174,000 Mississauga residents with disabilities are focus of plan to make it easier to get around city

Mississauga is looking to make it easier for some 174,000 residents with disabilities to get around the city.

Building on its recent record of making Canada’s seventh-largest city even more accessible, the City of Mississauga has unveiled its third Multi-Year Accessibility Plan.

The latest comprehensive strategy will guide the City on all things related to accessibility from 2023 through 2028.

Buoyed by recent initiatives that include targeted renovations at 12 City facilities to improve accessibility and the installation of passenger “landing pads” at 85 transit bus stop locations, City officials say they’ll strive to continue making such key improvements.

Their latest accessibility plan outlines both new and continued initiatives “to meet and exceed legislated obligations to identify, prevent and remove barriers for people with disabilities.”

Mayor Bonnie Crombie noted that the number of Mississauga residents with disabilities (174,000) represents nearly one-quarter of all city residents.

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“Planning for accessibility helps create a more vibrant city that all residents, visitors and employees can enjoy and participate fully in their community,” she said in a news release issued by the City. “I’m pleased to endorse the third accessibility plan with my colleagues on Council as we continue to keep inclusivity for everyone top of mind and focus on removing barriers.”

The latest accessibility plan was developed by the City’s Accessibility Planning and Compliance Team in consultation with the Staff Accessibility Resource Team (StART) and the Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC).

A corporate report presented to City council also outlined progress made in the final year of the most-recent accessibility plan (2018 to 2022).

City officials note that 98 per cent of the 64 commitments were completed last year.

Among the highlights, City efforts:

• ensured the venues used for the 2022 Ontario Parasport and Ontario Summer Games were accessible for athletes, officials and spectators
• implemented 2022 Municipal Election Accessibility Plan to ensure election was accessible to all voters and candidates
• improved accessibility at 12 City facilities through targeted renovations
• installed passenger landing pads at 85 bus stop locations
• launched courses for staff focused on creating accessible documents and presentations

“In Mississauga, we have made progress towards identifying, preventing and removing barriers for people with disabilities, but we know more work is needed,” said Raj Sheth, Mississauga’s commissioner of corporate services. “The third Multi-Year Accessibility Plan demonstrates the City’s continued commitment to creating a barrier-free environment that helps residents participate fully in their life and work.”

Municipal accessibility plans were spawned by the creation in 2005 of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, which seeks to identify, prevent and remove barriers to make Ontario accessible by 2025.

The act, among other things, requires all organizations in Ontario to develop multi-year accessibility plans.