QPL Articles
New Accessibility Laws Should Address Employment, Inclusive Buildings, Transport: Report
By Jonathan Ablett | May 31, 2017
Public consultations on Canada’s first national law for disabled people have identified high unemployment rates, inaccessible buildings and barriers in transportation as some of the key issues that need to be addressed.
The report was released by the federal government on Monday, May 29, 2017 summarizing eight months of consultations held with 6000 Canadians and 90 additional organizations. Employment issues were the top priority identified by the report. The report currently estimates one in seven Canadians has some form of disability and projects that number will increase as the population ages.
The prospective act, which disability rights advocates have been seeking for years, would govern areas that fall under federal jurisdiction, such as banks, telecommunications, and interprovincial transportation.
The report states that participants wanted to see laws that would help lower stubbornly high unemployment rates for those with disabilities, reduce the number of buildings inaccessible to those with physical and intellectual disabilities, and remove accessibility barriers for the country’s air, rail, ferry and bus transportation systems.
The report further states a strong preference for the establishment of an independent body to oversee compliance with the new laws, which are expected to come before the House of Commons in early 2018.
See more at: globalnews.ca/