The Astor Theatre in Liverpool was one of the first buildings selected for accessibility improvement in Queens County. Photo: Evan Taylor
The Region of the Municipality of Queens is the latest municipality to adopt an accessibility plan, with council approving the plan last week.
The province passed Bill 59 in 2017 that set out requirements for municipalities to become more accessible by 2030. The bill mandated that each municipal body was required to develop a plan that would work towards making their communities more inclusive.
In Queens, work on that plan has been going on for some time. In July 2020 the Municipality hired Elise Johnston as their Accessibility Coordinator who has been helping develop the plan since then. An Accessibility Advisory Committee was also formed in October, 2020 by the Municipality and they have been consulting with Johnston to develop the plan.
“The plan was developed with input from around the whole community,” Johnston said. “We sent out a public survey and we consulted with local businesses and organizations to get a plan that will help the whole community.”
The Municipal Accessibility Plan 2021 – 2030 (QMAP) contains specific items for action to work toward improved accessibility in Queens in six categories: built environment, education, employment, goods and services, information and communication, and transportation. Municipal facilities and other municipal properties have been assessed, with specific recommendations made for priority areas to address in terms of accessibility, which are reflective of Nova Scotia’s recommended Standards for the Built Environment.
Queens Mayor Darlene Norman is excited that the plan was approved and says it will impact more than those who currently have accessibility issues. “I, like many others currently don’t have any accessibility challenges but I may in the future, it also helps opens peoples eyes to the issues others face which will help improve everyone’s ability to live, play, and work in Queens.”
Work to improve accessibility in Queens was already being undertaken before QMAP was approved. Currently work is underway at the Astor Theatre to make it more accessible. “We decided to undertake one of the most costly parts of this project first with the Astor which is an old building and as such has a lot of accessibility issues,” Norman said.
Other Municipal buildings and properties are also set to be improved by 2030 and more details on each individual project will become available as they are budgeted for.
While the goal is for the entire municipality to be accessible there are some instances where it may not be possible. According to Norman, the biggest challenges are the open recreation properties they own, things like the old Cub Scout camp in Greenfield or Pinegrove Park. She says nothing is impossible but some accessibility concerns will require a lot of money to address.
While the QMAP exclusively deals with improving accessibility at municipal properties the private sector is also being addressed. As part of her role as Accessibility Coordinator Johnston has made herself available to local businesses with accessibility concerns and she has helped lead info sessions on accessibility.
Johnston says the private sector is going to be forced into becoming more accessible in the near future with her saying that legislature surrounding private sector accessibility is already in the pipeline. ” I’d encourage anyone thinking about starting a business like a restaurant or a shop to reach out and chat about accessibility and some of the upcoming regulations that they’ll need to be compliant with.
The most noticeable aspects of the plan will fall under the built environment category, which pertains to physical improvements that make places more accessible but the other components of the project are of equal importance. Norman says ensuring the community is educated on accessibility issues will make the entire community more welcoming. The program will also aim to improve digital accessibility so those who might have eyesight or other issues that make navigating the web difficult are able to utilize the municipalities’ resources.
As the plan is implemented over the coming years its success will be heavily dependent on receiving grants to fund it. According to Johnston with the election ongoing many grants have been put on hold, so they will have a clearer idea of what grants are available once the new government has taken office.
One exciting thing to come out of the QMAP already was the acquisition of a Mobi-Mat which allows wheelchair users to reach the water at beaches. The town is still determining when they will install the new device and they’ve said it is possible it won’t be deployed until next Summer.
