Part 1: Accessibility Planning, National Accessibility Week Preparation, and Inclusive Policy Development - 01/17/2025

The meeting began with confirmation that it was live streamed and recorded. Accessibility supports were clearly prioritized from the start, including ASL interpreters, live captioning, and reminders for speakers to talk slowly. The committee also clarified that speakers should say their names before speaking to support interpretation and accessibility.

The agenda was confirmed without changes, and members were asked to declare any conflicts of interest. One conflict was disclosed related to a later planning item, and the member involved committed to stepping away during that discussion.

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View the entire PEC Council meeting, or continue to speaker comments and councillor votes.

Approval of Previous Minutes and Member Introductions

The committee approved the minutes from the previous meeting with no changes. This was followed by a round of introductions, as several new members had joined the committee. Members shared their backgrounds, personal connections to accessibility, and what motivated them to participate.

Many members spoke about lived experience with disability, advocacy work, construction knowledge, education, social services, law, and community involvement. This helped set a collaborative tone and reinforced that the committee includes both lived experience and professional expertise.

Committee Procedures and Best Practices Presentation

A large portion of the meeting focused on a presentation from the municipal clerk about how advisory committees function. This included an overview of the committee’s legal basis under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, the advisory role of the committee, and how recommendations flow to Council. Members were reminded that the committee does not make final decisions but provides advice and recommendations.

The presentation covered meeting procedures, agenda timelines, motions, voting rules, public participation, and the importance of transparency.

There was also a detailed explanation of conflict of interest rules, the code of conduct, and expectations around respectful behavior, confidentiality, and professionalism. The importance of equity, diversity, and inclusion was emphasized, including the County’s commitment to developing an EDI strategy and delivering training, with this committee expected to pilot that training.

The committee formally received the presentation through a motion.

Annual Accessibility Report to Council

The committee reviewed and approved its annual report to Council, which outlines progress, ongoing barriers, and priorities. A key theme of the report is that accessibility must be built into everything the County does, not treated as an optional add-on when funding becomes available.

The report highlights achievements, ongoing challenges with facilities, development pressures, site plan reviews, and community outreach. It also notes gaps, including delayed equity and inclusion training. The report will be presented to Council at an upcoming meeting.

National Accessibility Week Planning

Planning for National Accessibility Week 2025 was a major discussion item. Staff reviewed what was done in 2024, including social media campaigns, a mayoral proclamation, and collaboration with Community Living.

For 2025, the committee expressed a strong desire to do more. Ideas included public events, partnerships, expanded social media outreach, youth engagement, and educational activities. Members discussed limitations of current municipal social media platforms and explored ways to reach broader audiences, including youth.

The committee agreed to form a small organizing group to work with staff and community partners. A motion was approved to establish this group and move planning forward.

Customer Service Standards and Accessibility Lens

The committee discussed a proposed letter to the province regarding accessible customer service standards, particularly for Deaf, DeafBlind, and hard of hearing residents. Real-world examples were shared to highlight communication barriers in public services, including healthcare settings.

Linked to this was a broader discussion about adopting an accessibility lens across all County decisions. The idea is that accessibility should be considered at the beginning of every policy, project, program, or capital decision, rather than after problems arise.

The committee supported moving forward with this concept and requested a staff report on how an accessibility lens could be implemented across departments.

Planning File Reviews

The committee reviewed two planning files related to Base31 developments. The focus was on site-level accessibility, including sidewalks, transit access, parking, lighting, pathways, and the risks of shared pedestrian and cycling spaces.

The committee emphasized the need for developers to aim higher than minimum standards and to consider accessible housing, parks, and public spaces from the outset. The committee formally endorsed the comments prepared by its planning working group.

Work Plan Updates and Closing

Updates were shared on the status of equity, diversity, and inclusion training, with confirmation that work is underway and that this committee will pilot the training. The work plan was received, and the meeting concluded with reminders about the next meeting date and upcoming elections for chair and vice chair.

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Disclaimer: This article is based on a meeting with an approximate duration of 5:21:22. Due to the length of the meeting, our team was not able to independently review the full recording in its entirety. As a result, we relied on software-generated transcription, automated summarization, and automated recognition of speakers and participants, which may not be entirely accurate. All transcriptions, summaries, and related content are prepared by our team in good faith and on a reasonable best-efforts basis. The content is provided for general informational purposes only and is intended to support public understanding of the topics discussed. While reasonable efforts have been made to present the information accurately, automated processes may result in errors, omissions, or unintended misinterpretations. This article does not constitute an official, certified, or verbatim record of the meeting, and it should not be relied upon as such. Readers are encouraged to consult original source materials, official minutes, or recordings where available for confirmation or clarification. Questions, requests for clarification, or suggested corrections may be submitted to hello@pecconnect.ca for review and consideration.