ODA Committee Update
dated May 24, 2003

ONTARIANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT COMMITTEE UPDATE TORONTO STAR PUBLISHES GUEST COLUMN ON 8 YEAR ANNIVERSARY OF CONSERVATIVES' ODA PLEDGE & ODA ISSUE IN UPCOMING ONTARIO ELECTION May 27, 2003 SUMMARY The Toronto Star today published a guest column by ODA Committee chair David Lepofsky which marks the 8th anniversary of the Conservatives' promise to enact the ODA. The column explains the ODA's importance to persons with disabilities, the platforms of the parties in the upcoming election on the ODA, and the importance of this issue in the upcoming provincial election. See the column below. Circulate this column to others. Use it to educate your family and friends on this important issue. Send us your feedback at: oda@odacommittee.net *****   Toronto Star Editorial, Tuesday, May 27, 2003, p. A26 Disabled Ontarians kept waiting Conservatives promised a strong accessibility bill, but have still not come through with enough David Lepofsky Eight years ago this week, Ontario's Progressive Conservatives, then in opposition, pledged to pass new legislation to tear down barriers impeding Ontarians with disabilities from competitive jobs, goods and services. We are still waiting, as the province heads into its third election since that promise was made. People with disabilities face many barriers when trying to participate in Ontario life. A single step in a store doorway prevents shoppers in wheelchairs from spending money there. Such things are easily fixed. Blind students needing Braille schoolbooks face recurring hassles and delays despite inexpensive technology for providing this format. Deaf people have had difficulties getting sign language interpreters in hospitals to communicate with doctors, despite a six-year-old court decision requiring this. After provincial cuts, using Wheeltrans accessible public transit is more difficult for seniors and others. A comprehensive Ontarians with Disabilities Act would require these and other barriers to be removed over reasonable timelines. A bill by this name passed by the Tories does not provide enough support for Ontarians with disabilities. A comprehensive act would accommodate disability and business needs, making businesses more profitable. Ontarians would not have to fight barriers one by one through individual law suits. Everyone would benefit from a strong disabilities act. Fully 1.9 million Ontarians now have a disability. If you don't have a disability now, you'll likely get one as you age. Society loses if people with disabilities cannot live independently. These barriers hurt business. A strong disabilities act would make Ontario more competitive internationally. Incorporating accessibility costs little or nothing if done in advance. It's not practical to remove all barriers immediately, but many can be removed soon at little cost. Corrective actions that cost more should be given more time to implement. A comprehensive disabilities act would drive down these costs. Establishing new provincial accessibility standards would make it cheaper and easier for those who must act. When voters with disabilities attend all-candidates' debates (if accessible), what is the Tories' record? Ontario has not made substantial progress towards becoming barrier-free over the past eight years. People with disabilities still have huge problems getting access to public and private sector jobs, goods and services. The Tories promised to enact the disabilities act in their first term. They did not. Only after our relentless pressure did they finally pass legislation 17 months ago, well into their second term. While they delayed, they spent billions of tax dollars on capital projects without ensuring that no new barriers were created. The Tories broke their commitment for a strong and effective disabilities act. Their act is weak and largely unenforceable. It doesn't cover the private sector where most barriers exist. Mike Harris promised he'd work together with us to develop this legislation. Yet he and Premier Ernie Eves refused our every request to meet. They promised to proclaim the entire disabilities act in force by the end of 2002. Yet they have deferred (possibly indefinitely) proclamation of the only section that would provide any limited enforcement. They promised under the disabilities act to set much-needed provincial accessibility standards to explain how to become barrier-free. However, no standards have been established, and they won't say when these will be forthcoming. Instead, municipalities are left to reinvent the wheel. The Tories broke their five-year-old pledge to improve the building code disability accessibility requirements, despite revamping other aspects of that legislation. The Tories committed to substantially improve the lives of Ontarians with disabilities. We're still waiting for these improvements. The Tories' weak disabilities act focuses largely on inspiring voluntary improvements in the broad public sector. Efforts have begun in that sector. There is a good, new provincial office to advise them. We are ourselves trying to help. However, progress is slow, limited, and overdue. During the Premier's recent throne speech consultations, many people asked him to strengthen the disabilities act. Yet Eves' throne speech and election platform made no commitment to do this or anything to improve accessibility. Eves promises to again spend billions, without passing enforceable legislation stopping taxpayer dollars from financing new barriers. Where do the other parties stand? The Liberals and NDP vigorously pressed the Tories to pass a strong disabilities act. Without our tenacity outside the Legislature and theirs inside, we'd have gained nothing at all. Both parties made detailed election pledges to pass a strengthened disabilities act within one year. This is the third election in which voters with disabilities will actively raise this issue. Unless you are guaranteed that you'll never get a disability, this issue directly affects you. Think about it when deciding on your vote. David Lepofsky is chair of the Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee, a voluntary coalition advocating for the ODA. Learn more at www.odacommittee.net.

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Last updated June 18, 2003