Engagement has concluded. The RMWB would like to thank passionate residents, stakeholders, and Indigenous partners for providing feedback regarding facility accessibility. A detailed What We Heard Report providing feedback from engagement is now available for viewing. Continue reading to learn more about how feedback will be used.

What's an Accessibility Audit?

An accessibility audit is an evaluation of buildings or spaces to determine how accessible it is based on the Principles of Universal Design. The results of an accessibility assessment can help to understand what needs to be changed to make them more accessible.

How to participate?

The very first step is to identify what facilities need an audit and the type of obstacles you are having.

• Provide your feedback below. Contact us if you'd like paper copies of the survey.
• In-person on September 7, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at Jubilee Centre ( 1^st Floor 9909 Franklin Ave.)
• Virtual engagement on September 15, from 6:30 p.m. until all questions have been answered. Click this link to join the conversation, live.

How will your feedback be used? What happens next?

Providing your feedback is an incredibly important step towards becoming barrier-free.

Your feedback will help compile a list of buildings, both Municipal and private, that you are encountering accessibility obstacles in. This list will be used by the Community and Protective Services Department to determine which buildings can be audited.

Once the facilities are audited, especially for the private facilities, a report on how they can improve their facility will be provided to the owner and if the facility is in the downtown area, they will be given information about the Downtown Revitalization Incentives Program and how to apply to help fund the accessibility improvements.

Why is Accessibility important?

The Government of Canada introduced Bill C-81, also known as the Accessible Canada Act, in June 2018, to ensure a barrier-free Canada. The purpose of the Accessible Canada Act is to make Canada barrier-free by January 1, 2040.

The term, built environment, is used when referring to those surroundings created for humans, by humans, and are to be used for human activity.

One in five Canadian adults currently lives with a disability, according to Statistics Canada. According to the 2018 Census data, the senior population (65 years of age and over) slightly increased from 2.1% in 2015 to 2.8% in 2018. During census 2021, 18,007 dwellings out of 31,643 indicated that at least one resident lived with a disability in the household. This represents almost 57% of the dwellings in the region.

Spaces that are design base on universal design principles create an environment that is usable for all people. When we create an accessible community, we are not only solving problems for those with accessibility needs, but we are creating a world without barriers for everyone. In communities that are accessible and inclusive, people with disabilities can be active participants.

The Regional Municipality of Wood Buffalo’s (RMWB) Diversity and Inclusion Community Plan (2017-2022) has six community priorities including the reduction of barriers to resources and services. This priority includes physical accessible infrastructure and inclusive spaces and services.

The Advisory Committee on Aging has included in the Age-friendly Work Plan (2021-2024) a strategy to support the implementation of barrier-free building design by completing a comprehensive accessibility audit.

The scope of the Accessibility Audit is to complete the assessment of some buildings in the community and will identify the necessary retrofitting in those buildings or spaces.

Resources available to make buildings and spaces more accessible

• The Barrier-free Design Guide from the Safety Codes Council includes barrier-free requirements that apply to the building and the exterior property that is part of the building site. Certain building types are exempt from these requirements.
• The Canadian Standards Association (CSA) applies a consensus standards development process approved by the Standards Council of Canada. The CSA has a standard on Accessible Design for the Built Environment (CSA B651-12). This standard specifies technical requirements on how to make buildings and the exterior built environment accessible and safely usable by persons with physical, sensory, or cognitive disabilities.
• The Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification (RHFAC) is a certification process that adopts the Principles of Universal Design and measures and certifies the built environment on its level of meaningful access for persons with vision, hearing and mobility disabilities.
• Universal Design is the design and structure of an environment so that it can be understood, accessed, and used to the greatest extent possible by all people regardless of their age or ability.

What if there are improvements to be done?

Let us help! Being an accessible facility doesn't have to be a hard thing for you to accomplish. The Downtown Revitalization Incentives Program has a variety of grants that can help the cover the costs of connectivity and accessibility improvements. Find more information and apply.

This survey has concluded.