Hub Staff

As part of their mandate to promote accessibility in Saugeen Shores and help businesses comply with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005, the Saugeen Shores Accessibility Advisory Committee has teamed up with The StopGap Foundation, a charitable organization based out of Toronto in hopes of taking accessibility in Saugeen Shores to a new level.

The StopGap Foundation was started by Luke Anderson, an engineering student from Toronto who, after he graduated moved out west and, as a result of a mountain biking accident in which he broke his neck, found himself in a wheelchair.

“He (now) lives in Toronto, is a motivational speaker,” said Tracey Edwards, Deputy Clerk with the Town of Saugeen Shores and Secretary with the Accessibility Advisory Committee. “He got back to Toronto (after his accident), he couldn’t go anywhere, he couldn’t do anything.”

StopGap isn’t meant to be a permanent solution, but Edwards said, “it’s a start”.

“(The entrance) can’t be more than one step, it can’t be higher than six inches I believe, so not every store is going to qualify,” said Edwards.

Involvement in the program is two-fold. It not only makes businesses who take part accessible to those who need it but it also starts a conversation within the community about accessibility and concerns and challenges around the same.

Bigger municipalities have done this, such as Toronto, Ottawa, Kingston and London. In Kingston, for example, the advisory committee got a seniors’ group involved and approached various businesses to donate the material for the ramps. “So the seniors actually built them,” said Edwards, adding “one business donated paint, one donated nails, one donated wood... so when you applied for the ramp, you didn’t pay a thing.”

London did a similar program as did our neighbouring Kincardine. “They just took it to their council in December so they had an application process and it was up I think two weeks ago,” said Edwards. “They’re hoping to have five constructed by the Kincardine high school students before the long weekend in May.”

The ramps are brightly coloured, and they can only be at the door when they’re being used. “Because it’s town land, it does have to come up when it’s not in use,” said Edwards.

The committee is still very much in the preliminary stages but if they can garner enough support from businesses - they’re meeting with the Southampton BIA on Wednesday - the next step will be to take it to council. “We hope to present it to council in March,” said Edwards. “So far I have one for sure that will support it, some are concerned with liability and that kind of thing but I’ve said speak to your insurance company. And other municipalities are saying it’s not a problem.”

For more information on The StopGap Foundation, visit stopgap.ca.