Accessibility round-up: What is still inaccessible in Stratford?

CONNOR LUCZKA, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter

The recent installation of the police station accessibility ramp is a huge accomplishment for the City of Stratford; however, the George Street headquarters is by no means the only public building in Stratford with accessibility issues.

In 2005, the Province of Ontario implemented the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) which, among other things, required that the province be made fully accessible in 20 years time, with all levels of government, private sectors, and non-profits complying with said legislation to do so.

The deadline for the AODA was Jan. 1 2025 and that goal was not achieved.

Roger Koert, chair of the accessibility advisory committee (AAC), told the Times that overall, the City of Stratford has made good strides in meeting AODA compliance.

“However, AODA compliance isn't optional. It's law,” Koert said in a written statement. “We need access now, to facilities, to resources, to services. … We don't need accessibility allies, we need accessibility accomplices who will do something to create a better today.”

To that end, he shared some of the locations on the AAC’s radar.

The Stratford Education Recreation Centre (SERC) track does not meet the guidelines for outdoor facilities. It is stone dust and does not include any ramped locations to zero-threshold access. Therefore, in addition to the track not being accessible, neither is the soccer or rugby field in the middle of the track for participants or spectators.

Koert indicated that the AAC has a motion to renovate and bring the facility up to standards of modern track and field venues.

The design of the accessible walking path that navigates through the Packham Road Sports Complex soccer fields was endorsed by the AAC in 2018. It was to be stone dust, and although that material is not as good as pavement, it is still considered an accessible surface for outdoor trails.

Koert said that at some point after this endorsement, the trail was installed with crushed asphalt which is an explicit barrier and not what the AAC originally approved. The track has been a barrier in the community ever since and no one from the city or soccer club has been held accountable for that decision, he said.

Likewise, Koert said that the AAC has a motion to renovate the track to be accessible as first designed.

The slope of the bridge to Tom Patterson Island does not comply with the AODA, nor the facility accessibility design manual (FADM) which the AAC and city developed a number of years ago. This oversight prevents residents and tourists with accessibility needs from accessing the annual attractions that the island is used for throughout the year.

The AAC has a motion to replace the bridge with one that meets the AODA and FADM standards; however, at the most recent AAC meeting on May 6, Coun. Bonnie Henderson informed the committee that the city will revisit the bridge and make it accessible in 10 or 12 years when the existing bridge reaches end of life and must be replaced or repaired.

“But we, the AAC, are telling the city the bridge is end of life because it doesn't meet the accessibility laws of today,” Koert said. “Unfortunately, if feels like we are being taken as seriously as the AAC from 2007 who made the original motion for a ramp at the police station.”

As noted, the ramp was finally installed just this week, nearly 20 years after that 2007 motion.

Koert also indicated that the city does not currently have an accessibility coordinator on staff nor is there a job posting for the position on the city’s recruitment portal. Koert called this omission a “missed opportunity.”

Tim Wolfe, director of community services with the city, said that there are always locations that the city will work towards addressing accessibility with the AAC. He indicated the city has started work at National Stadium to install accessible bathrooms and started work at the SERC site, though did not further elaborate on how many buildings or spaces still need work to be AODA compliant.

Under the AODA, every municipality must publish yearly reports on the implementation of accessibility standards. On the city’s website numerous accomplishments from last year are listed, including the installation of a wheelchair ramp for a modular stage at the Stratford Rotary Complex and the purchase of “mobi mats” which assist in making outdoor events accessible.

To see the complete list of accomplishments, visit https://www.stratford.ca/en/inside-city-hall/annual-accessibility-status-update.aspx#Design-of-Public-Spaces-Standard.