Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee Minutes - July 18, 2006

July 18, 2006 Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC) Page Content:
1.	Call to Order
2.	Approval of Minutes
3.	Approval of Agenda
4.	Communication Items
5.	Consultation Session for the Renewal of the Region of Peel and Town of Caledon Accessibility Plans
6.	Reports
7.	Report from the Accessibility Planning Coordinators
8.	Report of the Accessibility Advisory Committee Chair
9.	Other Business
10.	Next Meeting
11.	Adjournment

JOINT PEEL-CALEDON

ACCESSIBILITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE (AAC)

MINUTES

AAC-2006-6

The Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee met on July 18, 2006 at 9:38 a.m. in the Mississauga Room, Regional Administrative Headquarters, 10 Peel Centre Dr., Brampton.

Members Present:	H. Bajwa; G. Barnes; G. Carlson; W. Goursky; S. Hames¨*; M. Horn; N. Husain; T. LeRoux; R. Paterak**

Members Absent:	E. Kolb, due to personal matters; M. Tymkow

Also Present:	R.K. Gillespie, Commissioner of Corporate Services and Regional Solicitor; J. Elias Joukema, Director of Strategic Initiatives, Executive Office; C. Grant, Town Prosecutor and Solicitor, Town of Caledon; N. Koltun, Town Counsel/Director of Legal Services, Town of Caledon; A. Macintyre, Acting Regional Clerk and Director of Clerk's; C. Thomson, Acting Manager, Legislative Services; M. Sikand, Accessibility Planning Specialist, Corporate Services; S. Jurrius, Acting Legislative Co-ordinator, Legislative Services

_____________________________________ See text for arrivals ¨See text for departures*

Glenn Barnes, Chair, presided

1. CALL TO ORDER

2. APPROVAL OF MINUTES

RECOMMENDATION AAC-17-2006:

That the minutes of the June 20, 2006 Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee meeting be approved.

3. APPROVAL OF AGENDA

RECOMMENDATION AAC-18-2006:

That the agenda for the July 18, 2006 Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee meeting be approved.

4. COMMUNICATION ITEMS

5. CONSULTATION SESSION FOR THE RENEWAL OF THE REGION OF PEEL AND TOWN OF CALEDON ACCESSIBILITY PLANS (ORAL)
Facilitated by Janine Elias Joukema, Director of Strategic Initiatives, Executive Office, Region of Peel and R. Kent Gillespie, Commissioner of Corporate Services and Regional Solicitor

Received

Janine Elias Joukema, Director of Strategic Initiatives, Executive Office, Region of Peel, informed members that the goals of the session are to identify the accomplishments, strengths and areas for key improvements and to prioritize the future actions of the Joint Peel-Caledon Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC).

Significant accomplishments of the AAC over the past year were identified and include: the development of partnerships with other Regional Programs (i.e. Liveable Peel, Peel Children's Water Festival and Lunch-and-Learn Sessions with the departments of Health and Social Services) and providing input in Regional projects such as the Joint Use Facility (10 Peel Expansion); the John Street Seniors Residence; and, the 10 Peel Centre Dr. Front Ramp.

M. Horn, Citizen Member, arrived at 9:45 a.m.

Opportunities for improvement were discussed, as follows:

Implement governance structure at the Region in order to support delivery of priority areas and related projects
Further increase accessibility of website, including investigation of:
- Word documents
- Audio files
- Web content management
Develop and implement an internal communication strategy that will result in a stronger internal presence
Maintain and strengthen working relationships with other accessibility coordinators and key associations, including involvement in Access Conference
Develop and implement a strategy that will result in a higher profile for the Committee and external/public presence
- Involvement/role for key internal or external functions
- List contact information on communication material
- Communicate success to the public
Develop a comprehensive and measurable training strategy
Investigate and establish processes that support the management and measurement of accessibility recommendations
- Link into Region's Internal Audit
- Identify types of assessments, respective processes and ownership
Clarify issue management and advocacy process and roles
Clarify and communicate process for the use and application of current accessibility standards
Work with Region's Event Coordinator to ensure all events and activities occurring during the event are accessible
Review and monitor activities of other accessibility committees in an effort to identify and apply best practices

Councillor Hames departed at 11:03 a.m., due to other municipal business

Janine Elias Joukema summarized the objectives and actions contained in the Service Strategy Business Plan (SSBP) for the AAC and identified key actions that need to be prioritized by the Accessibility Planning SSBP Steering Committee.

Some members expressed concern regarding the role of the AAC in dealing with other government agencies and organizations through correspondence. Regional Councillors present at the meeting noted that Regional Council adopts the minutes and recommendations of the AAC and trusts that the Committee exercises good judgment when advocating with other levels of government or other organizations within its mandate.

The key actions identified by the Committee at this meeting will be submitted to the Accessibility Planning SSBP Steering Committee. Janine Elias Joukema encouraged members to continue submitting opportunities for improvement in the future. Janine Elias Joukema acknowledged and thanked the Committee for their significant contributions to the Region of Peel and the achievements over the past years.

Members of the Committee thanked Janine Elias Joukema for her role as facilitator and wished her all the best in her future endeavours.

6. REPORTS

7. REPORT FROM THE ACCESSIBILITY PLANNING COORDINATORS

8. REPORT OF THE ACCESSIBILITY ADVISORY COMMITTEE CHAIR

9. OTHER BUSINESS

10. NEXT MEETING

Tuesday, August 22, 2006
1:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m.
Region of Peel Administrative Headquarters
Peel Room, 1st Floor
10 Peel Centre Dr.
Brampton, Ontario

11. ADJOURNMENT

The meeting adjourned at 11:29 a.m.