Month: September 2017

Action Kit for Raising Disability Accessibility Issues in the September 1, 2016 Ontario By-election in Scarborough-Rouge River

August 8, 2016 1. SUMMARY The Ontario Government called a provincial by-election for September 1, 2016 in the Scarborough-Rouge River riding. Let’s use this provincial by-election as a great opportunity to raise disability accessibility issues with all candidates, to get the Government to kick-start stalled efforts at getting Ontario back on schedule for full accessibility … Continue reading Action Kit for Raising Disability Accessibility Issues in the September 1, 2016 Ontario By-election in Scarborough-Rouge River

Tell Us What Accessibility Barriers You Have Faced in Ontario’s Health Care System –We’re Preparing a Brief for the Wynne Government – and – Learn What Happened at the Wynne Government’s “pre-Consultation” on the Promised Health Care Accessibility Standard, and About the Government’s Earlier “Pre-Pre-Consultation on Health Care Barriers that Didn’t Consult Patients with Disabilities

August 4, 2016 SUMMARY We are preparing a brief for the Accessibility Directorate of Ontario on the barriers that people with disabilities face in the health care system. This is part of the Government’s “pre-consultation” on the Health Care Accessibility Standard that the Wynne Government promised 18 months ago to create under the Accessibility for … Continue reading Tell Us What Accessibility Barriers You Have Faced in Ontario’s Health Care System –We’re Preparing a Brief for the Wynne Government – and – Learn What Happened at the Wynne Government’s “pre-Consultation” on the Promised Health Care Accessibility Standard, and About the Government’s Earlier “Pre-Pre-Consultation on Health Care Barriers that Didn’t Consult Patients with Disabilities

AODA Alliance Writes New Ontario Accessibility Minister Tracy MacCharles to List Priority Actions to Get Ontario Back on Schedule to Reach Full Accessibility by 2025, the Deadline that Ontario’s Accessibility Law Imposes

July 12, 2016 SUMMARY On July 10, 2016, the AODA Alliance wrote Ontario’s new Accessibility Minister, Tracy MacCharles. Tracy MacCharles is the fifth minister in the past five years to be assigned lead responsibility for the Government’s implementation and enforcement of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. Our detailed 10-page July 10, 2016 letter, … Continue reading AODA Alliance Writes New Ontario Accessibility Minister Tracy MacCharles to List Priority Actions to Get Ontario Back on Schedule to Reach Full Accessibility by 2025, the Deadline that Ontario’s Accessibility Law Imposes

More Delays on the Road to an Accessible Ontario Health Care System– The Wynne Government Announces Unnecessary “Pre-Consultation on Health Care Accessibility Barriers, Before Appointing the Overdue Standards Development Committee to Consult on Barriers in Ontario’s Health Care System —

July 6, 2016 SUMMARY 1. At a Glance Yesterday the Wynne Government announced an unheard-of “pre-consultation” on what accessibility barriers the promised Health Care Accessibility Standard should address. It is holding a “pre-consultation” on this, before it appoints a mandatory Standards Development Committee to hold a consultation on this same topic. It is doing so … Continue reading More Delays on the Road to an Accessible Ontario Health Care System– The Wynne Government Announces Unnecessary “Pre-Consultation on Health Care Accessibility Barriers, Before Appointing the Overdue Standards Development Committee to Consult on Barriers in Ontario’s Health Care System —

Take a Look at the May and June 2016 Newsletters from Barrier-Free Canada

June 28, 2016 SUMMARY Below we share with you the May and June 2016 newsletters from Barrier-Free Canada. The AODA Alliance is proud to serve as the Ontario affiliate of Barrier-Free Canada. These newsletters show that the Federal Government is moving ahead with enthusiasm on its pledge to enact the Canadians with Disabilities Act after … Continue reading Take a Look at the May and June 2016 Newsletters from Barrier-Free Canada

Toronto Star Reports on Wynne Government Weakening the 2007 Customer Service Accessibility Standard, and on Toronto Transit Commission Delays in Ensuring Accessibility of Public Transit in Canada’s Largest City

June 23, 2016 SUMMARY Two important Toronto Star reports this week illustrate how far Ontario falls short of the Wynne Government’s claim to be a global leader on disability accessibility. These news reports come just eight and a half years before the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act’s mandatory 2025 deadline for the Ontario Government … Continue reading Toronto Star Reports on Wynne Government Weakening the 2007 Customer Service Accessibility Standard, and on Toronto Transit Commission Delays in Ensuring Accessibility of Public Transit in Canada’s Largest City

Premier Wynne Appoints Tracy MacCharles as Ontario’s First Minister of Accessibility for 1.8 Million Ontarians with Disabilities – Will Premier Wynne Instruct Her to Take the Actions Needed to Get Ontario Back on Schedule for Full Accessibility By 2025 – The Deadline that Ontario’s Accessibility Law Sets?

June 13, 2016 SUMMARY June 13, 2016 – Toronto: In today’s mid-term Cabinet shuffle, Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne appointed Tracy MacCharles as Ontario’s first virtually stand-alone Accessibility Minister. This took place on the 11th anniversary of the day when Ontario’s accessibility law, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), went into force. Two successive Government-appointed Independent … Continue reading Premier Wynne Appoints Tracy MacCharles as Ontario’s First Minister of Accessibility for 1.8 Million Ontarians with Disabilities – Will Premier Wynne Instruct Her to Take the Actions Needed to Get Ontario Back on Schedule for Full Accessibility By 2025 – The Deadline that Ontario’s Accessibility Law Sets?

Further Reflections on the Wynne Government’s Weakening the 2007 Customer Service Accessibility Standard and Premier Wynne’s Broken Promise Never to Weaken Protections or Provisions We’d Won In or Under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act

June 10, 2016 SUMMARY Several days after it revised the 2007 Customer Service Accessibility Standard, the Wynne Government has issued a broadcast email to make public its amendments to that accessibility standard. We set out that email below. We were not able to also set out below the attachments to that email, because, contrary to … Continue reading Further Reflections on the Wynne Government’s Weakening the 2007 Customer Service Accessibility Standard and Premier Wynne’s Broken Promise Never to Weaken Protections or Provisions We’d Won In or Under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act

A Sad Game-Changer for 1.8 Million Ontarians with Disabilities – Premier Kathleen Wynne Breaks a Solemn Written Promise She Gave to People with Disabilities While Running for Ontario Liberal Leadership, to Never Weaken Any Protections We’d Won In or Under Ontario’s Disabilities Act

June 7, 2016 SUMMARY We have reached a deeply troubling turning point along the long and arduous road to a fully accessible Ontario. Yesterday Ontario Premier Kathleen Wynne broke a fundamentally important promise she made to Ontarians with disabilities three and a half years ago, when she was running for leadership of the Ontario Liberal … Continue reading A Sad Game-Changer for 1.8 Million Ontarians with Disabilities – Premier Kathleen Wynne Breaks a Solemn Written Promise She Gave to People with Disabilities While Running for Ontario Liberal Leadership, to Never Weaken Any Protections We’d Won In or Under Ontario’s Disabilities Act

Wynne Government Makes Limited Accessibility Amendments to 11 of Ontario’s 750 Statutes, but Unjustifiably Rejects 11 Additional Accessibility Amendments the NDP Proposed at Our Request – What Are the Wynne Government’s Future Plans to Keep Its Promise to Find and Fix the Accessibility Barriers in All Ontario Laws?

May 9, 2016 SUMMARY In April, 2016, the Wynne Government made modest amendments to eleven Ontario laws to address some accessibility barriers in those laws. We encourage you to read the text of the Wynne Government’s actual amendments to 11 Ontario statutes, included in its 2016 Budget bill. We commend the Government for making these changes. … Continue reading Wynne Government Makes Limited Accessibility Amendments to 11 of Ontario’s 750 Statutes, but Unjustifiably Rejects 11 Additional Accessibility Amendments the NDP Proposed at Our Request – What Are the Wynne Government’s Future Plans to Keep Its Promise to Find and Fix the Accessibility Barriers in All Ontario Laws?

Join in May 12 2016 Free Webinar on Advocating for Accessibility in Ontario, Hosted by Citizens with Disabilities Ontario – And More Tips to Help the “Picture Our Barriers” Campaign

May 6, 2016 SUMMARY Here is the latest on progress on the AODA Alliance’s blitz to get Ontario MPPs to help us beef up the sluggish implementation and enforcement of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. We also want to share ways you can quickly and easily help us with this campaign. 1. Log … Continue reading Join in May 12 2016 Free Webinar on Advocating for Accessibility in Ontario, Hosted by Citizens with Disabilities Ontario – And More Tips to Help the “Picture Our Barriers” Campaign

Even More Media Coverage of Problems with Accessible Customer Service in Ontario and the Wynne Government’s Failure to Take the Action that 1.8 Million Ontarians with Disabilities Need – What the Media Reported and What You Can Do to Help This Cause

April 22, 2016 SUMMARY 1. More Media Coverage on Recurring Denials of Accessible Customer Service in Ontario Recent media coverage, set out below, once again shows the harm Ontarians with disabilities must suffer, because of the Wynne Government’s ongoing failure to keep its promise to effectively enforce the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. This … Continue reading Even More Media Coverage of Problems with Accessible Customer Service in Ontario and the Wynne Government’s Failure to Take the Action that 1.8 Million Ontarians with Disabilities Need – What the Media Reported and What You Can Do to Help This Cause

The Wynne Government Wants the AODA Alliance to Volunteer its Time to Give Input on its Flawed Proposal for a Private Accessibility Certification Process, but Charges $120 to Give Us Basic Information We’ve Requested About That Program that We Are Entitled to Get Under the Freedom of Information Act

April 5, 2016 SUMMARY Here’s more Government action that contradicts Premier Wynne’s promise to ensure that hers is the most open and transparent government in Canada. The Economic Development Ministry has told AODA Alliance chair David Lepofsky that he must pay $120 to get basic information about the Government’s action on its problematic proposal that … Continue reading The Wynne Government Wants the AODA Alliance to Volunteer its Time to Give Input on its Flawed Proposal for a Private Accessibility Certification Process, but Charges $120 to Give Us Basic Information We’ve Requested About That Program that We Are Entitled to Get Under the Freedom of Information Act

New Federal Budget Commits 2 Million Dollars to Federal Government Consultation on the Promised Canadians with Disabilities Act in 2016-17

March 31, 2016 SUMMARY 1. New Federal Budget is Another Important Step on the Road to the Promised Canadians with Disabilities Act In its first budget, which Finance Minister Morneau announced in Parliament on March 22, 2016, the Justin Trudeau Government repeated its 2015 election pledge to enact the Canadians with Disabilities Act. It specifically … Continue reading New Federal Budget Commits 2 Million Dollars to Federal Government Consultation on the Promised Canadians with Disabilities Act in 2016-17

Come to the April 12, 2016 Mississauga Accessibility Public Forum – and – Barrier-Free BC Holds Its Major Kick-Off Event in British Columbia on April 6, 2016

March 30, 2016 SUMMARY 1. Come to the April 12, 2016 Mississauga Accessibility Public Forum to Help Our Grassroots Effort to Kick-Start Sluggish Ontario Government Action on Accessibility On Tuesday, April 12, 2016, from 7 to 9 pm, a public forum on accessibility for people with disabilities will be held in Mississauga at the Mississauga … Continue reading Come to the April 12, 2016 Mississauga Accessibility Public Forum – and – Barrier-Free BC Holds Its Major Kick-Off Event in British Columbia on April 6, 2016

Please Tell the Wynne Government if You Support the List of Readily-Achievable Improvements to the 2007 Customer Service Accessibility Standard that the AODA Alliance and ARCH Disability Law Centre Have Jointly Submitted to the Economic Development Minister

March 18, 2016 SUMMARY A joint March 15, 2016 brief has been submitted to Economic Development Minister Brad Duguid by the AODA Alliance and the ARCH Disability Law Centre. It lists a list of readily-achievable improvements to the 2007 Customer Service Accessibility Standard, enacted under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. This proposal shows … Continue reading Please Tell the Wynne Government if You Support the List of Readily-Achievable Improvements to the 2007 Customer Service Accessibility Standard that the AODA Alliance and ARCH Disability Law Centre Have Jointly Submitted to the Economic Development Minister

Click Here to Download in MS Word Format the New March 15, 2016 Brief to the Wynne Government on Its Proposed Revisions to the 2007 Customer Service Accessibility Standard, prepared jointly Jointly by the AODA Alliance and the ARCH Disability Law Centre

Click Here to Download in MS Word Format the New March 15, 2016 Brief to the Wynne Government on Its Proposed Revisions to the 2007 Customer Service Accessibility Standard, prepared jointly Jointly by the AODA Alliance and the ARCH Disability Law Centre

Nine Years after the Ontario Government Promises to Review All Ontario Laws for Accessibility Barriers, the Wynne Government Proposes Modest Legislative Changes to 11 Laws , To Be Fast-Tracked Through the Legislature

March 16, 2016 SUMMARY In the 2007 Ontario election, Ontario’s Liberal Government, led by Premier Dalton McGuinty, promised that the Government would review all Ontario laws for accessibility barriers. That includes 750 statutes and many more regulations. Some nine years later, the Government has only reviewed 51 of the 750 Ontario statutes. It chose to … Continue reading Nine Years after the Ontario Government Promises to Review All Ontario Laws for Accessibility Barriers, the Wynne Government Proposes Modest Legislative Changes to 11 Laws , To Be Fast-Tracked Through the Legislature

Please Send Feedback to Barrier-Free Canada on a NEW Discussion Paper on What the Canadians with Disabilities Act Should Include

March 15, 2016 SUMMARY We are delighted to share with you a new Discussion Paper on what the Canadians with Disabilities Act, promised to Canadians by Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, should include. This Discussion Paper draws on experience with accessibility laws in Ontario and Manitoba, and elsewhere around the world. It is built on the … Continue reading Please Send Feedback to Barrier-Free Canada on a NEW Discussion Paper on What the Canadians with Disabilities Act Should Include

AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky Files Appeal to the Ontario Information and Privacy Commissioner to Contest the Economic Development Ministry’s $4,250 Fee to Fully Answer His June 4, 2015 Freedom of Information Application, Which Sought Updated Information on the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act’s Implementation and Enforcement

March 10, 2016 SUMMARY Premier Wynne promised that hers would be the most open and transparent government in Canada. Here is the latest development in the seemingly-endless saga of the AODA Alliance’s efforts to get up-to-date information from the Wynne Government on its implementation and enforcement of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. On … Continue reading AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky Files Appeal to the Ontario Information and Privacy Commissioner to Contest the Economic Development Ministry’s $4,250 Fee to Fully Answer His June 4, 2015 Freedom of Information Application, Which Sought Updated Information on the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act’s Implementation and Enforcement

Click here to download in MS Word format AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky’s memorandum of argument on his March 10 2016 appeal to theOntario Information and Privacy Commissioner from the Economic Development Ministry’s refusal to waive its $4,250 feeto fully answer his June 4, 2015 Freedom of Information application

Click here to download in MS Word format AODA Alliance Chair David Lepofsky’s memorandum of argument on his March 10 2016 appeal to theOntario Information and Privacy Commissioner from the Economic Development Ministry’s refusal to waive its $4,250 feeto fully answer his June 4, 2015 Freedom of Information application