bfcanada (This Notice can also be downloaded as a Word document here.)
City Council support efforts by Barrier-Free Canada/Canada Sans Barrieres (BFC/CSB) to urge the new Parliament of Canada to enact The Canadians with Disabilities Act (CDA) – Councillor Jim Karygiannis, seconded by Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam
Recommendations:
Councillor Jim Karygiannis, seconded by Councillor Kristyn Wong-Tam, recommends that:
1. City Council support efforts by Barrier-Free Canada/Canada Sans Barrieres (BFC/CSB) to urge the new Parliament of Canada to enact a Canadians with Disabilities Act (CDA).
Summary:
Many of the more than four million Canadians with disabilities face far too many barriers to accessibility and equality including government services; employment; housing; and, public information.
Barrier-Free Canada/Canada Sans Barrieres (BFC/CSB) is a non-partisan, grassroots movement that is advocating for The Canadians with Disabilities Act, as a catalyst towards Canada becoming fully accessible to all people with disabilities.
The purpose of The Canadians with Disabilities Act is to achieve a barrier-free Canada for persons with disabilities. According to the (BFC/CSB), The Canadians with Disabilities Act would not replace The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act but would complement the provincial legislation.
In its set of principles with respect to the proposed Act the organization states:
‘The Canadians with Disabilities Act should apply to all persons with disabilities whether they have a physical, mental sensory, learning and/or intellectual disability or mental health condition, or are regarded as having one, whether their condition is episodic or permanent, and whether their disability is visible or invisible to others.
It should apply to all accessibility barriers, for example physical, legal, bureaucratic, information, communication, attitudinal, technological, policy or other barriers. It should apply to the Parliament of Canada as well as to all federal government entities, federally-owned public premises and facilities, federally-regulated companies and organizations, recipients of federal grants, subsidies, loans or other funds, and any other persons or organizations to whom the Government of Canada can apply it.’
September 30 and October 1, 2015