To: All ODA Committee London Members

From: Cathy Vincent-Linderoos, ODA Committee Member in the London Area

Date: August 31, 1999

Greetings! Here in London, ODA Committee members embarked over the summer upon the necessary political action to have the City officially reconsider its position concerning the Ontarians with Disabilities Act (ODA). With the assistance of Sandy Levin, Councillor, Ward 1, we will meet with city staff and then, officially present our proposed resolution to the standing committee called CPSC. We propose that London City pass a resolution calling on the Ontario Government to enact the Ontarians with Disabilities Act which fulfills the 11 principles which the ODA Committee has put forward.

Letter-writing was very instrumental in securing these new opportunities as the CPSC previously had accepted the advice of staff - ie. wait until the province reintroduces a consultation process and only participate if and when requested. Our initial goal is to obtain CPSC approval for the resolution (similar to that passed already by St. Catharines, Niagara Falls, and Port Colborne) while keeping the local media spotlight shining brightly on the issues.

The London chapter of the ODA Committee has mailed out a request to our known individual and organizational members asking them to write to the CPSC. Two sample letters and an explanation of our very short timeline are provided in our action kit. We know our letter-writing campaign could be especially powerful if we could reach out to additional friends of the ODA Committee who live here in London. Who and where are they? They may be friends, family members, contacts or colleagues of yours. We would be very appreciative if you could circulate this message and all the information set out below to supportive Londoners today.

If you receive this e-mail and want to get involved, you will find our full London Action Kit set out below and also we hope that it will shortly be posted at www.odacommittee.net. This is our award- winning ODA Committee Web site. As we can all attest, every single letter will help! A full description of upcoming plans and sample letters are all provided.

Letters must reach City Hall before Thursday, Sept. 9th, along with a separate letter to Cathie Best requesting that they be reproduced for the CPSC Sept. 13th meeting adjenda. The media will obtain their own copies of the adjenda in advance, and will, we believe, draw heavily from what we have written in support of passing the ODA resolution. We've alerted the media about the actions we're planning and they promise to be very attentive. Let's give them something to really write about! Go London! Go ODA!

DETAILED PLANS FOR THE LONDON AREA - FIGHTING FOR A STRONG ODA

August 1999: Good News!

Councillor Rob Alder, Chair of London's Community and Protective Services Committee (CPSC) has now arranged that the City of London ODA resolution will be given a second chance. A review of our proposed resolution will happen at 6:15 p.m. on Monday, Sept. 13th, 1999. At that meeting, the ODA Committee delegation, headed by Jean Knight, Ontario March of Dimes, will present the ODA proposal to the CPSC, seeking its approval. Paulette Séguin, who used her trusted scooter in the last municipal election while campaigning for Sandy Levin in Ward 1, is a new member in the ODA Committee delegation. Councillor Levin was instrumental in helping the ODA Committee to get to this stage.

If the CPSC does give their approval, then the matter should go forward to London's City Council for its vote. So far, the cities of St. Catharines, Port Colborne and Niagara Falls have officially endorsed similar resolutions. Here is the list of our elected officials who sit on the London CPSC:

Controller/Deputy Mayor Anne Marie De Cicco
Controller Orlando Zamprogna
Ab Chahbar, Councillor, Ward 1
Rob Alder, Councillor, Ward 2
Gary Williams, Councillor, Ward 5
Ben Veel, Councillor, Ward 6
Mayor Dianne Haskett (may attend and vote as an Ex-Officio member)

Two sample letters (one for individuals, one for organizations) in support of the City's endorsement of the resolution, are attached and can be used as a guideline, or completely individualized, as you see fit.

They should be addressed to CPSC members, in care of Councillor Alder and copied to Cathie Best, CPSC Legislative Assistant, City of London.

Include a separate letter with Ms. Best's copy requesting that your letter be reproduced on the official committee adjenda for Sept. 13th. In this way, the media will not only have their own copies of your letters, but their columns and news stories will, we believe, draw heavily from what you've written.

Time is short - but this can be a very powerful indication of support for the resolution, if lots of letters are received from both individuals and organizations alike. Every single letter that gets sent on this issue and arrives before Sept. 9th, 1999 counts. Your organization's letterhead is extremely important, as is the large print size used here. Letters from individuals - disabled or not - are also very influential.

Let's all support the redoubled efforts of those who are standing up for a strong and effective Ontarians with Disabilities Act (ODA).

The CPSC meeting is open to the public! If you plan to attend, we recommend arriving no later than 6 p.m. City Hall is accessible for people who use mobility devices - but the washrooms are not barrier-free. In case of last-minute changes, which we're not yet anticipating, the Ontario March of Dimes will know. Call 642-3999. Cheers!

A Sample ODA Resolution Letter for Individuals

28 August 1999

CPSC Members
c/o Councillor Rob Alder
City of London
300 Dufferin Ave.
London, ON N6B 1Z2

Dear Councillor Alder and CPSC Members:

I am _____________________ and a supporter of the Ontarians with Disabilities Act (ODA) Committee. As such, I am writing to you concerning the ODA Committee's proposed resolution. It is my wish that the Community and Protective Services Committee vote to approve this resolution at its meeting on Monday, Sept. 13, 1999.

An opportunity for London's City Council to endorse the ODA Committee's resolution will come about once the CPSC gives its majority assent on Sept. 13th. Opportunity is an operative word here. As I expect you know, the ______________ has long been a committed advocate for strong access legislation in our city and province. Last summer, we produced a document in response to the government's ODA discussion paper. This document, still highly relevant today, describes many of the barriers that unnecessarily prevent disabled Ontarians from participating fully in every aspect of life.

Spirit-crushing barriers, too numerous to enumerate here, face people with disabilities in London everyday. When a newly paralyzed child with Hurler's Syndrome cannot return home with her family from hospital because no affordable, wheelchair accessible housing is available in the city, I see a barrier. When a middle- aged woman coping with secondary progressive MS must herself arrange and pay to retrofit the bathroom in an apartment in a seniors' residence so she can live independently, I see a barrier. When blind people go to vote and election officers are less than knowledgeable and helpful, I see barriers. When deaf people cannot be understood at the hospital emergency because there is no sign language interpreter, there are barriers.

I would implore you to consider how you would feel if you were raising a disabled child of your own today. I expect you'd be grateful to live in London with our wealth of health care expertise and our enviable bedrock of volunteer organizations that can help with many of the challenges. You'd be proud to see that the businesses and corporate sectors are no strangers to the boardrooms of our city's not-for-profit mainstays. Like me, I think you'd call your MPP and voice your unequivocal support for a strong and effective Ontarians with Disabilities Act (ODA). Please do not make the assumption that there is fear and loathing for strong access legislation in the hearts and minds of our community leaders. Disability can and does touch us all and none of us find ourselves immune to disability and barriers. There are 1.5 million Ontarians with disabilities.

We know now what needs to change so our disabled children, parents and friends can function optimally in our society today and in the future. The ODA Committee and its friends want to tell the government and I believe that this government wants to hear. Your vote to approve the resolution says: I think the government must hear, because the municipal government cannot begin to do it all, and it is high time to "think outside the box" on this issue. This is the chance to turn the page for Londoners with disabilities, welcome a new dialogue, and show the exemplary vision of which all Londoners can be proud.

Although the ________________ will most certainly embrace the government's widely-anticipated consultation process, I do not believe that waiting for such a process to begin is all that London can offer. I urge the CPSC and the City of London to join the cities of Niagara Falls, Port Colborne and St. Catharines by demonstrating whole-hearted support for a barrier-free society in Ontario and especially for Londoners with disabilities. Please vote for the resolution presented to you on Sept. 13, 1999. Thank you.

Sincerely, Insert your name here

c.c. Cathie Best, Legislative Assistant, Community & Protective Services Committee, City of London

 

Sample ODA Resolution Letter for Organizations to Send

31 August 1999

CPSC Members c/o Councillor Rob Alder
City of London
300 Dufferin Ave.
London, ON N6B 1Z2

Dear Committee Members:

I am the Executive Director/President/a board member of _______________ and a strong supporter of the Ontarians with Disabilities Act (ODA) Committee. As such, I am writing to you concerning the ODA Committee's proposed resolution for the City of London. It is my wish that the Community and Protective Services Committee vote to approve this resolution at your meeting on Monday, Sept. 13, 1999.

The opportunity for London's City Council to endorse the ODA Committee's resolution will come about once the CPSC gives its majority assent on Sept. 13th. Opportunity is an operative word here. As you may know, the ______________ has long been a committed member for strong access legislation in this city/province. Last summer, the ___________ produced a document in response to the government's ODA discussion paper. This document, still highly relevant today, describes many of the systemic barriers that unnecessarily prevent disabled Ontarians from participating fully in every aspect of life.

Although the ________________ will most certainly embrace the government's widely-anticipated consultation process, I do not believe that waiting for such a process to begin is all that London can offer. I urge the CPSC and the City of London to join the cities of Niagara Falls, Port Colborne, and St. Catharines by demonstrating whole-hearted support for a barrier-free society in Ontario and especially for Londoners with disabilities. Please vote for the resolution presented to you on Sept. 13, 1999. Thank you.

Sincerely,

c.c. Cathie Best, Legislative Assistant, Community & Protective Services Committee, City of London