We have received the following information from the City of Vancouver:

Join us for an in-person conversation where you can share your unique experiences to help inform Vancouver’s Accessibility Strategy.

The City is offering two facilitated discussions on Friday, June 2, 2023, from 3:30 – 7 pm at Vancouver Public Library, Central Branch, and on Friday, June 16, 2023, from 12:30 – 4 pm at Creekside Community Centre.

To attend, contact Karen.Lai@vancouver.ca to sign up. If you need assistance covering expenses to attend, please let us know. We look forward to hearing from you and working together to create solutions that work for everyone!

A new report called “Access for Everyone? Publicly Operated HandyDART” was released last week. It shows TransLink’s HandyDART contractor is failing to meet the demand for HandyDART services. The report found that in 2022 TransLink provided just half the HandyDART service per senior as it had in 2008. Read the press release and full report here: https://ecoplanning.ca/wp-content/uploads/2023/05/Access-for-Everyone-media-release-2023-05-02.pdf

DABC is endorsing the report. Along with unions, climate, and seniors groups, we call on TransLink to bring HandyDART in house and operate the service directly, instead of contracting it out to private businesses. We believe this will improve services.

The Vancouver and District Labour Council is seeking speakers with experience using HandyDART who are willing to speak at an upcoming mayors’ meeting, in support of Translink providing HandyDART services directly. Please contact DABC if you want to speak at the mayors’ meeting, or you can register here: https://www.translink.ca/about-us/about-translink/mayors-council-on-regional-transportation#speaking-at-mayors-council-meetings.

It has been almost 3 years since the federal government promised to create a monthly Canada Disability Benefit for people with disabilities between the ages of 18 and 64. This Benefit, when combined with other income supports, aims to lift people with disabilities out of poverty.

Take action to ensure Bill C-22 is passed into law swiftly by joining the #BudgetTheBenefit campaign, led by Disability Without Poverty!

Send a digital postcard to your MP here:
https://www.disabilitywithoutpoverty.ca/ask-your-mp/?swcfpc=1

Disability Without Poverty‘s demands are:

• Bill C-22 for a Canada Disability Benefit needs to be passed into law this Spring 2023
• People with disabilities must be engaged in designing the benefit and implementing it in their province
• Fund and rollout the Canada Disability Benefit in 2023. Funding must be adequate enough to lift people with disabilities out of poverty