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Latest Summary Out / Public Consultation Scheduled for May 8th

Apr 09, 2012

The AAC's March 26th meeting summary announces that a session has been scheduled for May 8th to provide the Council with the chance to consult with the public prior to finalizing its recommendations for legislation for the Minister.

A discussion paper and details on the location and programme for the consultation session (as well as on other opportunities for feedback) are pending.

The discussion summary as posted below is also posted on the DIO website.

ACCESSIBILITY ADVISORY COUNCIL MEETING
MONDAY, MARCH 26, 12:00 P.M. – 3:00 P.M.
ROOM 208, 401 YORK AVENUE

Present: Jim Derksen (Chairperson), Yvonne Peters (Vice-Chairperson), Judy Redmond, Diane Scribe Niiganii, Diane Driedger, Jim Baker, Doug Momotiuk, Scott Jocelyn, Karen Pirnie, John Wyndels, Yutta Fricke (guest)

Absent (with regrets): Chris Summerville, Lanny McInnes, Eileen Clarke

The Agenda and Minutes of the Meeting on February 13 were approved by all members without changes.

The Chairperson reminded the Council that they would have to make some substantive choices regarding the recommendations to the draft legislation in the coming weeks. A discussion paper must be prepared and available prior to the public consultation on Tuesday, May 8. It was suggested the discussion paper be available for Council approval in mid-April for available publicly on May 1.

One of the documents distributed at the meeting were a series of questions originally prepared for consideration by legislative drafters. Departmental staff had a meeting with members of the Planning Committee where the questions were discussed and responded to. The Council is being asked to recommend policy initiatives that will help form the basis of the legislation. The responses from departmental staff restated that the Council shouldn’t worry about what goes where in the legislation, but that the recommendations be seen as policies that should be incorporated into legislation. There were two questions forwarded to Civil Legal Services requesting a legal opinion. Responses will be provided at the next meeting.

At this point, there is agreement in principle with the Working Document and the approved recommendations of the Council.

The Council discussed the development of a discussion paper for public consultations. Some of the points the discussion paper should include are the establishment of the Council and its role in the development of legislation, the economic advantages of accessibility, and how legislation is building on established laws. Four components were considered for their inclusion in the discussion paper.

1. Process – that there be an understanding of how legislation works, including what is an act, what is a regulation, and why legislation is important.

2. Sections of the Legislation – paragraphs spelling out the central components of the legislation and questions after each section to foster discussion.

3. Working of the Council – provide an understanding of the work of the Council and its duties and responsibilities.

4. Recommendations and Questions – these be integrated into the discussion paper to foster discussion.

The document should be informative to persons with disabilities as well as people and organizations obligated under established standards. The Planning Committee is to begin work on a draft discussion paper. The group will meet on Monday, April 2 to discuss progress on next steps. It was agreed a draft of the discussion paper would be forwarded to Council members prior to the meeting on Tuesday, April 10, where it will be reviewed.

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