Peterborough accessibility plan prioritizes employment, sidewalks, parks, transit

A draft five-year accessibility plan has a number of infrastructure and employment priorities for the City of Peterborough.

On Monday for its general committee meeting, city council received the draft 2024-2028 Accessibility Plan.

Mark Buffone, the city’s accessibility compliance specialist, presented the draft, noting that the disability rate in Canada is “quickly” increasing across all age groups, with 27 per cent of the population aged 15 and older having at least one disability.

Peterborough’s population in 2021 was over 83,650, with over 24 per cent aged 65 and older. The population is projected to reach 125,000 by 2051.

The extensive 52-page draft outlines areas for the city to better accommodate those with disabilities and to help address existing barriers within the city. The aim is to shift from a “compliance” model to a “compliance plus inclusion” model.

“Accessibility will increase consumer spending. It will increase business profits. It will increase employee productivity,” Buffone said.

The five priority areas in the Accessibility Plan and some recommendations are:

• Sidewalk infrastructure: Aim to reconstruct several kilometres of sidewalk annually. Areas cited for reconstruction include Brealey Drive (Lansdowne to Sherbrooke), Lansdowne Street West (Park to Lock streets), Charlotte Street (Water to Park streets), Sherbrooke Street (Glenforest Boulevard to the west city limit) and Chemong Road (Parkhill Road to Sunset Boulevard).
• Transit system and stops: Aim to upgrade 80 to 150 transit stops by 2028, including additional signage, links to sidewalks and more.
• Streets and intersections: Expand the number of mid-block pedestrian crossing facilities, where appropriate, including the Rotary Trail Crossing at Hunter Street East, and add other accessible pedestrian signals at all new and retrofitted intersections and more.
• Parks: Incorporate walkways and/or multi-use paths for new parks and sports fields. The report lists 11 city parks that require a walkway network. Also, add more accessible play equipment to parks. The report also cites the need for new washroom buildings at Jackson Park and Knights of Columbus Park and recommends renovations for the Eastgate Memorial Park washroom building.
• Employment opportunities: Increased use of social media to promote inclusive recruitment and employment at the city; explore co-operative education opportunities for students with disabilities, create more barrier-free access infrastructure to employment lands and more.

The draft report notes people with disabilities are more likely to be employed than in the past. Approximately 62 per cent of working-age adults with disabilities (25 to 64 years of age) were employed compared with 78 per cent of people without disabilities.

“The gap between the employment rates of people with disabilities and people without disabilities narrowed from a 21 percent gap in 2017 to a 16 per cent gap in 2022,” the report notes.

The report also says 88 per cent of employees with “invisible disabilities” choose not to disclose their disability at work to avoid discrimination, stigma and lack of support.

That message hit with city councillor Keith Riel, who says he recently experienced a similar situation.

“I was made to disclose a disability I have which is nobody’s business but mine,” he told council.

0:58 Capable Con in Peterborough raises awareness for accessibilty

Funding to meet accessibility recommendations will need to be allocated through municipal budgeting or funding from other levels of government.

“We need to do more work to make it easier for people to be able to access the community, to be employed without having to ask for accommodation,” he said.

Accessibility plans are provincially mandated, Buffone noted.

The Ontario government pledged to meet its goal of making the province accessible for people with disabilities by 2025.

“The way I’ve always looked at it is the work will actually start in 2025, the real work,” Buffone said.