Following recent issues, Bradford is looking to elevate accessibility options at the BWG Leisure Centre.
Based on recommendations from the town’s accessibility advisory committee, council directed staff to investigate options and costs to increase access to the second floor of the leisure centre, and also investigate partnerships with with other health and fitness centres in the event of elevator failure, during the Oct. 1 council meeting.
Those recommendations came in response to feedback from long-time local resident, Mario Batista, who uses a wheelchair and was stuck in the leisure centre elevator — an experience he related to the committee at their Sept. 9 meeting as well as speaking before council last week.
“I was freaking out,” Batista said of being stuck in the elevator on the second floor in early summer.
While he said he was able to resolve the issue after about five minutes, he had no idea in the moment how long he would be trapped, especially since he said the call button inside the elevator connected to staff who were unsure how to resolve the issue.
Luckily, he was able to figure out that the door was simply getting jammed on something and able to free it up enough to close all the way and take him back down to the ground floor, from which he was able to leave, after informing staff.
That followed a period of about 1.5 weeks when Batista recalled the elevator being out of service for repairs, which made it difficult for him to continue exercising as part of his recovery. A surgery to remove a tumour affecting his spinal cord more than two years ago left him partially paralyzed.
“Every day I continue to learn and adapt to this new way of life,” he said during open forum on Oct. 1, adding the support of the committee was “welcoming” and “generated a good two-way conversation.”
Later in the meeting Mayor James Leduc assured council that staff were aware of the issue and would be working to recommend solutions.
“It is an important issue,” he said.
The sentiment was echoed by Ward 7 Coun. Peter Dykie, who also chairs the committee and was hoping staff could provide a timeline for changes “as soon as possible.”
The issue was also previously raised by Ward 1 Coun. Cheraldean Duhaney who emphasized an incident could happen again at almost any time.
“What are we going to do if it does happen tomorrow?” she asked.
While the issue of retrofitting the existing building could be “a little bit tricky,” Terry Foran, director of recreation and cultural services, assured council at the time that staff would look into the matter.
Meanwhile, he explained there are protocols for staff to call emergency services if needed.
During last week’s meeting, Batista also continued efforts to lobby for on-demand service from BWG Transit to help disabled residents.
Options for that type of service are included as part of a multi-year rollout of the town’s new transit plan, but both Batista and Duhaney are hoping they can come sooner.
In the meantime, Batista said he is using the County of Simcoe’s LINX Plus as best he can.
As part of the Oct. 1 meeting, council also received the committee’s annual report, which included an update of the town’s 2020-2025 accessibility plan.
So far, that includes updated town standards for information, communication, employment, transportation, public spaces and customer service, which resulted in a long list of updates around town last year.
Some of those included better signage, improved sidewalks, automatic doors, adding accessible features to roads projects, updates to parks and playgrounds, plus dedicated recreation events adapted for people with accessibility needs.
Looking forward, the report says the town will continue to review projects, programs and initiatives to ensure compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and related regulations, as well as continue development of resources and training materials for town staff, volunteers and contractors.
