May 10, 2005, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act was passed in the Ontario Legislature by our very own MPP’s. It promised a goal of making the province accessible through the use of enforceable standards to ensure public and private sectors were barrier-free for those with disabilities within 20 years.
Jan. 1, 2025 will be the 20-year deadline. Is your Corporation ready?
Never mind an individual Condo, I’m not so sure, Ontario is ready for this.
This quality-of-life issue affects so many people living with a disability.
Where did we start from and how far have we come?
A barrier-free Ontario was the purpose of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), unanimously passed by MPPs in 2005. With the province’s 20-year deadline for the implementation of accessibility standards looming on Jan. 1, 2025, Restricted Access: Will Ontario meet its barrier-free goals? explores this quality-of-life issue for the millions of people living with disabilities —
This is by far a demographic that is expected to skyrocket as the population ages.
Independent reports provided to the provincial government in 2010, 2015, 2019, and finally 2023 that uniformly indicated progress on accessibility in Ontario was not satisfactory. The reports of 2019 and 2023, described the situation on accessibility in Ontario as “soul-crushing,” “glacial” and finally “a crisis.”
Beginning March of 2020, the COVID-19 pandemic breaks out. The provincial government mounts emergency initiatives for the public, especially in the education and healthcare systems. People with disabilities are disproportionately vulnerable to and die from COVID-19. The government’s responses fail to address the urgent needs of people with disabilities in the pandemic.
Ontario hospitals are sent a critical care triage protocol in the event that intensive care wards cannot serve all patients. The disability community reveals the critical care triage protocol is infected with disability discrimination, which is never removed from that protocol.
Beginning in July 2020, the K-12 Education Standards Development Committee submits a detailed report and recommendations to the government on measures needed to remove disability barriers from the school system’s responses to the pandemic. None of its recommendations are implemented. In fact, by 2022, no education accessibility standard or health care accessibility standard or health care accessibility No Education Accessibility Standard or Health Care Accessibility Standard has been enacted.
Seniors and the Accessibility Standards can apply to many buildings.
As the population ages, so does the need for assistance.
How does this affect your Board in your Condominium? What actions has your Board taken to assist your residents? Do you have residents that require special needs?
