Whereas the Accessible British Columbia Act passed by the provincial government in 2021 requires local governments to develop accessibility plans to identify, remove and prevent barriers; And whereas local governments have limited financial abilities and staff resources to implement accessibility recommendations on an ongoing basis: Therefore be it resolved that UBCM request the Province create an annual funding model accessibility fund designed to assist local governments to implement accessibility recommendations.
Ministry of Social Development and Poverty Reduction Thank you for your resolution requesting the Province create an annual funding model accessibility fund designed to assist local governments to implement accessibility recommendations. Parksville is among over 750 public sector organizations listed in the Accessible BC Regulation required by September 1, 2023 to establish: an accessibility committee, an accessibility plan, and a tool to receive feedback on accessibility. The Accessible BC Regulation came into effect September 1, 2022. The requirements to establish an accessibility plan, committee and feedback mechanism are framed flexibly, and organizations have significant discretion to develop the plans, feedback mechanisms and committees that work for their communities. The regulation allows organizations to evolve their approach to the plan, committee and feedback tool over time and with feedback from people with disabilities. Government has been working together with trusted partners to help organizations to comply with the regulation. The following projects support local governments with accessibility: - SPARC BC Local Community Accessibility Grant Program: In 2023 the Government of British Columbia provided 5 million over three years to provide up to 25,000 for all local governments or regional districts to support implementation or projects identified within their accessibility plan or by their accessibility committee. Funding is available for a wide range of accessibility initiatives. We would encourage all local government who have not yet applied for this funding to contact SPARC BC at accessibilitysparc.bc.ca. - Disability Alliance BC Accessible Organizations Project: In 2022 the Government of British Columbia provided 3 million to support the organizations prescribed by the Accessible BC Regulation by developing a variety of resources including toolkits, guides and training. - Rick Hansen Foundation BC Accessibility Grants Program: The Government of British Columbia has provided 7.5 million to fund local governments and Indigenous communities to receive a Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility CertificationTM rating for three sites and up to 82,500 total for upgrades along with accessibility awareness training for municipal staff.