City seeking input on an Advisory Committee on Accessibility and Inclusiveness

Survey to collect feedback on draft Terms of Reference open until November 17

NEWS RELEASE - Distributed November 1, 2019 1:30 PM

Summary

The City of Nanaimo is inviting residents to review and provide feedback on a draft Terms of Reference for a proposed new committee – the Advisory Committee on Accessibility and Inclusiveness.

The mandate of the proposed committee is to “promote social and political equity within existing and proposed City plans, policies, bylaws and infrastructure and make recommendations to ensure that they are inclusive and accommodating to citizens of all ages, abilities and walks of life.”

The vision laid out in Council’s 2019-2022 Strategic Plan is for a community that is “livable, environmentally sustainable and full of opportunity for all generations and walks of life.” The Advisory Committee on Accessibility and Inclusiveness would seek to uphold this vision and look at ways that the City of Nanaimo can improve upon current plans, policies and practices.

With the upcoming 2020 strategic policy development process (which includes the Official Community Plan; Parks, Recreation and Culture Master Plan; and Active and Sustainable Transportation Plan, among others) there is an opportunity to have the Advisory Committee on Accessibility and Inclusiveness be engaged in this process as part of their mandate.

To ensure that all residents have the opportunity to participate, there are a number of ways that the survey can be completed:

Online
Submitted via email to public.engagement@nanaimo.ca (a PDF version of the survey is attached)
Dropped off or filled in in-person at City Hall (located at 455 Wallace Street) between 8:30 am to 4:30 pm Monday through Friday. A staff member will be happy to help those that may require assistance completing the form.

The survey will be open until Sunday, November 17 and a summary of the findings will be presented to Council.

Link to Strategic Plan: The Advisory Committee on Accessibility and Inclusiveness supports Council’s vision laid out in the 2019-2022 Strategic Plan as well as the key pillar of Livability.

Key Points

The City of Nanaimo is inviting residents to submit feedback on a draft Terms of Reference for an Advisory Committee on Accessibility and Inclusiveness.
The goal of the proposed committee is to ensure that Nanaimo is inclusive and accommodating to citizens of all ages, abilities and walks of life and to identify areas needing improvement.
Feedback can be submitted via an online survey, submitted via email to public.engagement@nanaimo.ca or dropped off or filled in in-person at City Hall, located at 455 Wallace Street.

Quotes

"Building a Nanaimo that meets the needs of everyone requires identifying and removing physical and social barriers often experienced by marginalized members of our community. This can only be achieved by expanding the decision making process to include as many diverse voices as possible, and accounting for and welcoming the diverse experiences of our City."

Tyler Brown

Councillor

City of Nanaimo

"This committee would offer an opportunity for us as a City to actively increase awareness of the needs of all members of our community and to be proactive in ensuring that our City is accessible and inclusive to all."

Richard Harding

General Manager, Parks, Recreation & Culture

City of Nanaimo

Attachments

Survey (PDF) - Advisory Committee on Accessibility and Inclusiveness

-30-

Contact:

Sheila Gurrie

Director, Legislative Services

City of Nanaimo

250-755-4405

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