Multi-Year Accessibility Plan

2025–2030 Priorities

• General Accessibility Goals

  The City will work to establish a corporate accessibility governance structure and accountability framework that includes:

  • Clear roles and accountability for all organization levels.
  • Ensuring employees, residents and visitors are aware of all available resources or accommodation available to them when accessing City services, facilities, or employment.
  • Be a leader in Barrie by setting an example for accessible design including with respect to physical access, integration, employment equity, communications, recreation, transportation, housing and education, and by identifying barriers and gaps in the City’s facilities and provision of services
• Customer Service Goals

  • Increase self-serve options for City services, including online options for residents to perform tasks themselves through use of various technologies, specifically monitoring technology and other advancements for these services as they become available.
  • Leverage and expand communication channels beyond online/social media to share City program and event information to ensure Inclusive access to information for all residents.
  • Review with a focus to improve wayfinding signage with larger fonts, higher contrast, and visibility from wheelchair/scooter height where possible.
• Information and Communication

  • Continue work to maintain WCAG 2.0 Level AA or higher for any City of Barrie maintained websites.
  • Continuing addition of new options for ServiceBarrie.ca so residents may self-serve where possible, specifically monitoring technology and other advancements as they become available.
  • The City will continue to communicate with residents using a variety of methods and techniques to ensure that information is available to all residents in the format that best suits their needs.
  • Continue to work with staff to provide the most appropriate information and training on creating accessible communication and enforce these practices while moving forward with quickly changing technology and integrate new enhancements wherever possible.
• Accessible Transportation

  • Maintain and purchase accessible fleet that meet the requirements in the AODA.
  • Continually upgrade bus stops to meet standards and best practices.
  • Continue to review and work toward a shared payment platform with connected transportation systems.
  • Accessibility enhancements designed and built at the new Barrie Allandale Transit Terminal.
  • Ongoing review of transit policies and practices for accessible transportation.
  • Monitor and wherever possible, improve accessible technologies to assist with travelling on public transit.
  • The City shall ensure that all transit stops are designed using universal design principles and provide adequate shelter, signage, wayfinding, and furnishings as prescribed by the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, the City’s Transportation Master Plan, and associated design standards and policies. The City will also incorporate winter city design considerations at key transit stops in accordance with the City-Wide Urban Design Guidelines.
• Accessible Public Spaces

  • Audit the City’s playground/play spaces, and public parks with SAAC members, as Committee member volunteer time is available and at their request.
  • Advance the accessible playground and play spaces policy by adopting an inclusive standard for all community-level and larger parks, while ensuring neighbourhood park play spaces are designed to meet accessible standards with the longer-term plan to have all parks be accessible spaces and designed with the principles of universal design, where feasible.
  • Continue to expand the information available online, through GIS mapping, about the City’s accessible playground/play spaces, and other accessible amenities such as, accessible park washrooms, as upgrades and new projects are completed.
  • Enhance wayfinding signage for accessibility as projects are completed, including improved signage throughout City of Barrie facilities, parks and play spaces.
  • Retrofit existing transit terminal to an accessible university campus for the Lakehead STEM Hub.
  • Completion of the Barrie Allandale Transit Terminal, a new and accessible transit hub, including downtown mini hub.
  • Expand the General John Hayter Southshore Centre to allow for the relocation of the Sea Cadets to an accessible space.
  • Design and construct a new accessible Performing Arts Centre in downtown Barrie.
  • Engage Seniors and Accessibility Advisory Committee in the creation of a new standard related to the winter maintenance for walkways that connect from street to street to improve accessibility and active transportation.
  • The City will seek to understand, protect, and plan for the unique needs of equity seeking groups and vulnerable populations, such as the provision of publicly accessible washrooms and drinking water.
  • All Barrie municipal parking facilities will be planned for and in accordance with design requirements to meet provincial standards and policies developed under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, as amended, and to monitor the utilization of accessible parking to determine its adequacy relative to demand.