Tag Archives: Accessibility issues

08.07.10
by

A shameful page from the city’s accessibility plan

city_scope_logo-cmyk
It took seven years, but now St. Thomas accessibility advocate Stan Taylor and other transit users can ride a city bus right to the Wal-Mart store instead of trekking several hundred yards across what, in winter, can be likened to a Siberian landscape.

Seven years and two appeals to the Ontario Human Rights Commission to get the city off its duff to route buses for the convenience of passengers and not department staff.

Taylor won his first appeal against property owners First Pro Shopping Centre in 2005, and late in 2006 the city agreed to implement stops adjacent to the shopping area and not out on the perimeter road.
Continue reading →

07.31.10
by

A lifestyle challenge to all municipal candidates

city_scope_logo-cmyk

“It’s not only a struggle, it’s degrading.”
After little more than an hour wrestling with a wheelchair and peering through vision-impairing glasses, Ald. David Warden declared it’s time for the city to “put a concentrated effort into addressing accessibility issues.”
Several months prior to the 2006 municipal election, City Scope teamed up with accessibility advocate Ed McLachlan to challenge members of council and mayoral/aldermanic candidates to experience frustrations encountered by city residents dealing with accessibility issues in their daily routine.
Warden was joined by council hopeful Carol Van Rooy and the pair warily agreed to proceed from the city hall parking lot to the public library then return to city hall.
Continue reading →

07.17.10
by

A little dash of former mayor and the barbie is now sizzling

city_scope_logo-cmyk

If you attended the Chamber of Commerce Business After 5 soiree Wednesday, you couldn’t miss council members and mayoral/aldermanic hopefuls working the crowd in grand fashion.

There’s no mistaking the 2010 municipal election campaign, like the backyard barbie, is starting to warm up nicely.

Marvelous how the dynamics have taken on a new intensity with Jeff Kohler’s announcement this week he is seeking a return to council as one of seven aldermen.

Let’s do a little gazing into the City Scope crystal ball.
Continue reading →

04.10.10
by

A ‘tough budget’ to blame for employee dismissals

city_scope_logo-cmyk
After hiding behind the no-comment curtain for several weeks, the less-than-transparent brass over at Elgin St. Thomas Public Health passed along a media release this week to shed some light on recent events.

According to Executive Director Cynthia St. John, the organization has approved its 2010 mandatory programs and services budget, resulting in an overall increase of 3%.

The “tough budget,” as characterized by St. John, is the reason being touted for the dismissal of four employees last month, but we’ll get to that in a moment.

“We anticipated it was going to be a tough budget year and a 3% increase is insufficient to meet current demands for the services we provide,” she notes.
Continue reading →

03.08.10
by

2010 St. Thomas operating budget may put brakes on transit users

Posted by Ian:

When the budget comes down later this month one casualty of the “crunch,” as Mayor Cliff Barwick portrayed the city’s financial reality this year, is the transit system, in particular the paratransit component.

A report to council at Monday’s meeting advised St. Thomas Transit is shedding riders and maintenance costs for the four newest buses in the fleet could escalate at an alarming rate once the warranties expire.

Dealing with the latter issue first, why would the city purchase these vehicles, which Dave White, supervisor of roads and transportation, admits are only used by a few other communities and there is little “historical data” on them?
Continue reading →