Meetings of the Comox Valley Accessibility Committee are held on the Third WEDNESDAY of each month at 1:30 PM
at the Lewis Centre in Courtenay, BC
tel: 250 338 5371
Visitors and new members are always welcome

MINUTES of MEETINGS

2006

January 06    February 06   March 06   April 06
May 06      June 06             July 06      August 06
September 06  October 06    November 06  December 06

2005

January 05    February 05   March 05   April 05
May 05      June 05             July 05      August 05
September 05  October 05    November 05  December 05

2004

November 04

2003

November 03

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2006 MINUTES

Meeting #71 Comox Valley Accessibility Committee
Jan. 11, 2006

The agenda was approved and the minutes of the last meeting were reviewed. Old Business " No report from Jeanette as she is away. The report from Susan Murphy re the transit forum, held last December, has not yet been received. " There is no report from the intersections sub-committee this meeting. " UN International Day of the Disabled - the letters, sent to the newspapers, were printed after the fact and was as an article! New Business " We had invited Grahame Faris again to our meeting but he did not attend. " Betty Anne Juba was our guest and she is chairing the committee - CV Affordable Housing Society. She explained the purpose of the committee and what they hope to accomplish. She also asked our committee if we were interested in reviewing plans of proposed housing when they get to that stage. They hope to make all accommodation accessible as well as available for low income. We gave a resounding yes to her question. " We received a letter from Dr. Haegert that maintenance to the ramp and railing at her office has been completed. Thanks to Corrine for bringing it to her attention. " Amber Wheeler was welcomed to our committee. She is a 3rd. year nursing student at NIC and is doing a practicum with Heather C. " Marilyn and Corrine met with VIHA as they outlined their plans to amalgamate several different services into one building. Our committee members outlined their concerns and requirements that seemed to be absent from the final report that they received!! " Concern has been raised that the soup kitchen, food bank and some offices of the Salvation Army are not accessible to the disabled. Letters to be written to see if solutions can be found.. " Darcy has volunteered to speak with Graham Faris re a commitment to speak with our group and if no commitment a letter will be sent to the regional district requesting such a meeting. The next meeting will be held on Wednesday, Feb. 8, 1:30 pm, Lewis Centre Meeting Room. Note: Our NIC Nursing Practicum Student, Amber, requires some Board experience for her practicum & I have graciously offered that she be the Chair for this meeting & she has graciously accepted. Please come fragrance free. Thanks!

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Meeting #72 Comox Valley Accessibility Committee
Feb. 8, 2006

Today we had a lot of first time visitors to our meeting. Most of the meeting was spent reviewing the washroom plans for the soon to be renovated washrooms of the Union bay Hall. Dave Davidson brought the proposed plans and they were reviewed and several ideas were suggested. Old Business 1. Intersections Committee will meet in just over a week from now. 2. Food Bank - there is no room for a ramp as trucks must be able to back up to unload. If a person wishes service the best idea is to phone ahead and they will come out and serve the person otherwise they will have to wait for a person to go in for them. 3. Soup Kitchen - it may be accessed from the ramp on 6th. St. The church asks that the handicap not park in the designated church parking. If you phone the church before you arrive they will watch and help you in the door. 4. Regional District Rep - our rep this year is Barry Minaker and Barbara Price is the alternate. 5. Salvation Army - has already explored the possibility of making the Women's Shelter accessible. They have applied for funds but are not hopeful as the city is not supportive! If a woman needs emergency shelter then they will be put in a motel room for 3 days until other arrangements can be made. New Business 1. Graeme Faris will be invited to our next meeting as he had a presentation to do today. 2. Iain Cameron - is doing a project for a course he is taking at NIC. Several people have volunteered to answer questions and help. The secretary will forward email addresses to Ian to start the process. Next meeting will be March 8th. at 1:30 pm. at the Lewis Centre.

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Meeting #74 Comox Valley Accessibility Committee
April 12 & 19, 2006

The meeting was filmed today by Iain Cameron and Rita Picard as part of his "Advocacy Project" at North Island College. Sarah Trotter a representative from the Canadian Hard of Hearing Assoc. was our guest speaker. She spoke about the invisibility to an invisible disability hearing loss is. The association offers courses to the hard of hearing, gives out ear plugs at the air show every 2 years as well as other education programs. She noted that over 50% of teenagers are hard of hearing due to excessive noise that they are exposed to i.e. ear phones for music players. She has some concern with the announcements on BC Ferries - a lot of the hearing impaired can not make out the announcements and in case of an emergency what strategies are in place to adequately cover their safety? A letter to Jim Abrams at the Regional Board will address this issue as well as other concerns around access issues on BC Ferries. The Agenda was approved and the minutes of the last meeting were reviewed. Barry Minaker was pleased to announce that the proposal re Access that is going to the annual UBCM was endorsed by the Assoc. of Vancouver Island Coastal Communities at their last meeting. Old Business " Transit Subcommittee & Courtenay Transportation Study - an advisory committee will try to be formed to offer ideas re alternate transportation. Examples are bike access, pedestrian routes and hopefully meet with Graham Faris re bus transportation. " Intersections Subcommittee & CNIB - A letter and map have gone to the city re our concerns. Michael needs to be contacted about a CNIB rep and when they can come with the new model of "crossing" technology. " Kensington Development - A brief was turned in re their development that in turn will go to all directors as well as the developer. " Municipal Councils - letters were sent to Comox, Courtenay and Cumberland. Contact was made with Comox and they are looking at ways that this committee might have an advisory role re access issues. Courtenay Council has said they will refer all upgrades and new construction of their facilities to our committee. There has been no response from Cumberland as yet. New Business " Intersections video by Amber - this was watched by the committee and we felt it was well done. A discussion followed re the TV interview with Amber and Marg by the Local TV station. " Air Park Washrooms - John H. And Marg M. both inspected the new washrooms at the Airpark. They are more than satisfactory for wheelchairs but the larger scooters have difficulty maneuvering around. Dan Mooney was the one there during the inspection. " Our bi-annual meeting with the City of Courtenay needs to be arranged. Some items for discussion may be the need for a park bench near Ink Jet building or at top of stairs that lead from the Filberg Center. Any chance of a ramp instead of the stairs? Info on development of Block 71? Perhaps get a rep from CNIB to this meeting as well - Michael to be contacted. " Trilogy Development - Cumberland to be contacted re this development and issues re access be evaluated. " Access Week - the official day is June 3/06 but we may celebrate it on May 31st. at the Health Fair. An award should go to Barry Minaker re his proposal to UBCM and he will be contacted re this possibility. " The Comox Valley Family Services - they plan to invite us to go over access issues before they develop plans for construction. They will be invited to our next meeting. " Grant-in Aid - Heather and Marg will complete the paper work to apply for a grant to keep this committee functioning. " Letter to Graham Faris (and Reg. District) inviting him to a meeting with us. The meeting to be held any afternoon and he may chose the date. An email address will be supplied for reply " UBCM - Heather will try to notify all access committees re this motion to UBCM and see if we can garner more support. " Web-site - John is maintaining the site and dealing with the new owners of our service provider. The next meeting will be May 10/06 at 1:30pm.

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Meeting #75 Comox Valley Accessibility Committee
May 10, 2006

The committee has yet to receive a copy of the presentation produced by Rita and Iain as a class project. Darcy reported that an item on TV was about accessibility in doctors' offices and the suitability of their equipment for people who have disabilities. Their will a representative from the CNIB in Courtenay that will speak to representatives of the local municipalities regarding a new crossing signal that is available to aid the visually impaired. A meeting will be held on May 29, 2006 at the Lewis Center meeting room at 1:30pm. Invitations will be extended to Courtenay, Comox and Bob Hall of the Ministry of Transportation. John H. will attend the next Social Planning Council meeting and will report on any news re the "Trilogy Project". A discussion re a handicap taxi took place. Nanaimo has just got 2 taxis and we now have a contact (Mike) there if our local owner would like to speak to him. The local company is not that secure at the moment. A student from Highland that is handicap and looking for work experience is going to do a survey on parks and there accessibility for us. New Business Access Day June 3 - requires a letter to the editor and will be acknoeledged at the Wellness Fair on May 31 as well as a static display at the Driftwood mall on June2 & 3. Wendy from the In Focus magazine will be contacted by Brad and Greg Phillips may also be contacted. A meeting with reps from the City of Courtenay will hopefully be set up for May 29, 2006 at the Lewis Center meeting room at 1:30pm. The person from the CNIB would speak first and then leave and we then can continue the meeting with the city. Questions for the city. " Emergency preparedness - are plans in place on how the disabled will be dealt with in an emergency? " What is the code now for sidewalk widths? Some are so narrow that scooters have a problem passing. " Uneven sidewalks pose a real problem for people using mobility aids. Are there any quick fix solutions if it is too expensive to replace? " Can anything be done re sandwich boards that are on sidewalks that pose a hazard to the visually impaired and others? Next regular meeting June 14, 2006 at 1:30pm.

EXTRA MAY MEETING #76 Comox Valley Accessibility Committee
May 29, 2006

Present: Heather Crites, Darcy Walters, Mary and Derek Harris (CNIB), Glenn Westendorp (Town of Comox), Ian Farquharson & Kevin Lagan (City of Courtenay), Deryk Upton (Continental Traffic/Astrographic Industries), Charlotte Lauret, Brad Erhardt, Michael Mclellan, John Higginbotham and Marg Misener. We welcomed several guests who joined us to hear about the new CNIB approved system to help the blind safely cross a street. Derek Upton demonstrated the device that is a big improvement to what we are using now. There is a locator beep to find the device that automatically adjusts its level of volume to match the ambient noise. It has tactile features as well as audible features. It can use the wiring already present in the pole and can be adjusted by a remote control. The presentation was well received and many questions were asked by the representatives from the 2 municipalities. The remainder of the meeting was with Ian Farquharson and Kevin Lagan. Kevin outlined the Emergency Preparedness Plan for the city and some of its deficiencies. Emergency shelters are designated but no plans are in place to locate and deal with the disabled that live in private dwellings. Kevin challenged this committee to develop some proposals to go the Emergency Preparedness Committee to address this issue. We will meet Mon. June 5th. to brainstorm. If we have any questions Kevin, Mike Fournier and Tom Mills can answer our questions. Ian Farquharson answered most of the questions that we had sent to him. - Sidewalks are made 1 ½ m. wide but some are wider as part of a business. - There is a "Trip & Fall Program" in place - where a city worker walks along the sidewalks noting any problems and they are then repaired. - Sandwich boards should not be obstructing the sidewalk and there is a bylaw to that effect. A call to Gary Usher at city hall will have investigating a complaint. - The question of providing parking places for scooters in a designated parking area off the sidewalk was not endorsed. Riding on a busy roadway needs to be discouraged and if there were no letdown to this space it would be prohibitive to gain access to the sidewalk. - The doors at city hall need the buttons moved to a more accessible location so you do not need to go in reverse to avoid the door hitting the scooter or wheelchair. - The length of time given to cross a street seems to be too short on some of the wider streets. However, if this time were lengthened it would disrupt the pattern flow of traffic in the city. No resolution was made. A meeting, to develop a proposal for Emergency Preparedness, will be at Plates on June 5th. at 1230pm.. Next meetings: RE Emergency Preparedness: AT Plates on June 5th at 12:30 pm Regular Meeting: June 14th, 1:30 pm, AT Aquatic Centre Note this location!

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Meeting #77 Comox Valley Accessibility Committee June 14, 2006

Present: John Higginbotham, Marilyn Marsden, Darcy Walters, Charlotte Lauret, Karen Waller, Karin Kratz, Brad Erhardt, Marg Misener, Bert Abbott and Kelly Gesner (guest). The meeting was called together at 1:00pm. The agenda was circulated and approved. The minutes of meeting #76 were approved. OLD BUSINESS 1. Audible pedestrian traffic signal lights - Brad gave a brief description of the presentation and it was felt that the reps from Courtenay and Comox were receptive and seemed genuinely interested. 2. The Disability Fair was really quiet at our display with most interest around handicap parking. 3. Highland Student - at this time the person is involved with other activities. 4. Access Week - Karin took 2 regional directors to Crown Isle. They started in the parking lot in wheelchairs and had to manoeuvre uphill and visited the handicap washrooms as well as the restaurant including going down the ramp! It was quite an eye opener. The washrooms in that facility leave a lot to be desired. NEW BUSINESS 1. Kelly Gesner of Landworks Consultants Inc. spoke to us about the Trilogy Development near Cumberland. It is still in the very early stage. They are presently looking for major tenants for the commercial part of the development - if no tenants the development will not happen. Four things must happen BEFORE development: An amendment is needed to the OCP, Rezoning needs to happen (maybe next month), Plans for the infrastructure (water & sewer) and securing tenants for the development. Ideas for this project include housing with "visitability", Good transit; accessible transit corridor etc., put on your thinking hats and get those ideas flowing. 2. Emergency Planning - John and Marg met with Kevin Lagan and the Emergency Social Services part of PEP. This committee is recommending that a sub committee be struck and a member of our committee to be one of the members of this subcommittee. This new committee will try to develop a way that the disabled in the community can be found in an emergency and can be rescued in a timely manner. Marg M. has volunteered for this duty. 3. Affordable Housing - The City of Courtenay is striking a committee re Affordable housing. Karin and Brad expressed interest and Karin will investigate. Meeting adjourned At 2:40pm. Next meeting will be Thurs. July 13, 2006 at the Aquatic Center.

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Meeting #78 Comox Valley Accessibility Committee
July 13, 2006

The Accessibility Meeting was called to order at 1:30pm. Present: John Higginbotham, Marilyn Marsden, Heather Crites, Karin Waller, Barry Minaker and Marg Misener. The minutes of the meeting of June 14, 2006 were approved. Old Business: " Heather reported that the Rick Hanson Committee will be providing funds for a hand ergometer and also possibly a leg machine to be installed at the Sport's Center. " Heather reported on the C.V. Transportation Advocacy Meeting. Two letters were sent out - one for a transit advisory committee and the other letter requested that a transportation advisory committee be included in a regional growth advisory committee. Barry suggested that they inquire about requesting a seat on the Technical committee of the regional District that deals with their area of interest. " John Higginbotham has applied to sit on the Affordable Housing Committee that the City of Courtenay has organized. There will be meetings for 4 - 6 months. Corrine Mandseth will act as a resource person for John. New Business " Kensington Development - we need to define our process in working with the developer of this project. We should request the architect to visit us to discuss their plans. More work will be done on this item at our next meeting. " Washington Park - the intercom system has been removed and the elevators are not reliable. Karin to explore if there is any accessible housing available at the base. " John visited Berwick Place only to discover that they do not allow outdoor scooters in their hallways. (He had Been Directed there to use the handicap washroom!) He required assistance to enter and exit the washroom! He has sent letters and emails to Berwick Place as well as the Town of C Perhaps it is time to have a visit with the town council again and express our wish for a closer relationship and see them be a little more cooperative re accessibility issues. " Karin has spoken to the Coastal Credit Union re the poor design of their ATM's. Apparently they will be getting new ones and we need to follow up. " The City of Burnaby has a good accessibility plan. Perhaps we should research it and encourage our local municipal governments to do so also " Comox - There may be a new library built and we need to review the plans again if changes have been made since our last meeting with them. We need to remind Comox to have a policy re accessibility mush like the Reg. District. " A letter to be sent to Crown Isle as a follow up to Karin's escapades there in May. " Heather will explore what if anything is going on about city hall renovations in Courtenay. Strategy Meeting - Wed. Sept. 6 Lewis Centre 1:30 pm … MEETING ROOM… Regular Meeting - Wed. Sept. 20 Lewis Centre

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2005 MINUTES

Meeting #61 Comox Valley Accessibility Committee
Jan. 19, 2005

This meeting we welcomed Barry Minaker a Director with the Regional District. He has been appointed as a liaison between the District Board and ourselves. We also welcomed S.A.I.L. - Synergy Accelerating Individual Legacy group and Brad Erhardt gave a presentation about what their group is trying to accomplish. Their work would allow people with disabilities have access to resource web links, newsletter, tourism access, assistive technology supports and aids, community and municipal programs and services and employment. They hope to have a display at the Florence Filberg Centre on Wed. March 16, 2005 with representation for all types of handicaps.
Old Business.
Web site report - Island net will provide a site free and we chose "Comox Valley Access" as our domain name. It will cost $70.00 for 2 years. John H. will continue working on this project. .
Heather and Marg reported on the reception of our power point presentation at the Base. It was well received. .
The question of bus shelters may have a happy ending as there should be new ones by February. .
New Business.
Heather is our liaison with the Rick Hansen wheel a thon that will happen on June 12th. The money raised to go to Sports Equipment (?)..
Pool Planning Darcy spoke e a legacy grat that would help with a wellness centre to help with programs and possible physio also. A hot tub lift is available. .
Street crossings need to be improved for the visually and hearing impaired. Impaired. The hearing impaired need a small flashing light on the button that they push to activate the walk sign. There are some of these devices in Courtenay but all should be equipped this way. The visually impaired need audible signals at all crossings that have activation buttons. The button should beep when pushed and when it is time to walk an audible sound should be available like it is at Fitzgerald and 26th. St. Brad Erhardt will research which crosswalks need modification and will report back. .
Heidi, our new nursing student, will help us to develop our power point presentation by taking more pictures for us to use and how transportation issues affect the handicap. I.e. no handi-dart on the weekends. .
Volunteer Day- Sat. Jan. 29th. at the Driftwood Mall. .
Access Awareness Day June 4th. - our banner will be up the week before. .
Accessibility Plan for the Community.
Our objective is to make the whole community accessible for the handicap. Would like to be involved at the early stages of development with planners and architects BEFORE building commences. It is cheaper to change plans in the beginning than retrofit. .
Letters to be written to all Councils and Boards re establishing a standard bus stop post that can be distinguished by the visually impaired. Right now there is no way for them to know if they are standing by a stop sign or a bus sign! .
Next meeting will be Thurs. June Feb. 17th. at 1:30pm at the Lewis Centre. .

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Meeting #63 COMOX VALLEY ACCESSIBILITY COMMITTEE
March 17 2005

We welcomed Karin Kratz to our meeting. She is a civilian employee at the Base and is active re disability issues there.
Old Business: .
The web site is running well but john would like more information to post on it. Heather will send him our annual report for 2004 as well as give a CD of pictures that the committee has. .
We hope to arrange an informal meeting with S.A.I.L. to review with them their findings on their surveys. This committee would like to congratulate them on the fair they hosted on March 16, 2005. .
A draft of the Road Banner is available and we will critique it next meeting. .
The nursing practicum student, Heidi, which has worked hard helping us to garner information on hotel room accessibility and elevator accessibility, will be missed. She has done a great job and is to be congratulated. .
The display at the S.A.I.L. Fair was well received. Darcy Walters reported that he had had several inquiries re accessibility to local parks at his display. .
The bus shelters are under construction. At present we have no idea how many or where all will be .
The planning for the Rick Hansen Wheels in Motion is ongoing and the money raised will go to a piece of exercise equipment for the disabled. .
New Business: .
We hope to meet with our counterparts in Campbell River and see what they are working on. Heather will arrange. .
Access Awareness Day - we have booked a table at Driftwood Mall for display purposes and purpose modified wheelchair races if allowed. Marg will contact the mall for permission and Wayne Tupper for the loan of chairs. .
- Perhaps this year we will present certificates of appreciation to the Restore in Courtenay, the Community Thrift store on Cumberland Rd. and the Port Augusta, Coast Westerly and Kingfisher for their accessible rooms. .
Many questions are coming in re transportation issues in the valley. John Cooper of the Regional District is presently doing a review of bus signage and will be in touch with this committee. Susan Murphy is doing an informal survey with the Evergreen Seniors re scheduling and Handy Dart Service. Heather will contact her for information. Karin Kratz questioned why there is no service to the Base as they are one of the largest employers in the valley. Could Handy Dart service be extended to 7 days a week? .
Heather offered invitations to a volunteer luncheon to be held on Sun. April 17th. and sponsored by the Volunteer Bureau. .
Next meeting to be held on Thurs. April 21, 2005.

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Meeting #64 Comox Valley Accessibility Committee
April 21, 2005

It has been reported that the washrooms at Goose spit are not easily accessed and not suitable. Corrine and Heather will view and report.
Karen will view and report on the washrooms at the Comox Mall as there has been complaints re accessibility.
The web site www.cvaccess.ca remains an ongoing project. John gave a report on the number of "hits" we have had.
Bus Shelters:
New shelters have been installed around the valley for transit riders. The shelter beside the Courtenay Museum is inadequate. It is quite high and has no ends filled in therefore no protection from wind and rain! Dan Mooney will be approached re how the shelter at the museum might be improved. Another shelter in front off Payless near Superstore is better as it has both a back and ends and give much better protection. Another shelter is on Cliffe Ave. near Safeway and appears to be in an area where there was no bus stop. (John checked with a bus driver and the stop has been moved from in front of the building where the Cancer Agency is to where the new shelter is. The drivers were not consulted and are unhappy.)
Cumberland Clinic
There is no enforcement of who parks in the handicap spots at the clinic nor is the door easy to open. This clinic will be approached re needed changes.
Power-point presentation.
Heather and Marg will try to get bookings for Cumberland Council, CV Tourism, Rotary Club(s) and Chamber of commerce.
Affordable Housing:
The waiting list for handicap accessible affordable housing is long and hard to get. We shall explore what is available in the valley, who they are run by, how to apply etc.
Scooter Emergency Rescue Team:
Fire and Ambulance have been approached re what help they can give. They can do citizen assistance calls but will not look after the scooter. BCAA will pick up a scooter and take it home for you. Some dealers in the valley will come to your rescue during business hours too.
Taxi - van:
Jeanette came to our meeting seeking help to save the taxi van that has now been discontinued. According to the owner Dave of the company he was loosing about $400.00 a month and could not afford to keep it going. John Cooper of the regional District has suggested approaching service clubs for help to subsidize the taxi. Handidart operates from 8 - 4 five days a week and this is not adequate.
A letter to be sent to the editors of the local papers seeking support for the taxi , ideas that could improve the service etc. Christina Wiens of the "Echo" is interested in this story.
Next meeting will be Thurs. May 5, 2005 at 1:30pm

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Meeting #65 Comox Valley Accessibility Committee
May 19, 2005

This was a short meeting and many reports were received.
The Road Banner is up declaring Access Awareness Day for June 4th. It looks great. We will have a table at Driftwood Mall On June 4th. and need volunteers between 10:00am and 4:00pm.
Charlotte brought news re the bus shelter question. She has spoken to Dan Mooney and he has suggested we write to Courtenay council re our concerns. This will be done by the secretary.
On Fri. May 28, 2005 there is to be a workshop on Homelessness and Affordable Housing in Cumberland starting at 10:00 am. We should have a representative there.
Marg reported that the let downs by Staples, Winners and Pennington's have been installed. A thank you letter to the company will be sent (if their address can be found)!
A report was read re the meeting around the issue of the loss of the accessible taxi. The next meeting will be Thurs. May 26th.
No decision was made re a June luncheon or if we will stop for the summer.
Tentative date for the next meeting is Thurs. June 17th.

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Meeting #66 Transit Meeting & Letter CVAC
June 13 2005

Hi folks, can you review the following & see if it is more or less correct?
Also, Ginette & Marg have been working hard on letters around transit. Ginette is meeting tomorrow with a person from London Drugs with a "letter of intent' let's call it... less formal than a proposal, to see if they will consider subsidizing a vehicle.
At this point, we will still have our next Access Committee meeting Aug. 25, as previously booked. I will confirm time with you soon, after I see see when Barry is available. I think I will try to see if Graeme is available for that meeting.
Now, go out & enjoy this weather!
Heather
CV Accessibility Committee
Transit & Taxi Van Sub-Committee Meeting
Wed., June 13/05, 1:00 - 2:30 pm, Craft Rm, Lewis Centre
Present: BC Transit: Tania Wegwitz Transit Planner, Municipal Systems Program
Peter ………………… BC Transit
CV Access: Heather, Marg, John, Karin, Marilyn
On June 13, the CV Access Transit Cub-Committee met informally with Tania & Peter from BC Transit. Tania & Peter were in town to discuss transit issues with the Regional District planners, & graciously agreed to meet with our transit sub-committee in the afternoon.
We asked Tania first to describe briefly the responsibilities & organizational management o our local transit system.
Briefly, local transit is essentially a partnership among: a) local government - in this case the Regional District as transit is a regional responsibility b) BC Transit c) the local contractor - in this case Watson & Ash.
In our case, funding is split 50%-50% between BC Transit & the Regional District for the buses, and 33%-66% for the HandiDart, with the Regional District providing the majority funding for the HandiDart.
BC Transit looks after, among other things, planning, contract administration, marketing, fleet management.
Each service area has a 5 year Transit Business Plan, put into place with consultations with local citizens, regional government, & BC Transit. It can be found on-line at http://www.busonline.ca/regions/com/news/ssr/default.cfm. Our local Business Plan dates from 2001. Other good info is found at the busonline site.
Schedules, fares, signage and other items are largely a shared responsibility.
BC Transit's funding has been frozen for some time. Locally, the Regional District has made up any difference in funding to continue & up-grade service provisions & widen service areas.
Also of note, locally, service usage has increased over the past year.
In terms of hours of service, HandiDart hours etc, BC Transit has a variety of models in communities around the province for different ways to organize local transit, and tries to be flexible to meet community needs. Buses and HandiDarts can also be booked for 'special group trips".
The transit manager at the Regional District is now Graeme Ferris.
Tania transit meeting June2005
Hi Heather:
Thanks again for providing Peter and me with an opportunity to meet with Comox Valley Accessibility Committee members last week. It was great to meet everyone, we enjoyed ourselves, and hope that it was equally helpful to you.
Following is an update on some of the action items / issues from that meeting:
- Distinctive Bus Stop Poles: The consensus from the group seemed to be that the idea of placing three self-tapping screws into bus stop poles would be a reasonable way of marking them for the visually impaired. (Graeme, please contact me if you would like to discuss how we might move forward from here to implement/promote such a change). There was also feedback from the group regarding repainting red curb lines at stops and sprucing up/ making bus stop signs more visible.
- Comox Valley Transit Business Plan: The Business Plan has been posted on our website and is available at http://www.busonline.ca/regions/com/news/ssr/default.cfm
- Link to CVAC: On our transit website we include links to a number of different advocacy organizations. We have added www.cvaccess.ca to that list.
- Special Group Trips: As I mentioned, any community member or group can "charter" a handyDART vehicle as a special group trip. I've confirmed everything with Transit Manager Karen Sankey at Watson & Ash (339-5426). Cost is $35 per hour with a four hour minimum. The only restrictions are that travel must stay within 165km of Courtenay and that a vehicle and driver must be available during the requested time period. (If trips happen on a regular scheduled basis, such as at a regular evening block once per week, there is also a requirement for a short letter of permission from the RDCS and BC Transit but that isn't a requirement for incidental rentals).
- Accessible Taxi: As I mentioned at the meeting, I am available to act as a resource person for anyone considering the purchase/operation of a wheelchair accessible taxi.
- Transit Options Brochure: We are apparently all out of this brochure and because it needs a few updates, a reprint will not be available in time for July 1. The current version is available for downloading at http://www.busonline.ca/regions/com/accessible/to2_com_final.pdf . A new version will be revised and printed over the summer and I will ask Karen to contact you when the new copies have arrived.
Thanks again,
Tania
Tania Wegwitz
Senior Transit Planner
Municipal Systems Program
BC Transit
Ph: 250-995-5649
Fax: 250-995-5639

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Meeting #67 Comox Valley Accessibility Committee
August 25, 2005

Guests with us today were Karen Waller and Michael and Brad from Community Living.
1. There was a lot of discussion re safety in crosswalks and how it could be improved. Everyone is to collect data re dangerous crosswalks in the city and suggestions for improvements. A meeting with Dennis Henderson and possibly Dan Mooney will be set up ASAP in September re these issues as well as other issues. Brad and Michael will collect info from other groups that are concerned with safety in the busy intersections.
2. Ginette has possibly found a corporate sponsor for the handicap taxi. We will receive a report at the next meeting as she was unavailable today.
3. There is a new service in the valley called "Wheels for Wellness" that supplies rides to medical appointments that are over 75Km. away and all for a donation! Web site is wheelsfor wellness.com and is full of information. The phone number is 338-0196.
4. Grahame Faris is the new head of the transit committee Darcy and heather will be the contacts with the transit committee and Grahame will be invited to our Sept. meeting.
5. A letter from the Regional District was read re accessibility issues. A copy of the staff report was included. Recommendations included that valley municipalities develop formal policies re accessibility issues and that a resolution be forwarded to the Assoc. of Vancouver Island Coastal Communities and to the Union of BC Municipalities to request that changes to Provincial legislation be made regarding accessibility issues. Also strong language in the official Community Plan be made regarding accessibility issues.
6. Barry Minaker suggested that the Accessibility Committee be prepared to vet plans for projects at their conception not after the fact. This suggestion will come before the Regional Board at their next meeting.
7. Darcy brought the plans re the reno at the Sports Center. There will be an elevated walkway between arena 1& 2 that can be accessed by an elevator in arena 2.A Wellness Center(Studio) is planned that will allow handicap access and usage. There will be automatic doors and the placement of the access buttons was discussed. It will have exercise equipment as well as treatment rooms and office space fro the physiotherapists that will use this space It will have a special rubberized flooring. Chiropractors, physiotherapists and private gym owners were consulted in the process. The windows will have frosted glass for privacy. There will be a wheelchair ramp into the pool and the future hot tub will also have a ramp.
8. Presently funds for renos at the Aquatic Center are being sought. A track allowing transfer from the pool to the hot tub would be helpful.
9. John spoke with the project manager of Trumpeter's Landing, Alan Fletcher. Alan would like to address accessibility issues on his project. He will be invited to our Oct. meeting. fletcheralan@telus.net or 897-1789.
Next meeting Tuesday Sept. 13, 2005 @ 1:00pm.

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2004 MINUTES

Meeting #60 Comox Valley Accessibility Committee
Nov.25,2004

Our special guest was Major Ted Costick from the Base. He and a committee work together to incorporate the equity act on the base that allows handicap people the opportunity to remain gainfully employed. The committee is invited to present our power-point presentation at the Wing Commanders coffee at the Officers' Mess on Fri. Dec.3, 2004.
We require education on the Municipal Insurance Act and hope to have it explained by city staff. This new act would be a good question for ALL candidates in January that will be running in the next provincial election.
We have two new people to add to our phone roster:
Ray Eccle 335-0653 whose interest is fragrance free areas.
Charlotte Rett 338-5747 she is an older senior who is inquiring about the lack of bus shelters.
The height of counters at Mental Health and the accessibility of the lower counter at the Royal Bank remain an issue.
Our Christmas luncheon will be on Fri. Dec.3 at 11:30hr.
The next meeting will be on Jan.20, 2005 at 1:30pm at the Lewis Centre.

return to 2004 Minutes

2003 MINUTES

Meeting #50 Comox Valley Accessibility Committee
Nov. 20, 2003 Our web page has been changed and is now easier to find.
Letters to be written to Bob Hall and the City of Courtenay re activation buttons, intersections etc.
There is to be a meeting on Nov.25 at Plates to develop a draft policy for Cumberland re handicap issues. Some ideas were:
-consult with local Access Committee
-include issues re visual and hearing impaired.
-to make access available to all members of society.
Re web site- we need a page for links with descriptions as well as a mission statement.
Problems to be solved!
-Heavy door in female washroom at the Mall.
-parking at the Royal Bank is poor for the handicapped.
-ask Kevin Lagan re how city approaches the development of parking lots in the city.
-Door to medical office is too heavy at788 Grant Ave.
Dec.4 is Christmas luncheon.

return to 2003 Minutes