Cambridge Accessibility Plan

[bravado]

I just thought I'd share yet another story of how the less powerful are totally ignored by our tax-cutting suburbanite leadership across most Canadian cities. Anyone involved in local activism knows this sort of thing first-hand... Questions sent to Kitchener city hall get answered promptly. Questions to Cambridge just go into the ether. 

To steal a phrase from Strong Towns: cities don't go bankrupt, they just do less and less over time for the same money. Only the loudest get heard in local politics and the loudest are usually the most privileged and anti-social among us.

[bravado]

https://www.cambridgetoday.ca/letters-to...h-10554368

And here’s a letter from the former chair of the accessibility committee who wasn’t too happy about being regularly ignored.

Despite the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) requiring municipalities to consult and act with the guidance of their AACs, the reality is that these committees are often used as window dressing. They are touted for their existence but ignored in their function.

In Cambridge, our committee spent months providing feedback on key issues such as accessible washrooms, public events, and transportation. We were told our questions should be submitted in advance. Then we were told those questions would not be answered. We gave our time and our lived experience, and in return we were sidelined, dismissed, and shut out of the processes that most affect our community.

We were prevented from bringing recommendations to council. Staff controlled agendas and diluted every opportunity for meaningful consultation. When we tried to push back, we were met with silence or vague promises that change was coming. It never did.

[bravado]

https://www.guelphtoday.com/local-news/a...t-10540126

All this just 3 days after the leadership of the Guelph accessibility committee resigned en masse.