City of Langford Receipt of the Capital West Accessibility Advisory Committee Terms of Reference

EXECUTIVE SUMMARY

The purpose of this report is to provide Council with the Capital West Accessibility Advisory Committee Terms of Reference and a brief update pertaining to accessibility undertakings in the City of Langford. The terms of reference are attached for Council’s approval. The first meeting of the committee is set for November 22, 2023. Langford will be the host community for the committee’s first year.

BACKGROUND

At its Regular Meeting held September 5, 2023 Council passed the following resolution:

THAT the municipality participate in a joint intermunicipal accessibility advisory
committee – the Capital West Accessibility Advisory Committee – with partners to
include those of the City of Colwood, the Township of Esquimalt, the District of
Highlands, the District of Metchosin, the District of Sooke and the Town of View Royal
who may choose to participate in the Capital West Advisory Committee;

AND

THAT terms of reference for this joint intermunicipal staff accessibility advisory
committee be provided for consideration of approval in the Fall of 2023;

AND

THAT under the terms of reference for this joint intermunicipal staff accessibility advisory
committee are approved, that the Corporate Officer for Langford be appointed to the
committee as Langford’s representative on an interim basis;

AND

THAT each member municipality of this joint intermunicipal staff accessibility advisory
committee allocate nominal annual operating funds for committee expenses;

AND

THAT the joint sub-regional staff accessibility advisory committee prepare the initial
accessibility plan with a focus on service delivery and employment;

AND

THAT the funding allocated in Year 1 of the 2023-2027 Financial Plan originally for
development of the accessibility plan be used, as funds permit, instead for: assistance,
as and if required, with development of the accessibility plan; facilitated engagement
sessions on barriers faced by the public in accessing services of the partner
municipalities; and a specific project or initiative to begin to identify accessibility
barriers, for example, assessments of the partner municipalities’ websites, hiring
practices, or main municipal hall buildings;

AND FURTHER

THAT the City of Langford establish an email address to receive public comments as set
out in the Accessible BC Act.

In response to this resolution, staff from the member municipalities have prepared a terms of reference for the Capital West Accessibility Advisory Committee. As noted above, the first meeting of this Committee is scheduled for November 22, 2023. These terms of reference are attached to this report as “Attachment A.”

COMMENTARY

Terms of Reference

The attached terms of reference are intended to guide the committee in its current iteration as a staff-based committee. As discussed in the September 5, 2023 staff report, it is envisioned that the membership of the Capital West Accessibility Advisory Committee will transition to be community based after the first Accessibility Plan is delivered. A revised terms of reference can be prepared at that time.

Progress Made to Date

After the September 5, 2023, Council meeting and in order to be in alignment with the Accessible BC Act, staff have implemented a designated inbox to receive accessibility related questions, concerns, and suggestions from members of the public. This email address is accessibility@langford.ca. The email address is live and receiving correspondence.

The City has completed the following:

• A third-party accessibility review of the City’s corporate website www.langford.ca;
• A third -party accessibility evaluation of The Langford Station; and
• Implementation of a designated webpage for accessibility: https://langford.ca/accessibility/

Currently, staff are working on implementing recommendations from the reviews of the website and The Langford Station. The Communications Department has asked for a quote to implement the changes to the website, it is unknown at this time if more funding will be required for this year or if the changes will be included in next year’s budget. The Parks department includes a budget of $100,000 per year for accessibility upgrades in parks and other City facilities which can be applied to The Langford Station. Parks staff are evaluating the recommendations and will determine a plan for the recommendations and what the timeline will be.

The beginnings of an Accessibility Plan based on the template provided through the BC Accessibility Hub website has begun, as well as research on:

• Staff training opportunities;
• Website upgrades;
• Installation of a hearing loop for Council Chambers; and
• Online surveys questions regarding accessibility within both the region as a whole and Langford specifically.

As noted above, the City has added an accessibility focused page to the City website which can be found here: https://langford.ca/accessibility/. Committee information and accessibility related updates will be posted there as they become available. Further, staff plan to include information regarding upcoming accessibility engagement opportunities on this page as they are scheduled.

Next Steps

The following is a tentative outline of next steps that can be worked on once the Capital West Accessibility Advisory Committee starts meeting:

These next steps will not only ensure that the West Shore is in compliance with the Act but also that we are meeting the needs of the community. While the items above are ongoing, partner municipalities may begin other initiatives such as broad staff training and education, website review and improvements, and employment application and internal forms review and improvements.

FINANCIAL IMPLICATIONS

There may be costs associated with the implementation of the recommendations made during the website and The Langford Station accessibility evaluations, as well as any other accessibility related reviews that are undertaken in the future. Staff are in the process of evaluating and costing the current recommendations and will ensure that the 2024 budget includes monies for implementation of these recommendations as well as monies for future evaluations and upgrades.

LEGAL IMPLICATIONS

Pursuant to the Accessible BC Act, the City is required to establish an Accessibility Committee and create an Accessibility Plan.

OPTIONS

Option 1

THAT Council approve the Capital West Accessibility Advisory Committee Terms of Reference, facilitating the launch of the inaugural Accessibility Plan initiative.

Option 2

THAT Council approve the Capital West Accessibility Advisory Committee Terms of Reference, facilitating the launch of the inaugural Accessibility Plan initiative with the following changes:

SUBMITTED BY

Marie Watmough, Deputy Director of Corporate Services

Concurrence:
Braden Hutchins, Director of Corporate Services
Concurrence:
Donna Petrie, Senior Manager Economic Development and Communications
Concurrence:
Yari Nielsen, Director of Parks, Recreation and Facilities
Concurrence:
Matthew Baldwin, MCIP, RPP, Director of Planning and Subdivision
Concurrence:
Katelyn Balzer, P.Eng., Director of Engineering and Public Works
Concurrence:
Michael Dillabaugh, CPA, CA, Director of Finance
Concurrence:
Darren Kiedyk, Chief Administrative Officer

Attachment A: Terms of Reference for Capital West Accessibility Advisory Committee