Friday July 12, 2024 | LANGFORD, BC [Updated July 22 and 25, 2024]
LOCAL BUSINESS NEWS by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
A series of public engagement sessions about accessibility are being held in the west shore this month.
The weather is hot, and so too seems this topic.
Input wanted:
An organization called Changing Paces has been engaged by the Capital West Accessibility Advisory Committee (CWAAC) to get ideas from the public and business community. The RFP went out this spring.
The CWACC is developing an accessibility plan in accordance with the Accessible British Columbia Act (of 2021).
- Changing Paces supports businesses with the idea that better accessibility contributes to more or better business.
- The Capital West Accessibility Advisory Committee (CWAAC) is a joint advisory committee of seven municipalities: Langford, Colwood, View Royal, Esquimalt, Highlands, Sooke, and Metchosin.
Six public engagement opportunities:
“These sessions will gather valuable input from people with disabilities and accessibility advocates to improve accessibility in employment and service delivery domains,” says Changing Paces.
Registration for both the Zoom sessions and the in-person sessions can be done online at Planning4Access.ca .
Virtual Engagement Sessions:
- Event 1: Tues July 16, 2024, 7 pm to 9 pm Pacific, via Zoom (Click Here to Register)
- Event 2: Thurs July 18, 2024, 1 to 3 pm Pacific, via Zoom (Click Here to Register)
In-Person Engagement Sessions:
To register for any of these in-person sessions, call 604-359-8912 or email to arooba@trishrobichaud.com .
- Event 3: Mon July 22 | 1 to 3 pm, City of Colwood, 3300 Wishart Rd, Victoria
- Event 4: Tues July 23 | 7 to 9 pm, Langford Legion, 761 Station Ave, Victoria [See City of Langford accessibility page]
- Event 5: Thurs July 25 | 10 am to 12 noon, Township of Esquimalt, Gorge Park Pavilion, 1070 Tillicum Rd, Victoria
- Event 6: Fri July 26 | 10 am to 12 noon, (formerly was to be at the WorkBC Center Sooke but update at July 25 … the July 26 session will be online due to a local wildfire]
Meeting needs and priorities:
The organizers feel that feedback is “crucial to ensuring our planned accessibility initiatives reflect the needs and priorities of our communities”.
The sessions will help identify challenges and opportunities, leading to more inclusive and accessible services and employment as provided by municipalities.
Surveys on similar topics have been done in the past. CWAAC says that these sessions are a direct response to informative contributions.
About CWAAC:
In accordance with the BC Accessible Act, members of the Capital West Accessibility Advisory Committee (CWAAC) have set a mandate to:
- assist member municipalities to idenify barriers to individuals in or interfacing with the municipality;
- advise member municipalities on how to remove and prevent barriers to individuals in or interfacing with the municipality; and
- confer with the member municipalities in the development and revision of the accessibility plan.
===== ABOUT ISLAND SOCIAL TRENDS:
Island Social Trends has been covering news of the west shore since 2008 (previous publications were MapleLine Magazine 2008-2010, Sooke Voice News 2011-2013, and West Shore Voice News 2014-2020).
News coverage includes provincial and national issues which impact life here on south Vancouver Island.
Founder, Publisher and Editor of Island Social Trends is Mary P Brooke, B.Sc., Cert PR.
- In 2020-2022, Ms Brooke reported daily on the COVID pandemic and since then has reported alongside the BC Legislative Press Gallery.
- In 2023, Ms Brooke was nominated for a Jack Webster Foundation journalism award for a woman journalist who contributes to her community through professional journalism.
- In 2024, Mary Brooke launched the Urban Food Resilience Initiatives Society (UFRIS) as a further way to contribute to her community.
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