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Government of Canada consulting with Canadians on planned accessibility legislation

Consultation objective:

Canadians, communities and workplaces benefit when everyone can participate equally in everyday life. There has been much progress in making our society more inclusive, but we can do better.

This is why the Government of Canada is committed to developing new planned accessibility legislation to promote equality of opportunity and increase the inclusion and participation of Canadians who have disabilities or functional limitations.

Many Canadians continue to face barriers that affect their ability to participate in daily activities that most people take for granted. These could include:

• physical and architectural barriers that impede the ability to move freely in the built environment, use public transportation, access information or use technology;

• attitudes, beliefs and misconceptions that some people may have about people with disabilities and what they can and cannot do; and • outdated policies and practices that do not take into account the varying abilities and disabilities that people may have. In developing this new legislation, the Government of Canada is consulting Canadians both in person and online. The Government of Canada is seeking your ideas to inform the development of this planned new legislation, including:

• feedback on the overall goal and approach;

• whom it should cover;

• what accessibility issues and barriers it should address;

• how it could be monitored and enforced; • when or how often it should be reviewed;

• how and when to report to Canadians on its implementation; and • how to raise accessibility awareness more generally and support organizations in improving accessibility. The public consultation will be open until February 2017 and information on viewpoints received will be made available after the consultation is closed. Canadians are encouraged to visit this site often and explore what’s new.

Latest activities:

• Apply now to participate in the National Youth Forum

• What does an accessible Canada mean to you?

Be part of the conversation - News Release •

What does an Accessible Canada mean to you? - Video https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Qtg_H7ox2Bk&feature=youtu.be

How to participate:

• By participating in this consultation, you are consenting to, and acknowledging that you have reviewed, understood, and agree to the Privacy Notice Statement; and that your submission, or portions thereof, may be published on Canada.ca, included in publicly available reports on the consultation, and compiled with other responses to the consultation in an open-data submission on Open.Canada.ca.

• Participate in the online questionnaire;

The questionnaire is also available in an accessible PDF version.

https://hrsdc-rhdcc.sondages-surveys.ca/s/Accessibility_accessibilite_TXT/?l=en

• Submit your feedback in the language of your choice (English, French, American Sign Language or Langue des signes québécoise) and preferred format such as online, handwritten, video or audio submissions.

You can provide your input to the Office for Disability Issues via: Phone: 1-844-836-8126 TTY: 819-934-6649 Fax: 819-953-4797 Email: accessible-canada@hrsdc.gc.ca

Mail: Consultation - Accessibility Legislation c/o Office for Disability Issues Employment and Social Development Canada, 105 Hotel-de-ville St., 1st floor, Bag 62 Gatineau QC K1A 0J9 All of the feedback we receive will be incorporated into reports that will be made available on the consultation website and in alternate formats, on request.

You can also consult the Discussion Guide for more information:

http://www.esdc.gc.ca/assets/portfolio/docs/en/consultations/disability/No.653-Layout%20Discussion%20Guide-EN.PDF

Consultations: 

Thursday, September 22nd, 4:00 pm to 7:30 pm, Yukon, Whitehorse, Westmark Hotel and Conference Centre, 201 Wood St, Whitehorse, YT Y1A 2E4, Room: Ballroom

Saturday, September 24th, 4:00 pm to 7:30 pm, Nunavut, Iqaluit, Frobisher Inn, Astro Hill, Quickstop, 505 Astro Hill, Iqaluit, NU X0A 0H0 Room: Koojesse North

Monday, September 26th, 4:00 pm to 7:30 pm, Northwest Territories, Yellowknife, Tree of Peace Friendship Centre 5011-51 St, Yellowknife, NT X1A 2P9 Room: Large Boardroom

Wednesday, September 28th 4:00 pm to 7:30 pm, Saskatchewan Regina Double Tree Hotel, 1975 Broad St, Regina, SK S4P 1Y1 Room: Capital Ballroom

Monday, October 3rd, 4:00 pm to 7:30 pm, Manitoba, Winnipeg Delta Hotel by Marriott 350 St. Mary Avenue, Winnipeg, MB R3C 3J2 Room: Delta AB

Friday, October 7th, 9:00 am to 12:30 pm, Alberta, Edmonton, Matrix Hotel, 10640 100 Ave NW, Edmonton, AB T5J 3N8 Room : Quartz Ballroom

Tuesday, October 11th, 4:00 pm to 7:30 pm, Ontario, Thunder Bay, Italian Cultural Centre, 132 Algoma St S, Thunder Bay, ON P7B 3B7 Room: Mediterrenean Ballroom

Thursday, October 13th 9:00 am to 12:30 pm, Alberta, Calgary, Telus Convention Centre, 120 Ninth Ave SE, Calgary, AB T2G 0P3 Room : Macleod Hall 

Thursday, October 20th, 4:00 pm to 7:30 pm, New Brunswick, Moncton, Moncton Lion’s Community Centre, 473 St. George St, Moncton, NB E1C 1Y2 Room: Auditorium

Thursday, November 3rd, 4:00 pm to 7:30 pm, Newfoundland, St. John’s The Hampton Inn 411 Stavanger Dr, St. John's, NL A1A 0A1 Room: TBC

Monday, November 7th, 4:00 pm to 7:30 pm, British Columbia, Victoria. Victoria Marriott Inner Harbour 728 Humboldt Street, Victoria, BC V8W 3Z5 Meeting room: Pacific Ballroom

Thursday, November 10th, 4:00 pm to 7:30 pm, Quebec, Québec City, Musée national des beaux-arts du Québec 179 Grande Allée Ouest, Québec (Québec) G1R 2H1 Room : Salle Multi

Wednesday, November 16th 4:00 pm to 7:30 pm, Quebec, Montreal, Palais des congrès 1001 Place Jean-Paul-Riopelle, Montréal, QC H2Z 1H5 Room : Salle 515

Saturday, November 26th, 2:00 pm to 5:30pm British Columbia Vancouver Vancouver Convention Center - West Building 1055 Canada Pl, Vancouver, BC V6C 0C3 Room : West Meeting Room 109 & 110 Wednesday,

November 30th, 4:00 pm to 7:30 pm, Ontario, Ottawa, Canadian War Museum, 1 Vimy Place (LeBreton Flats), Ottawa, ON K1A 0M8

Thursday, December 8th, 4:00 pm to 7:30 pm, Prince Edward Island, Charlottetown, Murphy’s Community Centre, 200 Richmond St, Charlottetown, PE C1A 1J2 Room: Auditorium Friday,

December 9th, 4:00 pm to 7:30 pm, Nova Scotia, Halifax, Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21, 1055 Marginal Rd, Halifax, NS B3H 4P7 Room Kenneth C. Rowe Hall

Wednesday, February 8th 4:00 pm to 7:30 pm Ontario Toronto Coming soon

http://www.esdc.gc.ca/en/consultations/disability/legislation/index.page?&_ga=1.235746504.891366934.1392394939




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