East Toronto meeting on accessible housing project booked at inaccessible venue

City moved consultation to second location but that site also unsuitable

Thestar.com
Dec. 7, 2016
By Joanne Lavoie

Toronto city planners thought they’d found the perfect place to hold a public meeting on an accessible, affordable housing project in Toronto’s east end.

The only trouble? The Royal Canadian Legion Baron Byng Beaches Branch 1/42 at 243 Coxwell Ave. isn’t accessible.

Late last week, a number of residents called the city after learning the only way to gain access to the local legion is by using a set of seven steps.

The consultation was then moved to the nearby Lazy Daisy’s Cafe at 1515 Gerrard St. E., but that space was also found to be unsuitable as its washroom facilities are in the basement.

Late last week, the City announced it is postponing the meeting until early next year and would be rebooking it at an accessible location in the community.

“There was an oversight. We should have confirmed it was fully accessible and we didn’t. It’s really important to us that we are as inclusive as possible,” said Kyle Knoeck, the city’s manager of community planning for the Toronto and East York District - East Section.

“I’m thankful to the residents who contacted us because they alerted us to the issue.”

We tried to find an alternative, Lazy Daisy’s, but there was no accessible washroom.”

Nine-year east Toronto resident Stephanie Ball was one of the residents who contacted City Planning as well as her local councillor, Paula Fletcher, with concerns about the venues’ lack of accessibility.

“I wanted to check out the meeting but found out the (legion) was not accessible,” said Ball, who for the last 11 years has lived with the effects of multiple, progressive auto-immune disorders and has used a power wheelchair for the last six.

“I was very concerned for my safety and for the other (differently abled people) who would have been attending. It wasn’t a very good idea to book that building.”

She was also unimpressed that the alternative venue, Lazy Daisy’s, didn’t have accessible washrooms.

“I told (the city) that this is still not accessible. How am I supposed to sit through a three-hour meeting and not use the washroom,” said Ball, who was considering filing a complaint with the Ontario Human Right Commission if the situation wasn’t addressed.

“It’s just my right as a human being to have access to a bathroom.”

Ball, who currently lives near Monarch Park, was interested in attending the community consultation as she’s looking to move to a more accessible apartment in the area. The place where she’s currently staying doesn’t adequately meet her accessibility needs and is difficult to navigate with her limited mobility.

“I just want an accessible, affordable place to live but I couldn’t even go to the meeting to find out more about it,” she told The Mirror during an interview earlier this week at a Little India area cafe.

“I’ve been on the list for affordable, accessible housing for four years.”

This victory for accessibility is Ball’s first time fighting for accessibility rights.

“I thought maybe this would be my starting point,” she smiled.

“I’m grateful they listened and they did postpone the meeting. I’m just really glad my voice was heard.”

And while Ball said she’s pleased that the city is taking steps to rebook the community consultation at a more accessible location, she wishes accessibility wasn’t an afterthought.

“It doesn’t make sense at all. Sometimes I wonder. They should have just booked an accessible facility to begin with,” she said, adding unfortunately a lot of people with disabilities are forced to sacrifice their rights and dignity to get around in an inaccessible world.

“It’s hard being a young woman with a disability. Even in 2016, Toronto is not up to standards.”

The meeting in question, which initially was scheduled to take place Dec. 7, pertains to a planning application submitted by Innstead Co-operative Inc. for a six-storey mixed-use building with 33 affordable housing units, one retail unit at ground level, office space on the sixth floor, and nine surface parking spots at 355-363 Coxwell Ave. A few residential apartments in the building are set to be entirely accessible with lowered countertops, and switches as well as wheelchair-accessible showers among other things.