TAMRMS#: B06
12.2
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Accessibility Advisory Committee
Notice given by: Councillor Brodhead
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PROPOSED MOTION(S):
recommendation
That Administration prepare for Council's consideration a bylaw to create a Council Accessibility Advisory Committee with requisite terms of reference and budget estimate to establish an Accessibility Committee founded on principles broadly based on similar such committees required of municipalities by legislation in the province of Ontario.
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ADMINISTRATION’S UNDERSTANDING OF THE INTENT OF THE MOTION
That, if this motion passes, Administration would draft a bylaw for the purpose of establishing an Accessibility Advisory Committee. This bylaw would be structured similarly to other Advisory Committee bylaws in St. Albert (e.g. Community Services Advisory Committee or Environmental Advisory Committee Bylaws).
And that, if this motion passes, Administration would create an estimate (e.g. Council Business Case for the 2026 budget) to support the Committee (if the Bylaw is later approved by Council). Administration seeks clarity on the timing/delivery date of the draft bylaw review and the method that Council would review this as part of budget.
ADMINISTRATION’S RECOMMENDATION
See Alternative 1 for more information.
PURPOSE OF REPORT
The purpose of this report is to present a motion for which Councillor Brodhead gave notice on June 9, 2025.
ALIGNMENT TO COUNCIL DIRECTION OR MANDATORY STATUTORY PROVISION
N/A
Several items in the City’s Municipal Development Plan appear to align with this Notice of Motion. This includes:
Great Places: Accessibility and Comfort: Design St. Albert to be accessible and inviting to everyone in all seasons.
8.1.5 Ensure accessibility for all users when developing new or improved transportation services.
8.1.7 Apply and monitor emerging technologies that enhance the efficiency, accessibility, and safety of all travel modes throughout the city.
8.3.6. Develop Mobility Corridors, by: a) Ensuring extensions and upgrades to roadways in the corridors align with City standards and include facilities for transit riders, pedestrians, and cyclists designed for safety, comfort, and universal accessibility.
12.4.1. Ensure new development and redevelopment comply with applicable accessibility legislation.
14.1.1. Maximize the accessibility and visibility of Major Open Spaces through Area Structure Plans and subdivision plans, which include the provision of single-loaded public roads or trails or both.
BACKGROUND AND DISCUSSION
Administration presented the draft Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility (IDEA) Council Policy to Standing Committee of the Whole on July 8th, 2025, as well as provided the IDEA Strategy for information.
In the IDEA Strategy there are several actions linked to accessibility:
• Establish an internal IDEA Committee and sub-committees (e.g. Universal Access Plan) to support organization-wide IDEA efforts and accountability, reporting to Executive Leadership.
• Implement recommendations for the 2024 Website Accessibility Audits (the Vine and City website).
• Investigate opportunities to incorporate Universal Access Plan recommendations or other considerations for inclusive/accessible spaces into facility redesign or new build design as a part of the Capital planning and/or Repair, Maintain, and Replace processes (e.g., ventilation for smudging accessibility, address identified accessibility deficiencies in existing buildings).
• Educate IDEA Committee members and leaders on application of IDEA principles and strategies including the Universal Access Plan.
• Review the Universal Access Plan to align terminology and scope within IDEA strategy, considering accessibility best practices and standards across other jurisdictions. Create a tool for departments to assess current state of accessibility.
• Provide training and/or guidance to leaders in revising relevant corporate and/or operational planning documents and administrative directives to actively align with IDEA Strategy including the Universal Access Plan.
• Create training for the use of the Accessibility Checklist (once created) based on the Universal Access Plan to allow for department workspace review, championed by directors.
• Provide training to leaders in revising department plans to actively align with IDEA principles and strategy including the Universal Access Plan.
In 2018, the City of St. Albert published its Universal Access Plan. That Plan is on the City’s website and referenced in the attachment to this report. This document involved a review of the City’s existing Vision, Pillars of Sustainability, and related policies, as well as best practices from other jurisdictions and consultations with both residents and City staff. The Universal Access Plan identified 32 best practices and made 51 recommendations.
Among the recommendations were:
• Investigate opportunities to establish an accessibility coordinator staff position - responsibilities might include coordinating the development of policy, establishing an advisory committee, providing accessibility support to City staff, oversight of the accessibility audit processes, and implementation of accessibility upgrade programs.
• Establish and maintain a Municipal Accessibility Advisory Committee.
• The development of a Universal Accessibility Policy.
• The implementation of procedures to evaluate accessibility requirements.
• The completion of asset audits.
Since 2018, the City has implemented some of these recommendations. Notably, it has adopted the Burlington Design Standards to guide the design and construction of municipal assets and has launched the IDEA (Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility) strategy. These initiatives help to advance and incorporate Universal Access within the City within a strategic manner.
In Ontario, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 set out a process for developing, implementing, and enforcing accessibility standards. Government, business, nonprofits, and public sector organizations must follow the standards. In that jurisdiction, municipalities with 10,000 residents or more must create a local accessibility advisory committee (AAC). Two or more municipalities may set up a joint committee instead of having individual committees. A requirement of those committees is that most of the members must be people with disabilities.
Many municipalities in this jurisdiction have an accessibility coordinator who promotes and coordinates accessibility throughout the municipality and assists the AAC with its work. The accessibility coordinator acts as a liaison between the committee members and municipal staff and elected officials by:
• Guiding committee members through municipal processes.
• Providing advice.
• Channeling members’ question to appropriate municipal staff.
However, municipalities are not required to appoint an accessibility coordinator.
In Ontario, it is a legal requirement to consult AAC about:
• establishing, reviewing, and updating multi-year accessibility plans.
• developing accessible design criteria in the construction, renovation, or placement of bus stops and shelters.
• determining the proportion of on-demand accessible taxis needed in your community.
• the need, location, and design of accessible on-street parking spaces when building new or making major changes to existing on-street parking spaces.
• building new or making major changes to existing recreational trails to help determine particular trail features.
• the needs of children and caregivers with various disabilities in their community when building new or making major changes to existing outdoor play spaces.
• the design and placement of rest areas along the exterior path of travel when building new or making major changes to existing exterior paths of travel.
All information administration reviewed is available in a website attachment.
City Administration is aware that the City of Edmonton has an Accessibility Advisory Committee. That committee, which meets approximately monthly, is responsible to:
• Identify and engage stakeholder groups and seek their input into the Committee's work.
• Conduct research and prepare reports on effective mitigation or modification strategies (for matters within the Committee's mandate) that would help individuals with disabilities to more fully participate in the community.
• Examine City information regarding current City facilities and infrastructure, programs, public services, activities and policies, to identify where they could create issues or barriers for individuals with disabilities. At the City Manager's request and where confidentiality issues permit, proposals can be examined as well.
• Work with the City Manager to develop and maintain a dialogue about matters of concern to individuals with disabilities.
• Assist Council and the City Manager to develop strategies, programs and policies to attract, recruit and retain individuals with disabilities as employees and to serve on Council's committees or initiatives.
• Participate in and support community events that raise awareness of inclusion and accessibility issues.
Information on Edmonton’s AAC is available in the attachment to this report.
IMPACTS OF MOTION
Financial:
None at this time. If this motion passes Administration will reprioritize effort towards drafting a bylaw and developing a committee resource/expense estimate.
Compliance & Legal:
None at this time. If this motion passes, Administration will prioritize legal review as part of drafting the bylaw. The structure of the Accessibility Advisory Committee bylaw would align, as much as possible, with the structure of other advisory committees at the City of St. Albert while incorporating principles broadly based on similar such committees required of municipalities by legislation in the province of Ontario.
Program or Service:
Note: I.3.2 Council Committees is captured in the City’s Services and Service Levels Inventory. Presently the City’s inventory for Advisory Committees identifies: Arts Development, Community Services, Emergency Management, Environmental Advisory, Internal Audit Steering Committee, Policing Committee, Seniors Advisory, and Youth Advisory. The support includes procedural advice, preparation, and distribution of agendas and minutes, booking meeting rooms, recruitment of members, and other supports as required.
Organizational:
The development of a draft bylaw and unfunded business case will redirect capacity from other Council and City priorities. What initiative(s) are paused to enable this effort is unknown at this time.
At minimum the City’s Human Resources, Financial Services, Legal Services, Community Services, Planning & Development, Engineering Services, and Public Operations teams will be involved in the bylaw draft review and what resources are impacted were the bylaw to be approved by Council.
Risks
• Strategic - this motion may mitigate risk as it may help Council achieve strategic plan and the City to achieve MDP goals if bylaw was passed in the future. The City has a Universal Access Plan and an AAC may be valuable to review that plan and provide recommendations on ways to implement or ensure it evolves with the needs of the community.
• Financial - N/A, not from drafting a bylaw and writing an unfunded business case.
• People - increases risk to workload capacity and competing priorities; the City would respond to this risk by prioritizing initiatives. This motion may compete for capacity with the planned actions and timeline in the IDEA strategy.
• Stakeholders - not at this time; if bylaw was later passed it may mitigate risk.
• Compliance and Legal - N/A, not at this time.
ALIGNMENT TO PRIORITIES IN COUNCIL’S STRATEGIC PLAN
Item aligned to Strategic Plan:
Inclusion, Diversity, Equity, and Accessibility Strategy (IDEA)
Universal Access Plan
ALIGNMENT TO LEVELS OF SERVICE DELIVERY
I.3.2 Council Committees: Provision of advice regarding legislative and procedural processes for Council Committees. This includes support for Standing Committees and various Council Committees.
ALTERNATIVES
If Council does not wish to support the proposed motion, Administration presents the following alternatives for Council’s consideration.
Alternative 1:
That, consistent with the IDEA strategy, Administration develops an Accessibility Community Engagement Subcommittee and Terms of Reference (TOR), which at minimum engages disability and seniors’ groups on municipal projects or initiatives, and that information about the developed TOR and progress of this subcommittee be reported to Council by the end of Q4 2026.
Financial:
None at this time. The City does not know the resources or expenses required at this time to support the subcommittee.
Compliance & Legal:
None at this time.
Program or Service:
None at this time.
Organizational:
Establishing a subcommittee will draw capacity from existing resources and a terms of reference would need to be established to confirm the type and nature of engagement with external groups.
Risks
• Strategic - Council’s strategic plan identifies as part of Community Well Being: Respond to changing demographics, accommodate the diverse needs of residents and continue to foster an inclusive community where everyone has an opportunity to fully participate and feel welcomed. This includes communicating and engaging in meaningful and transparent ways with the community.
Results: Residents have access to community spaces, programs, and services that respond to evolving community needs related to mental, social and physical well-being.
• Operational - The capacity necessary to support a subcommittee either impacts service delivery or may delay implementation of priorities.
• People - this is new future effort that increases risk to workload capacity and competing priorities; the City would respond to this risk by prioritizing initiatives.
• Stakeholders - this would create opportunities for stakeholder engagement - the nature of the engagement is unclear at this time. It’s possible that stakeholders expect more from the subcommittee than the terms of reference created by administration. If recommendations are provided from local groups that are not actioned by administration those groups may communicate concerns to council.
• Compliance and Legal - at this time Administration is not aware of legislative changes coming in Alberta.
Alternative 2:
That Administration prepare an unfunded Council business case for the 2026 budget, to support an Accessibility Advisory Committee, to be debated by Council as part of the 2026 budget process. At minimum the business case would include administration’s capacity to facilitate the committee and compensation and expenses necessary for committee member services.
And,
If the unfunded Council business case for the Accessibility Advisory Committee is approved, that Administration prepare for Council's consideration a draft bylaw to create a Council Accessibility Advisory Committee, to be reviewed at a SCOW meeting in Q1 2026, which includes the requisite terms of reference and is founded on principles broadly based on similar such committees required of municipalities by legislation in the province of Ontario.
Financial:
This motion would result in council reviewing an unfunded operating business case as part of the 2026 budget. This business case would ensure that in the event of council approving a bylaw that they have also ensured corresponding capacity aligned with the service level inventory.
Compliance & Legal:
None at this time. If the business case for the Accessibility Advisory Committee is approved, Administration will prioritize legal review as part of drafting the bylaw. The structure of the Accessibility Advisory Committee bylaw would align, as much as possible, with the structure of other advisory committees at the City of St. Albert while incorporating principles broadly based on similar such committees required of municipalities by legislation in the province of Ontario.
Program or Service:
Note: I.3.2 Council Committees is captured in the City’s Services and Service Levels Inventory. Presently the City’s inventory for Advisory Committees identifies: Arts Development, Community Services, Emergency Management, Environmental Advisory Board, Internal Audit Steering Committee, Policing Committee, Seniors Advisory Committee, and Youth Advisory Committee. The support includes procedural advice, preparation, and distribution of agendas and minutes, booking meeting rooms, recruitment of members, and other supports as required.
Organizational:
The development of a draft bylaw and unfunded business case will redirect capacity from other Council and City priorities. What initiative(s) are paused to enable this effort is unknown at this time.
At minimum the City’s Human Resources, Financial Services, Legal Services, Community Services, Planning & Development, Engineering Services, and Public Operations teams will be involved in the bylaw draft review and what resources are impacted were the bylaw to be approved by Council.
Risks
• Strategic - this motion may mitigate risk as it may help council achieve strategic plan and the City to achieve MDP goals if bylaw was passed in the future.
• Financial - N/A, not from drafting a bylaw and writing an unfunded business case.
• People - increases risk to workload capacity and competing priorities; the City would respond to this risk by prioritizing initiatives. Administration is unable to resource an Accessibility Advisory Committee without additional staff capacity.
• Stakeholders - an Accessibility Advisory Committee may generate several recommendations with a financial expense. If the generated recommendations are not implemented this could create disengagement and/or dissatisfaction from committee members and groups in the community.
Alternative 3: That Administration explore opportunities to partner with another regional municipality, with the goal of operating an Accessibility Advisory Committee and sharing the resources associated and report those options to Council by Q4 of 2025.
Financial:
None at this time.
Compliance & Legal:
None at the time.
Program or Service:
None at this time.
Organizational:
Some resource effort would be prioritized to discuss with other regional municipalities the interest and willingness to discuss with their respective councils an Accessibility Advisory Committee partnership. Coordination between the municipalities would be necessary.
Risks
• Strategic - Council’s strategic plan identifies as part of Community Well Being: Respond to changing demographics, accommodate the diverse needs of residents and continue to foster an inclusive community where everyone has an opportunity to fully participate and feel welcomed. This includes communicating and engaging in meaningful and transparent ways with the community.
Results: Residents have access to community spaces, programs, and services that respond to evolving community needs related to mental, social and physical well-being.
Partnership with other municipalities may go beyond community well-being and into regional considerations. It may create financial opportunities and expense reductions where joint opportunities are identified as well as knowledge sharing of issues beyond St. Albert borders. This could mean matters are brought to St. Albert’s attention before they impact St. Albert directly.
• Stakeholders - a joint Accessibility Advisory Committee may encounter differing interests or perspectives from community groups. A matter that may be very important in one community may not be in the other community. There is a risk that no regional municipality is interested to partner with the City of St. Albert in operating a joint Accessibility Advisory Committee.
• Compliance and Legal - at this time Administration is not aware of legislative changes coming in Alberta.
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Report Date: July 2, 2025
Author: Ryan Stovall, Director, Human Resources & Safety (with contributions from Legal Services, Planning, Community Services, Engineering, Financial Services)
Department: Human Resources & Safety
Department Director: Ryan Stovall
Managing Director: Diane McMordie
Chief Administrative Officer: William Fletcher