The Ontarian's with Disabilities Act (ODA), 2001 requires that Municipalities with a population of over 10,000 people create an Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC) and that a majority of the members on this Committee must be persons with disabilities. The Town of Whitby AAC has a total of 12 members on the Committee including one Council representative.

Contact Informationtop

575 Rossland Road East
Whitby ON L1N 2M8
accessibility@whitby.ca
Ph: 905-430-4306
TTY: 905-430-1942
Fax: 905-668-7812

The Accessibility Advisory Committee meets on the second Tuesday of each month from 3:00 - 4:30pm. For more information please contact accessibility@whitby.ca.

Mandate of the AACtop

The role of the Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC) is to advise and assist Council in developing strategies to identify and eliminate barriers for people with disabilities and to carry out its responsibilities under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA), which will include:

• Advising municipal council on the requirements and implementation of accessibility standards and the preparation of accessibility reports and policies.
• Review site plans and drawings that form part of the site plan application for all municipal projects.

• Accessibility Plan - 2009
• Accessibility Standards - 2005

2009 Accessibility Plantop

The Council of the Town of Whitby has passed the 2009 Annual Accessibility Plan.

Copies of the Plan are available in the Planning Department at Whitby Town Hall, 575 Rossland Rd. E., or you can download a version

Copies are available for viewing at all branches of the Whitby Public Library, Iroquois Park Sports Centre, Civic Recreation Centre, and McKinney Centre.

For further information or a copy of the Whitby Accessibility Plan, please contact the Accessibility Coordinator at 905-430-4306 Ext. 2331 or by email at accessibility@whitby.ca

Responsibilitiestop

The Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC) is responsible to provide advice to municipal Council to plan for accessibility on a wide range of municipal processes.

• Provide input to staff reports on the following issues;
• Reviewing official plans
• Reviewing zoning by-laws
• Reviewing site plans; and
• Reviewing plans of subdivision and condominium

Further, provide advice on budgeting for accessibility and promoting accessible voting for municipal elections.

Accessibility Standardstop

The Town of Whitby Council approved the Accessibility Standard in June 2005. The Accessibility Standard is set to respond to the needs of the Town of Whitby for both the design and construction of new facilities, as well as the retrofit, alteration or addition to existing facilities owned, leased or operated by the Town. This standard particularly addresses the needs of persons with disabilities, including but not limited to, persons who are mobility impaired, hearing impaired, visually impaired or cognitively impaired, persons who are deaf-blind and persons with limited stamina and/or dexterity. This standard incorporates the belief of universal design so that environments and buildings can be used by all people. The Town of Whitby encourages both public and private sectors to use this standard in their building design in order to make facilities barrier-free to persons with disabilities. To view a copy of the Town of Whitby Accessibility Standard, please contact the Planning Department (Ph: 905-430-4306) or click here:
Town of Whitby Accessibility Standards.

Accessible Gas Stationstop

Each of the major gas station company's (i.e. Esso, Petro-Canada, Shell, Sunoco, Canadian Tire) provide information on their respective websites regarding offering services to persons with disabilities. The findings suggest that for the most part, at split serve stations, (those that have both full serve and self serve at the same time) drivers who have a disabled (accessible) parking permit will receive full service at self-serve prices during full service hours when customers identify themselves to an attendant. At self-serve only stations, staff will make every effort to meet the needs of the individual; however, customers are encouraged to contact the local station to discuss individual needs as some stations have limited staff and payment access. Some will arrange for assistance when the customer calls in advance. Some of the websites further describe the other accessible features at many stations such as parking spaces, wheelchair accessible doorways and ramps, store layouts and washrooms, easy access to the pump with payment options and bright outdoor lighting. Customer service contact numbers are also provided on their respective websites as well as retail station locators to assist in finding facilities meeting customer’s needs.

• View map of accessible gas stations
• Website Links to Major Gas Station Companies:
• Petro-Canada
• Esso Gas Stations
• Shell Canada
• Sunoco
• Canadian Tire Gas Stations

Provincial Legislationtop

ONTARIANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT, 2001
The Ontarians with Disabilities Act (ODA), 2001 was established by the Province of Ontario to improve access and opportunities for people with disabilities across Ontario. The legislation applies to all provincial and municipal governments, school boards, colleges and universities and hospitals. Municipalities with a population of 10,000 or more residents must establish an Accessibility Advisory Committee, prepare an annual Accessibility Plan and provide opportunity for community involvement through the Accessibility Advisory Committee in the identification, removal and prevention of barriers for persons with disabilities.

• Ontarians with Disabilities Act (ODA)

ACCESSIBILITY FOR ONTARIANS WITH DISABILITIES ACT, 2005
The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA) was introduced by the Provincial government on October 12th, 2004 and was proclaimed June 13th, 2005. The purpose of the Act is to build upon some components of the ODA. The AODA's purpose is to remove all barriers in the Province of Ontario by the year 2025 and create an accessible Ontario. The Municipal Accessibility Advisory Committee will remain in place; however the AODA requires the establishment of Accessibility Standards, and these standards will apply to both the public sector and private sector businesses. A total of five Standard Development Committees have been established to address the various types of barriers to accessibility. The five Committees include: Customer Service, Transportation, Employment, Built Environment, and Information and Communications.

• Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA)

ACCESSIBILITY STANDARDS FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE, ONTARIO REGULATION 429/07
The Province passed the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service, Ontario Regulation 429/07 on January 1st, 2008. It is the first accessibility standard created under the authority of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), 2005. This standard is applicable to both the public and private sectors who provide goods or services to the public. The public sector, which includes the Town of Whitby, must comply with the standard by January 1st, 2010 while the private sector has until January 1st, 2012.

The customer service standard outlines a number of different requirements that must be established and documented. These requirements include the development of policies, practices and procedures on providing goods or services to persons with disabilities, training of staff, volunteers and contractors on how to provide good customer service to persons with disabilities, development of policies and procedures for service animals and support workers, providing proper and accessible notice of service disruptions and establishing a customer feedback process. The Town of Whitby has established a working sub-committee to begin reviewing the legislation and to work towards implementation of these requirements for January 1st, 2010.

• Accessibility Standards for Customer Service, Ontario Regulation 429/07

EnAbling Change Partnership Program 2010 - 2011top

Province of Ontario Funding Program - Under the annual EnAbling Change Partnership Program, the government partners with organizations that have the vision, leadership and commitment to improve accessibility by providing funding for projects that will significantly improve accessibility across industries or sectors. More information

• Overview: EnAbling Change Partnership Program

More Accessibility Informationtop

• Ministry of Community and Social Services