fleets accessible within five years. But she said not to expect all public and private buildings to be made accessible until 2025. "The main difference between the former (disability) act and this act is that there will be mandatory standards ... there will be compliance and there will be fines if not enforced," she said. "We want Ontario to lead in providing accessibility for people with visible and invisible disabilities ... this is a human and economical potential that we cannot afford to overlook," Bountrogianni said. David Lepofsky, chair of the Ontarians With Disabilities Act Committee, praised the bill. "This bill is actually a very good bill (which) includes the key ingredients that we have been looking for ... it will apply to all sectors ... and will have enforcement ... and it sets timelines in which it has to be done." Said the NDP's Peter Kormos (Niagara Centre): "Twenty years is an embarrassment ... it guarantees that at least one more generation of Ontarians with disabilities is going to be denied access," Kormos said. The Ontario Chamber of Commerce welcomed the phase-in approach, saying businesses need time to absorb the costs associated with making their facilities accessible to all. "Basically, every business is going to be impacted by this," said spokesperson Brad Dugard. The Ontario Association of Municipalities also welcomed the inclusion of the private sector in the new legislation, and said most local governments "have already made great strides toward making communities barrier free." *****   Ottawa Sun Wed, October 13, 2004 Grits to open province to disabled By ANTONELLA ARTUSO, Queen's Park Bureau TORONTO -- As simple an act as going to the doctor can be a headache for disabled Ontarians, according to activist David Lepofsky who yesterday welcomed new accessibility legislation introduced by the provincial government. Lepofsky said the legislation will require the public and private sectors to address barriers to almost every facet of everyday life from public transit to shopping, and from education to employment. "Where we face barriers is, regrettably, everywhere," said Lepofsky, who is blind and chairman of the Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee. Premier Dalton McGuinty hailed his own legislation as "landmark," saying that it will lead to a completely accessible province within 20 years. CONSULTATIONS Marie Bountrogianni, Minister of Citizenship and Immigration, said the government will consult with all sectors and issue on-going regulations and timelines that will be enforced. A small convenience store may have to provide ramps by a certain deadline, while a large chain could be asked to provide appropriate counter heights and enlarge doors, she said. Improving access to public transit will be a priority. The government will give businesses time to build improvements into their regular capital investments, she said. NDP MPP Peter Kormos said that without government funding to back it up, the legislation is nothing more than a public relations exercise. He said small businesses, non-profit groups, churches and even municipalities will have difficulty making changes without financial support. Kormos also questioned why the Grits would set a 20-year timeline. "Twenty years is way too long -- that guarantees that at least one more generation of Ontarians with disabilities are going to be denied access," he said. "And that is simply not acceptable." *****   Toronto Star Website Tuesday, October 12, 2004 SEAN WHITE/TORONTO STAR Full disabled access by 2024 Current legislation 'has no teeth,' Liberals say FROM CANADIAN PRESS Premier Dalton McGuinty pledged today to make Ontario fully accessible to the disabled within 20 years as his Liberal government introduced legislation to phase in new accessibility regulations for businesses. Better access for the disabled is "good for our businesses and it's good for our economy," McGuinty said as he introduced a new Ontarians with Disabilities Act as the first piece of legislation of the fall session. "Ontarians with disabilities have roughly $10 billion in annual consumer spending power. That's a lot of spending to benefit Ontario businesses." The legislation calls for separate consultations with large and small businesses, the manufacturing and retail sectors as well as the disabled to better determine what standards would be required and when they would be introduced. "Before we can declare Ontario fully accessible, it will take 20 years," McGuinty said. "I think we can move forward in many areas long before that." McGuinty claimed the 20-year deadline is actually "more ambitious" than the goals of other countries considered world leaders in access, noting Australia set a goal of 30 years and the United States 25 years for their new standards. "It is gradual, but inexorable, and we'll determine which are those that we are going to do within the first five years," he said. There are 1.5 million Ontarians living with disabilities, but McGuinty said that number is expected to double in the next 20 years as the baby boomers age and become more frail. The current disabilities act, introduced by the previous Conservative government in 2001, "has no teeth," said Citizenship Minister Marie Bountrogianni, who is responsible for the new bill. "It is weak." Bountrogianni said the new act would include tougher standards and better enforcement to make sure businesses become more accessible for the disabled. "Our proposed legislation calls for standards and timelines to be developed jointly by the private sector, the public sector and the disability community," she said. But critics had little positive to say about the legislation. "In reality it's very, very vague," complained Conservative critic Garfield Dunlop. "(McGuinty is) trying to get a very positive story out of what is probably going to be the beginning of a very, very negative session for this government." The New Democrats called the new legislation a public-relations exercise and say the only thing the government is doing is holding more public consultations. "Twenty years is an embarrassment," said NDP house leader Peter Kormos. "It guarantees that at least one more generation of Ontarians with disabilities are going to be denied access." The Ontario Chamber of Commerce welcomed the phase-in approach, saying businesses need time to absorb the costs associated with making their facilities accessible to all. "Basically, every business is going to be impacted by this," said chamber spokesman Brad Dugard. "The best solution for businesses is to continue to work with the government to minimize those impacts, and at the same time make the changes that we need."

 

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