White Rock accessibility advocate Susan Bains said a recent decision not to add beach accessibility to the city's list of strategic priorities is indicative of systemic attitudes, both in society and on council.
She added that council should be prioritizing specific plans to improve beach accessibility, which, she noted, is mandated by both the B.C. Human Rights Code and the Accessible British Columbia Act.
Bains (herself a wheelchair user , and co-founder of the Equal Access Collective, which successfully campaigned for the city to install an accessibility mat on the pier last year) also noted that White Rock's current accessibility plan has been developed as a non-compliant document by the city – without input from the accessibility advisory committee – and still exists only in draft form.
"This document has yet to undergo review by a properly established committee focused on prioritizing the city’s accessibility needs," she said.
Another point that Bains has raised – that White Rock appears not to be following provincial guidelines on the composition of its accessibility advisory committee – was contradicted by a statement Friday from city communications and government relations manager Robyn Barra.
The Accessible B.C. Act states that "an accessibility committee must, to the extent possible, have members who are selected in accordance with the following goals: at least half of the members are persons with disabilities, or individuals who support, or are from organizations that support, persons with disabilities."
It also states that "at least one of the members" should be an Indigenous person.
In an emailed response to a Peace Arch News question, Barra answered that "I can confirm that the committee composition conforms with the legislation."
Asked previously why the current committee did not include such qualified resident applicants as Bains, and well-known White Rock comedian and wheelchair user Ryan LaChance and Coun. Ernie Klassen (both of whom were members of the original committee), Barra said "the selection process is handled with care and confidentiality, and council ultimately selects those they believe are best suited to serve and advance the committee's mandate."
Regardless of how the current committee is structured, Bains said – from an accessibility standpoint, focusing on the city’s largest attraction, the beach – two key actions must be immediately prioritized.
First would be to ensure the beach is accessible through proper beach ramps and the provision of beach wheelchairs.
Second would be to address dangerous barriers at the eight railway crossings, which pose a significant safety and fatality risk for mobility devices, as "caster wheels, canes, and other aids often get stuck in the gaps."
"I have already researched potential solutions and am awaiting the city’s response before moving forward," Bains added.
At the Feb. 10 council meeting, Coun. Christopher Trevelyan, who was recently removed both as chair and member of the accessibility advisory committee, put forward a motion to add beach accessibility to the list of strategic priorities.
He argued that inserting it in the existing list would be simply a formality – since work is already underway by city staff on improving beach access points.
He said, however, it would show leadership – and send a clear message to the public that the city recognizes the obstructions to access to the beach for both the mobility challenged and the able-bodied, and is hard at work on it.
The motion was shot down on a split vote (Trevelyan, Coun. David Chesney, Coun. Ernie Klassen in favour; Mayor Megan Knight and councillors Bill Lawrence, Elaine Cheung and Michele Partridge opposed).
Lawrence (now the new chair of the accessibility advisory committee), Cheung (new vice-chair), and Partridge (former vice-chair, recently resigned) argued that prioritizing access was strictly a matter for the committee to deal with.
Council adding another priority would necessitate further staff work, they added, further arguing that process should be followed and that Trevelyan's motion was essentially "redundant."
Knight said council had unanimously voted for the current list of strategic priorities at the beginning of its term two-and-a-half years ago and that adding a new one was essentially a non-starter.
"That's the way it is," she said.
But Bains said she sees the decision as the latest chapter in a troubling city history in addressing accessibility issues.
While she acknowledged that process is important, "there must, first, be a clear and efficient process in place," she added.
She noted the accessibility advisory committee already underwent restructuring only one year after it was created, and has now replaced both its chair and vice-chair – after only one meeting.
"This (latest) decision highlights a lack of teamwork within the council," she said.
"White Rock is renowned as a beach town, and it is the community’s primary tourist attraction—so why isn’t beach accessibility being prioritized? Why wasn’t the response, 'Yes, let’s prioritize this and involve the accessibility committee to explore potential solutions'?"
Resistance to support Trevelyan's initiative, she said, "reflects poor leadership and the persistent, deeply rooted systemic attitudinal barriers that exist."
"This is clearly a delay tactic. The city needs to take responsibility and prioritize these urgent accessibility issues. This is not a mere choice—it is a legal obligation."
