WORKING ON ACCESSIBILITY

I have a passion to make sure that Grande Prairie works for residents of all abilities. It should be safe, welcoming, and filled with opportunity for everyone.

 

If re-elected, I will advocate for:

  • Continued investment in addressing accessibility concerns in City facilities.

  • Re-instatement of the Barrier Free grant to help commercial buildings become more welcoming to all people. This was discontinued due to low uptake, but I believe that was due to problems with program design more than lack of community interest.

  • The City to fully participate in the Inclusion Alberta and Rotary Employment Partnership Program to help find some appropriate City jobs for residents with intellectual disabilities. The introduction of Benefits Based Procurement policies which could include giving points to bids from companies which have programs in place to hire people with high barriers to employment, including disabilities.

  • A new mechanism for people with accessibility challenges to report daily annoyances they are encountering on public property, and for these reports to be prioritized. For example, we can’t cut every curb in Grande Prairie. But we should cut a curb if it is causing daily challenges for someone that needs help.

  • Implementing technology to start live Closed Captioning of Council meetings

  • Council to stand up to the province for its removal of resources from people with disabilities. We should be advocating for community members who have been hit hard by recent and ongoing changes.

  • Closing missing links on the Active Transportation network so that those with mobility challenges can safely get around our community

 

During my time on Council, I am proud of:

  • Participating for four years on the Accessory Advisory Committee

  • The Barrier Free grant creating more opportunities for access in commercial buildings

  • Getting other Councillors, City staff, and community leaders to experience a day in a wheelchair through the Chair Leaders program

  • The City completing an Accessibility Audit of all municipal facility and Council allocating capital funding to fix a large number of identified challenges

  • Reforming Accessible Transit to ensure that it is a trustworthy mode of transportation and integrating it with Transit On Demand so that it is closer to an ordinary Transit experience for riders

Full Platform

Do you have questions, ideas, or feedback? I’d love to hear from you! Find me on social media (@DylanBresseyGP) or click here to contact me.