Harbour Grace to form an accessibility committee

By Mark Squibb

The Town of Harbour Grace is in the midst of forming a new municipal advisory committee to help with the implementation of an accessibility plan.

The goal is to make Town buildings more accessible and Town policies more inclusive.

“We’re trying to get everything up to code and up to standard,” said Mayor Don Coombs. “And these are not million dollars fixes. A lot of it is pretty simple.”

Coombs said that sitting on different boards, such as Inclusive CBN, made him realize Harbour Grace is not as accessible a town as it could be.

“It’s 2024,” said Coombs. “Everybody has the right to access things.”

The Town put out a call for membership last month. Six to eight people are expected to sit on the committee, and the Town placed special emphasis on attracting folks with accessibility challenges or lived experience with a disability, as well as seniors, members of Indigenous and LGBT communities, minorities, people with mental health issues or intellectual impairments, the homeless, and representatives of special interest groups.

The deadline for applying was this Wednesday. Once committee members have been selected, Coombs said the committee will meet to discuss its objectives and goals.

“I’m sure with the volunteer group that we’ve got in our town now, that we’ll have some good people step up to the plate with good ideas, and good experience,” said Coombs, who added it’s likely that at least one member of council and Town Manager Amy Parsons will sit on the board.

“Let’s do it now, get it done, and make Harbour Grace accessible for everybody,” said Coombs. “That’s the plan, and that’s the vision that council has.”

Accessibility plans are not unique to Harbour Grace. In fact, the provincial government mandated them in the Accessibilities Act, which became law in December 2021. As per the Act, all public bodies, including Provincial government departments, agencies, boards and commissions, municipalities, health authorities, and public and private educational institutions, are required to develop an accessibility plan and make it public within two years. 

In keeping with the Act, the provincial government last Thursday announced its first ever accessibility plan.

The plan was created with input from people with disabilities, membership in disability organizations and all provincial government departments.