DABC is disheartened to find out that yesterday, the first day in Committee stage for Bill 6 – the Accessible BC Act – saw the first 12 clauses of the bill passed with little dissent, despite there being very real and legitimate concerns expressed by ourselves and others in the disability community regarding the bill’s lack of accountability measures, narrowed definition and application.

We want to express our discontent that a bill of such significance to the disability community should not have been tabled in the legislative assembly in the first place without active participation by the disability community in its drafting. It is clear that the round of consultations that the BC Government undertook in 2019 is not reflected in the bill presented before the House. You can find our full list of concerns about the bill here: https://disabilityalliancebc.therightfitbc.org/dabc-has-concerns-over-proposed-accessibility-legislation-contact-your-mla/.

To mark National AccessAbility Week, Statistics Canada in collaboration with Employment and Social Development Canada, is pleased to unveil the new Accessibility Data Hub.

This new portal provides users with a single point of access for a wide range of data and information related to accessibility.

Users can quickly and easily browse various key subtopics – including built environment, design and delivery of programs and services, employment information, communication technology and transportation – and access Statistics Canada’s latest data tables, analytical articles and infographics. The Hub also enables users to find external governmental data, as well as information about laws related to accessibility, and will be updated as new data becomes available.

Kicking off AccessAbility Week, Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction, Nicholas Simons, announced on the weekend that the provincial government will, for the fourth year in a row, provide funding to community projects that improve accessibility and inclusion for people with disabilities. The grants will be disbursed by Disability Alliance BC.

From the Province’s news release:

“AccessAbility Week is an opportunity to appreciate the many ways that people living with disabilities and their advocates have made our province more accessible and inclusive,” said Nicholas Simons, Minister of Social Development and Poverty Reduction.

“This week, we celebrate the abilities of people, recognize the individuals and organizations who continue to go above and beyond, and raise awareness about what each of us can do to make our province more inclusive. Today’s announced grant funding will support organizations across the province in removing barriers and creating new local opportunities for British Columbians with disabilities,” said Dan Coulter, Parliamentary Secretary for Accessibility.

https://news.gov.bc.ca/releases/2021SDPR0043-001041

DABC looks forward to supporting more organizations across the province and hopes that new organizations will apply for funding this year. The Call for Proposals will be announced mid-August.