In the 1997 Eldridge v. British Columbia case, the Supreme Court of Canada handed down the decision that, quote:
“Failure to provide sign language interpreters – who are, in fact, necessary for effective communication for the procurement of medical services – is a violation of equality rights under section 15(1) of the Charter…”
In that case the ruling further outlined that:
“…any health care service, facility, or good that receives federal funding, whether directly or indirectly, must provide accessibility to those services, facilities, and goods for people who are deaf, hard of hearing, or otherwise disabled or handicapped.”
Toronto Accessibility Plan Update – Public Consultation Opportunities
The City of Toronto is updating its Multi-year Accessibility Plan and wants input from the public. The City would like to learn more about the source of barriers faced by people with disabilities, and what we could do differently to reduce the impact of that barrier. All feedback, from people with disabilities, disability advocates and the general public, is welcome.
Individuals can participate by attending one of the following public consultation sessions at Civic Centres across the city (registration is required) or by completing the online survey at http://bit.ly/2r9mjoW. The survey takes about 10 minutes to complete and will be open until 5 p.m. on June 30, 2017.
Public consultations – City of Toronto Multi-year Accessibility Plan
Each consultation will include:
an overview of the City’s Accessibility Framework;
the City’s approach to identify barriers, and plan for their prevention and removal; and
East
Wednesday, June 14, 6 – 8 p.m.
Scarborough Civic Centre, 150 Borough Drive (McCowan Road and Ellesmere Road) Register for the east consultation
West
Thursday June 22, 6 – 8 p.m.
Etobicoke Civic Centre, 399 The West Mall (Burnhamthorpe Road and The West Mall) Register for the west consultation
North
Wednesday June 28, 6 – 8 p.m.
North York Civic Centre, 5100 Yonge Street (north of Sheppard Avenue) Register for the north consultation
Each location has accessible facilities and washrooms. Please register in advance, and let us know if you require any accommodation. For more information, please contact Nicole Cormier at nicole.cormier@toronto.ca or 416-397-5251.
Hey, have you heard about SURJ? SURJ is an international network that organizes and moves white people to act as part of a multi-racial majority for racial justice. SURJ Toronto is committed to undermining support for white supremacist systems and institutions, and working towards decolonization and Indigenous sovereignty.
Racism and settler colonialism rob all of us of our humanity, are devastating to BIPOC communities, and are interlocked with all systems of oppression. As white settlers, we see it as our responsibility to act collectively and publicly in opposition. We hope to build a mass movement that challenges racism in all its forms.
SURJTO is made up of a number of working groups:
Communications
Fundraising
Families and kids
Resource Redistribution
Base building
Mobilization
Education
We maintain accountability with a panel of BIPOC organizers and groups that provide consultation on the work we do, and we are already being called on to offer a number of different tangible resources (e.g. childcare, funding, etc). We hope to build sustainable and reliable supports for BIPOC organizers, events, and movements.
If you are interested in learning more about SURJ or getting involved, please check out our facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/surjto/ and get in touch by emailing surjto@gmail.com. We are committed to supporting Deaf leadership and participation.
