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Manitoba Gears Up to Introduce Legislation in 2013

Jan 21, 2013

The Government of Manitoba has now released its long awaited response to the MAAC's recommendations for legislation and the public comment received. The response formalizes the government's intention to introduce this legislation in 2013.

The 11-page response (called a "White Paper") covers a lot of important ground and we encourage you to review it in detail (as we will be doing over the next few weeks). It is posted on the Disability Issues Office website and we are pleased to include links to the response for download (PDF / Word).The final sentence of the response reads: "(t)he Government of Manitoba will move forward with accessibility legislation [in 2013] and make the vision of an inclusive society a reality for all Manitobans."

Following is an excerpt from the response that provides an overall summary:


In June 2012, the Manitoba Accessibility Advisory Council prepared recommendations on enacting legislation for the prevention and removal of barriers, and on other policies and practices the government can undertake to improve accessibility.

The Government of Manitoba accepts the recommendations of the Manitoba Accessibility Advisory Council (Council) for a new Act and thanks the Council for its significant contribution in producing a report that can serve as the basis for substantive accessibility legislation.

The main goal of accessibility legislation is to prevent barriers from existing by working with public and private sectors on long-range plans to ensure accessibility. The introduction of legislation will lay out a framework for the development and implementation of accessibility standards and serve as an important step in fulfilling the vision of a fully accessible society. The recommendations of the Council will create critical elements essential to accessibility legislation:

• The process will be designed to develop clear, specific and achievable goals.
• Accessibility standards will affect both the public and private sectors.
• Persons with disabilities and other stakeholders affected by the legislation, such as businesses and municipalities, will play a central role in the development of legislation standards.
• Guarantees contained in the human rights codes will not be affected in any way.
• There will be a regular review of the progress made.

The Government of Manitoba embraces the Council’s report and accepts its key recommendation that accessibility legislation be enacted. It is therefore the intention of the government to introduce legislation in 2013.



Barrier-Free Manitoba will be providing a detailed review of the response shortly.

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