SSERGORP

Systemic

At the May 18th 2023 meeting of the Nova Scotia Accessibility Advisory Board, Maria Medioli, Director, Disability Support Program Department of Community Services gave an overview of the results of the Human Rights Case Remedy and the transformation of the Disability Support Program. She also mentioned that a website will be created for this work and relevant news and update will be available for the public to follow the progress.

The remedy calls for at least 24 accomplishments by September 2023.  

There is a remarkably uninformative, undated, one page Update on the Human Rights Case.

This is not a good sign.

Idiotic

When you use the new entrance at Maritime Center at the foot of Spring Garden, you face a bewildering array of escalators. 

Off in the corner is a little unmarked door:

the sign says

Lemme see:

• The door to Hell?
•  Be sure you have your phone
• Is that a button on the left?
• Up or down?
• Ah, it's a CALL button!
• Wonder if the door will open automatically and kill me.

I just love primitive architecture!

PS on enquiring at the desk, my spouse was told that the accessible entrance was off Salter, possibly the steepest street in town.....

PPS Any government offices here?

Says Slate, the clueless owner:

Sitting in close proximity to Halifax’s universities and legal, government, and financial centers, Maritime Centre is ideally located to serve as a destination business and innovation hub. However, the building’s functionality did not capitalize on its potential; it was under parked, had outdated common areas, lacked modern amenities, and was not easily accessible to the public. Slate Office REIT saw an opportunity to enhance the Centre’s amenities and aesthetic through active asset management and capital investment to create Class A space that would appeal to a market of high-quality tenants.

Never go there! 

Polemic

In April, Katie Aubrecht submitted her Independent Review of Nova Scotia’s Accessibility Act.  She was firm in saying "our review found that substantive progress has been made in laying the groundwork for an accessible province, but that much work remains to be done if we are going to achieve the 2030 timeline.  

• It is now 2023, yet no standards have been approved for regulation. 
• At present, only built environment and education - two of the six required standard areas - have recommendations. 
• No prepared standards have been posted for public comment. (You can now comment on the Built Environment Standard)
• Timelines to achieving an accessible province as laid out in the Access by Design 2030 roadmap are now delayed. 
• Fulfilling the Province’s obligations under the Act will require renewed Government commitment and informed community action.
• There was consensus that the built environment standard should be enacted without further delay. 
• All accessibility standard recommendations for the remaining standards should be developed at once. 
• It is the view of the review team that this work, while daunting, can be achieved by prioritizing which standards should be developed and implemented

That sounds like a C-

Pandemic

In September 2018, a Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission board of inquiry ruled that Nova Scotia Environment must require restaurants to have accessible washrooms for the public under its Food Safety Regulations.
Soon, any new restaurants, cafés, lunch counters and delis must be accessible to all Nova Scotians. In order to get a food safety permit, any new restaurant with seating will need to have accessible entrances, pathways and washrooms. These changes will be paired with updated Nova Scotia Building Code requirements around accessibility, which take effect Oct. 31.

"The Restaurant Association of Nova Scotia was pleased to participate in the restorative process. We support having all new restaurants accessible, and eventually, as many restaurants as possible. This is an important and positive step forward to improve accessibility for all people" says Gordon Stewart, executive director, Restaurant Association of Nova Scotia who used to say "In our sector when we refer to the term “public” we are speaking about the general good for the largest number of people. This unfortunately does not include all people."

Quick Facts:

• The Human Rights decision included all restaurants, new and old.
• The victorious wheelchair users were forced into a 'Restorative Justice' process and all dropped out.
• The process continued and reached an inadequate conclusion with no report.
• There are plenty of restaurants in Halifax where downstairs washrooms are tolerated
• Covid is back

Good luck with that

Hallucinogenic

Brad Johns, who seems to be the Rudy Giuliani of Nova Scotia supports the continued use of nondisclosure agreements.  NDAs are often used to settle Human Rights disputes, leaving offenders free to become repeat offenders.  

“I don’t support NDAs being used as a method to silence victims,” he told reporters after last week’s cabinet meeting, “but, at the same time, we’re just not moving forward with it right now.”

Why did his government make that decision?

“Multiple factors,” answered John.

What factors, asked reporters?

“I can follow up with you,” Johns responded limply. “I have it written all down. I don’t want to say something and be misquoted, that’s all.”

Authentic

(From an earlier post)

Bring me my bow of burning gold: Bring me my arrows of desire: Bring me my spear: O clouds, unfold! Bring me my chariot of fire.

William Blake

Here is Bob Hall in his chariot in 1975, the first authorized wheelchair competitor in the Boston Marathon. He made a deal with the legendary Will Cloney that he could race officially if he finished in under three hours. He did it in 2:58.

Here is Canadian Josh Cassidy winning the 5k at the 2016 Blue Nose Marathon. The picture has this caption on the CBC:

 "A wheelchair athlete came in first at a marathon in downtown Halifax this weekend, leaving runners and walkers in his dust.  Crowds cheered and fog horns blared as Josh Cassidy crossed the finish line at the Scotiabank Blue Nose Marathon, breaking records for the five-kilometre event with a time of 11 minutes and 24 seconds."

In 2012, Josh held the record in Boston - 1:18:25.  This year's first sneakered runner came in three quarters of an hour later - 2:05:54.  I believe the last wheelchair entry in the Blue Nose was in 2019. In 2023, there are no wheelchair divisions in any of the Blue Nose races.  It's not a stretch to conclude that race organizers are preoccupied with other concerns and that this is yet another manifestation of the 'systemic discrimination', which the province has vowed to eliminate.

Do you remember "Field of Dreams"?  "If you build it he will come" is the memorable quote about Shoeless Joe Jackson.  There may be a dearth of potential wheelchair competitors for the Blue Nose, but that's no excuse,  The Blue Nose uses public roads, relies on public police for crowd control, spectators use public transportation - services that people using wheelchairs help pay for.

What would be the cost of organizing an event that no one showed up for? That might be the exact motivtion a teenager needs.

I wrote to the Blue Nose asking if they had a wheelchair division and they replied "No but you are welcome to race in any appropriate division".  Guess they don't know a thing about sports.

So why risk the good name of the Blue Nose by omitting a whole class of people?  Because no one will notice?

Notice is given.

Aquatic

My sister visited in 2019.  We went to see the Bluenose in Lunenburg and I was disappointed that there was no wheelchair access.  Same today.  Maybe it's deliberate.