Policy Statement
1.1. Introduction
The Municipality of Casselman is a thriving community that preserves
its roots and charm. It boasts captivating natural spaces and several public
parks, providing residents and visitors of all ages with places for sports, leisure,
or relaxation. Casselman is also known for serving the region with its many
services, restaurants, and businesses.
1.2. Provincial Standards
To make Ontario accessible to people with disabilities, the
Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation and the Accessibility for
Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 requires designated public sector organizations
and large organizations to develop, implement, maintain, and document a
multi-year accessibility plan that outlines their strategy for preventing and
removing barriers and meeting the requirements of the Provincial regulation
through appropriate strategies and measures.
1.3. Statement of commitment
The Municipality of Casselman recognizes the right of every
person living with a disability to live a lifestyle based on dignity,
independence, integration, equal opportunity, and the right to participate
fully in all aspects of community life.
Consequently, the Municipality of Casselman declares its
commitment to work with its citizens on an ongoing basis to eliminate existing
barriers for people living with disabilities and to prevent new barriers from being
created by:
·
Adopting
an annual budget that aims to improve the accessibility to services;
·
Improving
accessibility to buildings, facilities and services for people with functional
limitations;
·
Ensuring
equitable access to employment within the municipality;
·
Ensuring
quality services for all members of the community living with a disability;
·
Incorporating
accessibility standards and criteria into the process of acquiring products and
services for the municipality;
1.4. Guiding Principles
Responsibility
A municipality has a fundamental responsibility to ensure
that all members of its community have equal access to public facilities and
services. In addition, municipalities must also prioritize the implementation
of provincial accessibility legislations, including the adoption of policies
and practices that promote integration and social inclusion, such as accessible
communication and information on employment opportunities.
Commitment
A municipality's commitment to accessibility is essential to
ensuring that all residents have equal access to public facilities, services,
and opportunities. The Municipality of Casselman has chosen to value
accessibility and create a more inclusive and equitable community that benefits
all residents.
Dignity and Fairness
Dignity is a fundamental human right that should be accorded
to all residents, visitors, and employees of the Municipality of Casselman.
Accessibility plays an essential role in respecting this right by ensuring that
people with disabilities are not excluded or marginalized in their
participation in daily life. By ensuring that everyone has equal access to
resources, services, and opportunities, we can create a fairer and more
equitable society in which everyone is valued and respected.
Policy Definitions
2.1. People with Disabilities
For the purposes of this policy, "disability" is
defined according to the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act,
2005 as:
Any degree of physical disability, infirmity, malformation
or disfigurement that is caused by bodily injury, birth defect or illness and,
without limiting the generality of the foregoing, includes diabetes mellitus,
epilepsy, a brain injury, any degree of paralysis, amputation, lack of physical
co-ordination, blindness or visual impediment, deafness or hearing impediment,
muteness or speech impediment, or physical reliance on a guide dog or other
animal or on a wheelchair or other remedial appliance or device,
A condition of mental impairment or a developmental
disability,
A learning disability, or a dysfunction in one or more of
the processes involved in understanding or using symbols or spoken language,
A mental disorder, or
An injury or disability for which benefits were claimed or
received under the insurance plan established under the Workplace
Safety and Insurance Act, 1997.
2.2. Service Animal
For the purposes of this policy, "service animal"
means any of the following:
A guide dog as defined in Section 1 of the Blind Persons'
Rights Act;
A service animal for people with disabilities. For the
purposes of this policy, an animal is a service animal for people with
disabilities;
If it is clear that the animal is used by the person for
reasons related to his or her disability; or
If the person provides a letter from a doctor or nurse
confirming that the person needs the animal for reasons related to his or her
disability.
2.3. Support Person
For the purposes of this policy, a support person is defined
as a person who accompanies a person with a disability in order to help with
communication, mobility, personal care, medical care or access to goods and
services.
Policy Application
3.1. Application
This policy applies to the employees of the Municipality of
Casselman. For questions or comments, the Municipal Clerk is the primary
contact.
3.2. Accessibility Working Group
Considering that accessibility is everyone's responsibility,
the following people are part of the working group: the Mayor, the CAO, all
department heads, and any other parties who may need to be consulted.
At a minimum, the group meets annually to record
achievements in accessibility and to identify areas for improvement.
Suggestions will be put forward during the annual budget process.
The Clerk acts as coordinator of this plan and is
responsible for its renewal.
Policy Requirements
4.1. Implementation of Departmental Requirements
·
Communications
will be conducted by taking into account the needs of the person with a
disability;
·
People
with disabilities which are accompanied by a guide dog or service animal are
allowed to enter areas of premises owned or operated by the municipality that
are generally open to the public, unless the animal is excluded by law;
·
People
with disabilities accompanied by a support person will be allowed to be
accompanied by this support person on premises normally open to the public;
·
Notice
will be given when the facilities or services on which people with disabilities
depend to access the services of the Municipality of Casselman are temporarily
disrupted;
·
The
Municipality of Casselman uses barrier identification methods, including
installation audits and more;
·
The
Municipality of Casselman maintains a procedure for citizens to provide
feedback on the accessibility of goods and services provided by the
municipality;
·
The
Municipality of Casselman recognizes that people with disabilities may choose
to use their own assistive devices to obtain, use or benefit from services
offered by the Municipality;
·
Provide
training to municipal staff.
4.2. Feedback
Anyone may comment, send a request or file a complaint
regarding the Municipality of Casselman's accessibility program. The following
methods are available to those concerned:
·
Fill
out the form about the accessibility of facilities and services at the
following address: www.casselman.ca;
·
Send
an e-mail describing the nature of the complaint or concern to the following
e-mail address: [email protected];
·
Contact
the Accessibility Coordinator by telephone at 613-764-3139, or by mail at the
following address Municipality of Casselman, 751 St-Jean, Casselman, Ontario,
K0A 1M0.
Regardless of the method used to route the request, a
response will be provided within 30 days;
The Accessibility Coordinator is responsible for processing
requests. If the Coordinator, or his delegate, cannot agree on the resolution
of the request, the matter is forwarded to the CAO for decision. If the CAO is
unable to reach a solution, the matter may be presented to the Municipal
Council for a final decision.
4.3. Service Interruption
The Municipality must give advance notice to the public of
any planned interruption, partial or total, of services or facilities offered
to people with disabilities. In the case of unplanned interruptions, the
Municipality will notify the public as soon as possible;
The public notice must include the reason for the
interruption, its expected duration, and proposed alternatives.
4.4. Document Format
If the Municipality of Casselman is asked to provide a copy
of a document to a person with a disability, the Municipality must give that
person the document or the information contained in the document, in a format
that takes into account the person's disability;
The duration of the conversion process varies according to
the size, complexity and quality of the source documents, the number of
documents to be converted and, if applicable, the budget allocated for the
conversion. Documents are returned within a reasonable timeframe, depending on
the above-mentioned factors;
Wherever possible, conversion is an internal process. Where
conversion is carried out externally, the costs are assumed by the department
budget and/or the administration budget, not the applicant.
Customer Service
As a designated public sector organization, we must meet all
the requirements of the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service under the
Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA).
In January 2008, the municipality implemented its
Accessibility Standards for Customer Service policy, which aims to ensure the
provision of goods, services and facilities to people with disabilities, and to
adapt these services/facilities to comply with the customer service standards set
out in Part IV.2 of Ontario Regulation 191/11.
5.1. Past Achievements
·
Replacement of nine entrance doors at
the Town Hall, the Paul-Émile Lévesque centre, Richelieu Park and the public
work office;
·
Design of a new website in compliance
with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 level AA to ensure accessibility
of information for our residents (launch date: early 2024);
·
Replacement of the ramp at the Town Hall.
5.2. Strategy and actions
·
Continue to guarantee the
accessibility of services to our residents and visitors by complying with AODA
Standards;
·
Continue to renovate facilities or
construct new buildings, striving to improve and incorporate accessibility
features for our residents;
·
Continue the evaluation and review of
parks and recreation facilities in conjunction with the development of a master
plan to increase participation in recreation programs for people with special
needs;
·
Update the policy on accessibility
standards for customer services set out in Part IV.2 of Ontario Regulation
191/11.
Information
and Communications
In
accordance with the AODA Information and Communication Standards, the
municipality is required to provide documents in accessible formats and
communication assistance when providing information to people with disabilities
who request it. We will communicate with people with disabilities, taking their
needs into account.
We will
also meet the internationally recognized requirements of the Web Content
Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level AA, in accordance with Ontario
accessibility legislation, and ensure that they are kept up to date.
6.1. Past Achievements
·
The design of a new website in
compliance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 level AA to
ensure accessibility of information for our residents (launch date: early
2024);
·
The introduction of an online form
enabling residents to give their views on accessibility;
·
The use of emergency alerts, offering
a flexible notification solution to our residents, who can opt for text
messages or emails.
6.2. Strategies and actions
·
Increase promotion of municipal accessibility
initiatives on social media;
·
Continue to ensure that the
municipality's website and web applications are AODA compliant;
·
Ensure that the reception process
meets the needs of people with disabilities.
Employment
As an
employer in Ontario, the municipality must comply with the Ontario Accessible
Employment Standards to meet the needs of employees and job applicants with
disabilities.
7.1. Past Achievements
·
Renovation of the tourist office to
include accessible facilities to accommodate summer employees with disabilities.
7.2. Strategies and Actions
·
Continue to ensure that the
municipality's employment policies and practices are inclusive of people with
disabilities;
·
Expand human resources policies
relating to the provision of accommodations on the basis of disability and
accessible employment, setting out the municipality's commitment to the
prevention and elimination of barriers for people with disabilities, as well as
the establishment of procedures by which people with disabilities can request accommodations;
·
Maintain a return-to-work process.
Purchases
We will
integrate accessibility criteria and features into the contracting and
acquisition of goods, services and facilities.
8.1. Past Achievements
·
For our tenders, we use the
application Bids &Tenders, which provides accessible digital solutions in
accordance with the requirements of the Accessibility for Ontarians with
Disabilities Act;
·
We publish tenders through our
website, which complies with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG)
2.0 level AA.
8.2. Strategies and Actions
·
Continue to ensure that accessibility
criteria are essential requirements of the procurement process when acquiring
or purchasing goods, services and/or facilities;
·
Continue to work with suppliers and
community partners to meet or exceed accessibility requirements;
·
Update the Purchasing Policy.
Training
The
Municipality of Casselman is required to provide appropriate training on the
AODA Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation and the Human Rights Code as
it relates to persons with disabilities to all employees, volunteers and
persons who participate in the development of municipal policies or who provide
services or goods on behalf of the Municipality.
9.1. Past Achievements
·
Mandatory training for current and
new employees;
·
AODA customer service training;
·
Training on understanding human
rights.
9.2. Strategies
and Actions
·
Ensure that mandatory accessibility
training is offered to employees;
·
Encourage employee registration for
training activities to increase knowledge of accessibility.
Design of
Public Spaces
The
Municipality of Casselman will comply with the accessibility standards for the
design of public spaces if it makes major modifications to an existing public
space - or builds a new one - that is covered by these accessibility standards.
10.1. Past Achievements
·
Installation of a magic eye (splash
pad), a ramp, three new structures, a safety surface, a washroom, an accessible
door and automated button at Parc Richelieu as part of major renovations in
2021;
·
Creation of a fully accessible park
(Parc Tchou Tchou) on Barrage Road;
·
Addition of an accessible structure
at Hydro Park and Optimist Park;
·
Replacement of entrance doors and
addition of automatic buttons at the Town Hall, J.R. Brisson Complex,
Paul-Émile Lévesque centre, Richelieu Park and the Public Works Office;
·
Fully accessible ramps at the Town
Hall, 750 Principale and the Tourist Information Center;
·
Installation of two pedestrian
crossings on rue Principale;
·
Installation of six (6) platforms
with benches that take into account the needs of sidewalk users (2020-2022);
·
Installation of additional
handicapped parking spaces at the public parking lot located on St-Isidore
street, the Tourist Information Center, J.R. Brisson Complex, the J.R. Brisson
Community Hall and at 750 Principale;
·
Installation of accessible pedestrian
crossings:
- 2021:
Brébeuf Street between Laurier and St-Isidore Streets;
- 2022:
Laurier Street between Brébeuf Street and the entrance to École St-Paul;
- 2022:
Intersection of Principale Street, Laflèche and Racine Streets;
·
Sidewalks improvements including
ramps and tactile paving since 2020:
- Brébeuf
Street between Laurier and St-Isidore Streets;
- Principale
Street in front of the A & W;
- Dollard
Street between the railroad tracks and St-Joseph Street;
- Principale
Street (east side) between Paul-Émile Lévesque bridge and St-Isidore Street;
- St-Joseph
Street between Dollard and Yvon Streets;
- Principale
Street between Montcalm Street and St-Isidore (west side);
- St-Isidore
Street between Brébeuf and St-Joseph Streets;
- Rue
Brébeuf between Dollard Street and behind the No Frills parking lot.
10.2. Strategies and Actions
·
Continue to maintain accessible
elements in public spaces through regularly scheduled monitoring and preventive
maintenance of accessible elements;
·
Continue to respond to temporary
disruptions when accessible elements in public spaces are not in working order,
by informing the public and prioritizing corrective measures;
·
Ensure that restoration and new
infrastructure construction projects include provisions for accessibility;
·
Provide a completely accessible Town
Hall.
Adopted : September 26, 2023
PDF Version : Multi-year Accessibility Plan