Prescott Harrison

Carole Robertson

Regional Councillor Jack Heath

Staff

Chris Raynor, Committee Clerk

Eardley Adams, Project Manager

Alan Wolfe, Project Management Consultant

Paul Ingham, General Manager, Operations

Regrets

Mike Kowalski

Prescott Harrison

Leila Abboud

The meeting convened at the hour of 7:00 p.m.

1. MINUTES OF TENTH MARKHAM ACCESSIBILITY COMMITTEE MEETING IN 2005 HELD ON DECEMBER 21, 2005

The new Committee members were introduced and it was requested that minutes from 2005 and the latest draft Accessibility Plan be emailed to them, and that a revised contact list be sent to all members.

The Committee was advised that a list containing all gas service stations in the town has been passed on to Mr. P. Harrison and that he will be checking them for full service capability. The Committee requested that this item be carried forward to the next agenda for an update.

THE TOWN OF MARKHAM ACCESSIBILITY COMMITTEE RECOMMENDS:

That the minutes of the Town of Markham Accessibility Committee meeting held on December 21, 2005 be adopted.

CARRIED

2. PERMIT ONLY PARKING: SIGNAGE AND SNOW REMOVAL

Mr. P. Ingham provided information relating to the approvals process for the installation of audible traffic signals in the Town. It was noted that York Region handles requests for signals on regional roads. It was noted that there are no outstanding requests for audible signals at the moment.

Mr. Ingham advised that the snow closest to a building entrance is cleared first so permit only parking spaces should be quickly available for use. Staff agreed to conduct a check to ensure that permit only parking signage is in place and to replace any missing signs. There was discussion surrounding the use of such parking spaces by non-permit holders. It was agreed that a representative form the By-laws and Enforcement Department be invited to attend the next meeting.

3. ADOPTING INTERIM ACCESSIBILITY STANDARDS FOR THE TOWN OF MARKHAM

The Committee was advised that staff will be conducting an audit of Town-owned buildings that will include accessibility standards. It was noted that a joint report on Accessibility Standards, carried out by the Towns of Richmond Hill, Vaughan and Markham, will be used as the basis for assessing accessibility. The Committee requested that elements of the accessibility checklist compiled by the Town of East Gwillimbury also be incorporated if appropriate. Staff agreed to report back once the accessibility standards have been updated.

4. MARKHAM BOARD OF TRADE DRAFT ARTICLE

Mr. R. Hunn advised that the draft article is still being worked on. The Committee suggested that the article should be concise and contain illustrations. It was also suggested that businesses might respond more favourably if it is demonstrated that increasing accessibility may lead to an increased customer base.

5. COMMENTS ON BREAKFAST MEETING FOR ACCESSIBILITY AUDIT COMMITTEE CHAIRS

The Committee was advised that the Richmond Hill Mobility Foundation receives $100 from every permit only parking violation ticket and that they are using this and other funds to develop an accessible park. The Committee was also shown the business cards used by the Whitchurch-Stouffville Accessibility Committee, as well as literature produced by some of the other regional Committees.

Additionally, Ms. C. Robertson noted that the Markham Cycling and Pedestrian Advisory Committee is considering the development of a network of trails and paths and that she will report back when she has more information. It was suggested that a paved athletic track would be useful to wheelchair athletes for training.

6. TOWN OF MARKHAM WEB PAGE DESIGN AND CONTENT

The Committee agreed to consider ways to improve the Town’s webpage on accessibility. It was noted that it may not be possible to change the overall design as it needs to integrate with the rest of the website.

7. RICK HANSEN “MAN IN MOTION” FOR 2006

It was agreed that this item be deferred to the next meeting.

8. COMMUNICATIONS

The following correspondence was received by the Committee for information:

a) Documentation dated January 11, 2006 entitled Physically Disabled Parking Standards from Mr. W. Wiles, Manager, By-Law Enforcement & Licencing, to Mr. R. Hunn, Chair, Markham Accessibility Committee.

b) An invitation forwarded by Ms. L. Gonsalves, Senior Program Manager – ODA, York Region, to Mr. R. Hunn requesting his attendance at a workshop on the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act to be hosted by York Region on Tuesday February 28, 2006 from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m..

c) A Council extract dated December 13, 2005 forwarded from Ms M. Kennedy, Town Clerk, Town of Whitchurch-Stouffville, to Ms. S. Birrell, Town Clerk, Town of Markham, supporting a request for a letter to be sent to the Province of Ontario and all gas station operators in Whitchurch-Stouffville requesting that gas stations make provisions for full service components at their facilities.

It was noted that Mr. Hunn will attend the workshop on February 28, 2006 and that other members are welcome if interested. Additionally, the Committee was advised that Imperial Oil gas stations will provide full serve at self-serve prices if the driver has a disabled permit.

9. NEXT MEETING

The Committee agreed to keep the 2006 meeting schedule of the third Wednesday of each month.

The next scheduled meeting of the Accessibility Committee is on February 15, 2006.

12. ADJOURNMENT

The Advisory Committee on Accessibility adjourned at the hour of 8:30 p.m.