Disability Alliance B.C. is asking lawmakers in B.C., Canada, to consult more with individuals with disabilities before passing the Accessible British Columbia Act.
This Act, also known as Bill 6, is ready for a second reading in the the B.C. Legislative Assembly. If passed, it will remove barriers and create accessibility standards throughout the province, which according to the B.C. government, would help 900,000 residents with disabilities.
But Disability Alliance B.C. is speaking out against the act, saying that it is weaker than legislation in other parts of the country, and that fundamental aspects of promoting accessibility have been left out of the bill.
“This bill, compared to some others across the country, doesn’t seem to have many teeth,” said Andrew Robb, staff lawyer for Disability Alliance B.C.
Robb, speaking on CBC’s The Early Edition, said the alliance has sent letters to every Member of B.C.’s Legislative Assembly outlining its concerns, which include no timeline for creating and implementing accessibility standards and no enforcement mechanism to make sure they are being followed.
Individuals who feel a business or organization has not met accessibility standards will only be able to complain to the violator, as the bill in its current form has no formal complaint process, according to Robb.
“I’m worried that without some mechanism to enforce compliance, Bill 6 may end up as not much more than a statement of principles,” he said.
Similar legislation in Ontario, Manitoba and Nova Scotia is more comprehensive, as is the national Accessible Canada Act.
According to Robb, the national act is reviewed every three years – B.C. plans to review its bill every decade. This 10-year time frame, he said, could allow multiple governments to come and go without accountability.
The alliance is asking the province to pause the legislative process for Bill 6 and consult further with groups and individuals representative of the lives it is intended to improve.
“This is a once in a generation opportunity … but once the law is passed, it is very difficult to change,” said Robb.
