Body: Council Type: Agenda Meeting: Regular Date: November 7, 2023 Collection: Council Agendas Municipality: Frontenac County
[View Document (PDF)](/docs/frontenac-county/Published Agendas/Advisory Committees of Council/Accessibility Advisory Committee/2023/Accessibility Advisory Committee (FAAC) - 07 Nov 2023 - Agenda.pdf)
Document Text
Accessibility Advisory Committee Tuesday, November 7, 2023 – 10:00 a.m. Meeting to be held in Virtual Electronic Format, and live streamed on the County of Frontenac’s YouTube Channel https://youtube.com/live/7-JGWr85IG0?feature=share
AGENDA Page 1.
Call to Order We begin this gathering by acknowledging and celebrating these traditional lands as a gathering place of the first peoples and their ancestors who are entrusted to care for mother earth since time immemorial. We do so respecting both the land and the Indigenous People who continue to walk with us through this world. Today, the County is committed to working with Indigenous peoples and all residents to pursue a united path of reconciliation.
Adoption of the Agenda a) That the agenda for the November 7, 2023 meeting of the Joint Frontenac Accessibility Advisory Committee be approved.
Disclosure of Pecuniary Interest and General Nature Thereof
Adoption of Minutes a) Minutes of Meeting held August 1, 2023
3-7
That the minutes of the Joint Frontenac Accessibility Advisory Committee meeting held August 1, 2023 be adopted. 5.
Deputations and/or Presentations
Reports to the Accessibility Advisory Committee a) Consideration of the 2023 Celebration of Accessibility Awards [Distributed under separate cover]
8 - 11
b)
2023-118 Frontenac Accessibility Advisory Committee Summary of the 2022 Frontenac Multi-year Accessibility Plan
Page 1 of 11
Page Review Engage Frontenac Project This report is for information purposes only. 7.
Township Updates a) Township of North Frontenac b)
Township of Central Frontenac
c)
Township of South Frontenac
d)
Township of Frontenac Islands
Communications
Other Business
Next Meeting
Adjournment
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Frontenac Accessibility Advisory Committee Meeting Minutes August 1, 2023 [Note: Minutes are not Verbatim, please refer to full video at https://youtube.com/live/wJbho4rPIBM?feature=share]] A meeting of the Frontenac Accessibility Advisory Committee (FAAC) was held in hybrid format, hosted at the Township of South Frontenac Council Chamber, 4432 George Street, Sydenham on Tuesday, August 1, 2023 at 10:00 a.m. Present:
Neil Allen, Community Representative, South Frontenac, Chair Erin Ferguson, Community Representative, North Frontenac Councillor Bill Saunders
Present Virtually:
Janet MacDonald, Community Representative, Frontenac Islands Councillor Nicki Gowdy
Regrets
Kurt Halliday, Community Representative, Central Frontenac Pat Joslin, Community Representative at Large
Also Present
Jannette Amini, County of Frontenac Eric Korhonen, Township of North Frontenac
Also Present Virtually:
Vanessa Latimer, Clerk, Township of Frontenac Islands
Call to Order
Ms. Amini called the meeting to order at 10:02 a.m. and proceeded to the Election of Officers. 2.
Election of Officers Election of Chair
Moved By: Seconded By:
Councillor Saunders Ms. MacDonald
That Neil Allen be elected Chair of the Frontenac Accessibility Advisory Committee for 2023. Carried
Minutes of Meeting held August 1, 2023
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Moved By: Seconded By:
Councillor Saunders Ms. MacDonald
That nominations for Chair be closed. Carried Mr. Allen accepted the nomination of Chair Election of Vice Chair Moved By: Seconded By:
Ms. MacDonald Councillor Saunders
That Kurt Halliday be nominated Vice-Chair of the Frontenac Accessibility Advisory Committee for 2023. Carried Moved By: Seconded By:
Councillor Janet Councillor Saunders
That nominations for Vice-Chair be closed. Carried Given his absence from the meeting, Ms. Amini will confirm with Mr. Halliday if he is willing to accept the nomination of Vice Chair. 3.
Adoption of the Agenda
Moved By: Seconded By:
Ms. MacDonald Councillor Saunders
That the agenda for the August 1, 2023 meeting of the Joint Frontenac Accessibility Advisory Committee be approved. Carried 4.
Disclosure of Pecuniary Interest and General Nature Thereof
There were none.
County of Frontenac Joint Accessibility Advisory Committee August 1, 2023
Minutes of Meeting held August 1, 2023
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5.
Adoption of Minutes Minutes of Meeting held December 6, 2022
Moved By: Seconded By:
Ms. MacDonald Councillor Gowdy
That the minutes of the Joint Frontenac Accessibility Advisory Committee meeting held December 6, 2022 be adopted. Carried 6.
Deputations and/or Presentations
Reports to the Accessibility Advisory Committee a)
2023-092 Frontenac Accessibility Advisory Committee Second Quarter Update Report
This report was for information purposes only; however, Ms. Amini provided an overview of the report, including presenting a short video of the construction progress to date, as well as drawings of the main floor plan and Council Chamber, highlighting the accessible features of the spaces. It was suggested that a second handrail on the back narrow stairwell be added for safety reasons. Ms. Amini will take this back to the consultants. b)
2023-093 Frontenac K&P Trail Request to Extend ATV Access on the K&P Trail, Verona to Harrowsmith
This report was for information purposed and intended to solicit input from the Committee with respect to potential access to ATVs on the K&P Trail from Verona to Harrowsmith. Mr. Richard Allen provided an overview of the history with the Verona ATV club and the request that they have brought forward to County Council. In response to questions, Mr. Allen noted that currently there are 70 km of trail, with 55 km that permit motorized vehicles. The request by the Verona ATV club is for an additional 9 km that runs from Verona to Harrowsmith; however, snowmobiles are able to use the entire trail as they pose less conflicts with pedestrian traffic. The Committee had the following comments: ➢ Concerns were expressed that throughout the public meeting this was positioned as permitting motorized vehicles and staff were reminded that many persons with County of Frontenac Joint Accessibility Advisory Committee August 1, 2023
Minutes of Meeting held August 1, 2023
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disabilities use motorized vehicles such as scooters and wheelchairs, so it needs to be ensured that the permitted uses do not exclude them. ➢ Another point expressed at the public meeting was the requirement for insurance and it was asked of staff if there is any enforcement on the trail to ensure that users are following the regulations. ➢ Side by side or UTV’s are now bigger than small cars and concerns were expressed about the safety of users and of sharing the trail with these larger vehicles and pedestrians and those using mobility aids such as scooters, walkers or wheelchairs or parents with strollers. It was expressed that this will make the trail very dangerous. ➢ It was asked that if large vehicles are meeting each other on the trail, is there concern on wear and tear of the edges of the trail and if so, this can create increased concern for someone using a mobility aid needing to be more cautious near the edge when they need to move over to allow safe passage. Mr. Allen noted that in terms of enforcement on the trail, the OPP do a blitz about 3 to 4 times per year where they check for licenses and insurance. They cover the eastern Ontario trails, and the County does work with the OPP when they carry out these blitzes. In terms of concerns expressed around the wear and tear of the trail edging, he stated that this has not been discussed or considered yet as we are not seeing significant wear at this point. ATV users do encounter each other on the trail and do tend to slow down to allow safe passage. Over the past few years, the County has been prioritizing edge protection with small fences and this has been brought to the Committee in the past for input, although for motorized vehicles, their concern is the opposite as they feel this type of edging does not allow sufficient passing room. There is a regular grading program for the trail, although the issue is more of vegetation encroaching on the edges as opposed to edging being eroded away by ATV’s. The trail portion where ATV’s are permitted is re-graded every 2 to 3 years; however those areas that do not permit motorized use is less often as there is less wear and tear of the trail surface. Mr. Allen noted that the comments received today from the Committee will be included in the report to the Planning and Economic Development Advisory Committee in October, once he has finalized all of his research. 8.
Township Updates Township of North Frontenac
This was for information only and no questions were raised by the committee. 9.
Communications a)
From Kurt Halliday regarding a news article on Trails and Accessibility [Distributed to AAC members July 28, 2023]
County of Frontenac Joint Accessibility Advisory Committee August 1, 2023
Minutes of Meeting held August 1, 2023
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b)
From Kurt Halliday regarding a new captioned video that gives practical advocacy tips for Members of a Municipality’s Accessibility Advisory Committees [Distributed to AAC members July 28, 2023]
Other Business
Next Meeting
The next meeting of the Frontenac Accessibility Advisory Committee will be at the call of the Chari once the date for the Warden’s Wine and Cheese has been finalized. 12.
Adjournment
Moved By: Seconded By:
Councillor Gowdy Councillor Saunders
That the meeting hereby adjourn at 10:47 a.m. Carried
County of Frontenac Joint Accessibility Advisory Committee August 1, 2023
Minutes of Meeting held August 1, 2023
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Report 2023-118 Committee Report To:
Chair and Members of the Frontenac Accessibility Advisory Committee
From:
Jannette Amini, Manager of Legislative Services/Clerk
Date of meeting: November 7, 2023 Re:
Frontenac Accessibility Advisory Committee – Summary of the 2022 Frontenac Multi-year Accessibility Plan Review Engage Frontenac project
Recommendation This report is for information purposes only. Background The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA), Ontario Regulation 191/11 Section 4, directs designated public sector organizations to establish, implement, maintain and document a multi-year accessibility plan which will outline the organization’s strategy to prevent and remove barriers to accessibility and meet the requirements of the Regulation. The plan must be made publicly available and updated at least once every five years. The County of Frontenac, which is considered a large public sector organization under the AODA, adopted its first multi-year accessibility plan in 2012 for the years 2013 to 2017, the content of which addressed AODA regulations related to training, employment, and information and communications. It’s second Multi-Year Plan was adopted in December 2016 and updated in December 2017. Since 2018, staff within the County and Townships have been working to address the commitments outlined as part of the 2018-2022 Multi-Year Accessibility Plan. This includes work across several areas such as Customer Service, Clear and Accessible Communications, and Enhancing Accessibility of Our Public Spaces. Work on the plan continues to progress in meaningful ways. The Plan was reviewed in 2018, making the requirement of a mandatory review by December 31, 2022. The Frontenac Accessibility Advisory Committee met on 4 occasions in 2022 to focus on the development of a new 2023-2027 Multi-Year Accessibility Plan.
2023-118 Frontenac Accessibility Advisory Committee Summary of the 2022 …
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As an initial step of this review, a project for public consultation and comment was placed on the County’s Community Engagement Hub to solicit community feedback. The project was also placed on each of the Township engagement hubs. The project went live on April 26, 2022 and included questions and a survey that were developed in consultation with the FAAC. Survey questions included the following:
- In which township do you live, work, or play?
- Please enter your postal code
- What type of disability do you face that needs to be addressed in Frontenac, and what are your needs?
- Please describe any areas in your community that hinder you from moving around or participating in activities.
- Please describe any community or social services that may be lacking for people living with disabilities in Frontenac. What should be enhanced, created, or introduced?
- Are you able to access your municipality’s services?
- Are there any other issues or concerns you would like to bring to our attention that would better serve those with disabilities in the Frontenacs? The Committee endorsed the 2023-2028 Multi-Year Accessibility Plan at its December 6, 2023, meeting which was subsequently approved by County Council at its December 21, 2023. The purpose of this report is to provide the Committee with a summary of the engagement of the 2022 Frontenac Multi-year Accessibility Plan Review Engage Frontenac project. Comment In terms of traffic to the site, there was a total of 148 visits, with the maximum visitors per day being 14. There were 4 engaged visitors and 32 informed visitors. Engaged visitors participated in the site through surveys and contributing ideas, whereas informed visitors viewed the project pages and or downloaded documents. In total, there were 124 aware participants.
Frontenac Accessibility Advisory Committee – Summary of the 2022 Frontenac Multi-year Accessibility Plan Review Engage Frontenac project November 7, 2023 Page 2 of 4
2023-118 Frontenac Accessibility Advisory Committee Summary of the 2022 …
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In terms of sources of traffic, 85 went directly to the site, 1 through email, 23 through a search engine, 26 through social media channels and 13 through referrals
As noted in both visual graphs above, the majority of activity occurred in July, 2022. In terms of Engagement Tools, the following were available to visitors, along with the usage of each tool and the number of visitors using those tools: Tools Forum topics Surveys News Feeds Quick Polls Guest Books Stories Q&A’s Places Ideas
Usage 0 1, with 2 visitors contributing to the survey 2 0 0 0 1 0 1, with 2 visitors contributing ideas, with 4 total contributions.
There were a total of 5 documents available to visitors with a total of 11 visitors downloading documents. Below is a summary of the available documents, the number of visitors to those documents, and the number of downloads of those documents: Document 2018-2022 Multi-year Accessibility Plan Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation Policy How May I Help You Customer Service guide 2019 Accessibility Plan Annual Status Report AODA Annual Report 2019 (external document)
Visitors 8 1 1 1 0
Downloads 12 1 1 1 0
Given the EngageFrontenac site only went live in late 2021, and 2022 being the first year that staff have used the site to solicit feedback in terms of accessibility, staff are fairly pleased with the results of this summary and will look to the Accessibility Advisory Committee in future for input in how best this site might be used.
Frontenac Accessibility Advisory Committee – Summary of the 2022 Frontenac Multi-year Accessibility Plan Review Engage Frontenac project November 7, 2023 Page 3 of 4
2023-118 Frontenac Accessibility Advisory Committee Summary of the 2022 …
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Strategic Priorities Implications Priority 1: Develop a Regional Approach to Overcome Infrastructure Issues and Maximize Infrastructure Development Opportunities. 1.2
Develop strategies to improve regional transportation connectivity and accessibility.
Priority 4: Maximize Administrative Leadership within the County Administration. 4.3
Ensure community engagement remains a continued priority and to develop dynamic solutions to improve citizen awareness/involvement in County of Frontenac activities and to promote collaboration with member municipalities.
Financial Implications There are no direct financial implications associated with this report. Organizations, Departments and Individuals Consulted and/or Affected Richard Allen, Manager of Economic Development, County of Frontenac Brieanna McEathron, Executive Assistant to the CAO and Director of Corporate Services
Frontenac Accessibility Advisory Committee – Summary of the 2022 Frontenac Multi-year Accessibility Plan Review Engage Frontenac project November 7, 2023 Page 4 of 4
2023-118 Frontenac Accessibility Advisory Committee Summary of the 2022 …
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