As part of the Province’s goal to improve accessibility for people with disabilities in BC, Disability Alliance BC (DABC) was selected by the Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction (MSDPR) to distribute funding to community based “Accessibility Projects” beginning in 2018. A total of $450,000 is available for one-time only grants to BC-based not-for-profit organizations of between $10,000-$40,000.

We will be accepting Accessibility Project Grant 2022 proposal submissions starting on Monday, August 15th. Information and application documents can be found at: https://disabilityalliancebc.org/program/accessibility-projects/.

Accessibility Projects must focus on at least one of the following objectives:

• Accessible employment;
• Accessible emergency planning and response;
• Accessible arts, culture and tourism;
• Accessible sports and recreation;
• Accessible education and learning;
• Accessible community participation.

Applications must be received by 12:00 pm (Noon) on October 7th, 2022. Late applications will not be accepted. Funding will be distributed to successful projects by January 15, 2023.

We will host online sessions during the application period where you will be invited to learn about the application process and ask questions. These will happen online on Tuesday Sept 27th from 11:30am-12:30pm and Monday Oct 3rd from 1:00pm-2:00pm Pacific Time. To be notified of any date or time changes and how to participate, please sign up for the Disability Alliance mailing list here: DABC (disabilityalliancebc.org) (enter your email where it says “Sign up for Updates”).

To participate in an online session to get support with your application or for inquiries, please email Danielle Gauld, the program coordinator, at ap@disabilityalliancebc.org. Please note: inquiries will not be taken by phone except when arranged by email.

The Initial Findings and Directions Report is being presented to the Park Board this coming Monday, July 18, at 6:30pm. The report can be found here:
https://parkboardmeetings.vancouver.ca/2022/20220718/REPORT-SPMobilityStudy-InitialFindingsDirections-20220718.pdf

Please note, this is an initial report of the data collection work that has been done to date and not the completed study. The complete Mobility Study will be presented to the Board towards the end of 2022.

British Columbians, Indigenous communities, businesses, local governments and organizations now have until 4:00pm July 5, 2022 to provide feedback on the Province’s proposed actions to prevent single-use and plastic waste.

If you’ve yet to share your thoughts, visit https://engage.gov.bc.ca/plastics/.

Proposed provincial actions include:

• Bans on plastic check-out bags; fees for paper and reusable bags
• By-request foodservice accessories (cutlery, straws, condiment sachets, napkins, cup lids)
• Bans on problematic plastic foodservice packaging – includes cups, bowls, trays, cartons, film wrap, produce bags, plates made from polystyrene foam (Styrofoam), PVC, and compostable plastics
• A ban on all oxo-degradable plastic packaging.