ODA Update
August 21, 2001

ODA Committee Calls On Ontario Government
To Ensure A Barrier- Free Legislative Process
When Legislature Considers the ODA this Fall

SUMMARY   Today the ODA Committee wrote to Citizenship Minister Cam Jackson to call for a barrier-free legislative process in which persons with disabilities can fully participate, when the Harris government introduces its forthcoming ODA bill this fall.   In this letter, set out below, the ODA Committee makes specific requests to ensure that this legislative process is barrier-free, including adequate prior notice of all dates when the bill will be debated and open, accessible province-wide public hearings on the bill.     *****   August 21, 2001 The Honourable Cam Jackson Minister of Citizenship 400 University Avenue, 6th Floor Toronto, Ontario M7A 2R9 Dear Minister: Re: Ontarians with Disabilities Act We understand from your recent statements that you plan to introduce an Ontarians with Disabilities Act bill this fall and to have it passed into law before year's end. The Legislature's deadline of November 23, 2001 for the enactment of a strong and effective Ontarians with Disabilities Act is fast approaching, and is only 94 days away. We are writing to ask that the Legislature's process for considering your Ontarians with Disabilities Act bill be fully open, accessible and barrier-free for persons with disabilities. For example, we wish to ask that the public be given at least two weeks' notice of each of the dates the Ontarians with Disabilities Act bill will be before the Legislature for each of the three readings, debates and/or votes. As you are aware, people with disabilities in particular require significant lead time for appointments, because of limited transportation and other assistive services necessary for their attendance and full participation at such functions. Further, we also wish to request that you hold public Legislative Committee hearings on your proposed legislation, providing at least four weeks' notice for preparation. We ask that these hearings be open, publicly accessible and province-wide. When we met your predecessor, Isabel Bassett, on October 22, 1998, she expressed the view that she was not opposed to public hearings. Later, it was reported in a Sarnia area newspaper, published March 15, 1999, that Minister Bassett supported the call for public hearings on Bill 83, your government's previous bill. Further, we can only conclude that the Premier also supported such a call when Bill 83 was before the House, when he wrote to us on November 25, 1998: "As the bill proceeds through the legislative process, there will be opportunities for input and amendments." To date, your government has made no public announcements detailing intended contents of your forthcoming bill. Your recent ad hoc meetings with various individuals and groups do not preclude the need for accessible public hearings on your forthcoming bill, open to all. In the spring of 1999, many individuals wrote to the Clerk of the Legislature requesting a chance to appear at public hearings on Bill 83. We would request that all applications received at that time now be applied to hearings on your forthcoming legislation. Also, new applications should be encouraged and accommodated so that all who wish to appear at these hearings are able to do so. We ask that your government provide for full debate on any amendments consistent with the 11 principles regarding the Ontarians with Disabilities Act adopted by the Legislature by unanimous resolution on October 29, 1998. We understand that you also plan to introduce some amendments to the Ontario Human Rights Code. We similarly encourage a public, accessible, barrier-free legislative process for any bill regarding the Human Rights Code, at least to the extent that it relates to an Ontarians with Disabilities Act and disability issues. We would be pleased to discuss these requests with you, and to do whatever we can to help ensure a positive and successful legislative process. Yours sincerely, David Lepofsky, C.M. Chair Ontarians with Disabilities Act Committee cc: Mike Harris 325-7578 Norman Sterling 326-2913 Dalton McGuinty 325-9895 Dwight Duncan 325-2201 Steve Peters 325-7262 Ernie Parsons 325-4757 Howard Hampton 325-8222 David Christopherson 325-3189 Marilyn Churley 325-3252 Tony Martin 325-3720

 

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Last updated August 23, 2001