Minutes

Accessibility Advisory Committee

The Corporation of the City of Brampton

Tuesday, May 13, 2025

6:30 P.m. - 7:30 P.m.

Hybrid Meeting - Virtual Option & In-Person in Council Chambers – 4th Floor – City Hall

Members Present:

• Vanessa Tantalo, Co-Chair
• Franco Spadafora
• Kathia Johnson
• Michelle Buckland
• Paula Anderson
• Sherri Hopkins

Members Absent:

• Nuno Alberto Peixoto, Co-Chair
• Gurleen Garcha
• Chamila Belleth
• Sukhbir Taank
• City Councillor Rod Power - Wards 7 and 8

Staff Present:

• Shawnica Hans, Deputy Clerk, Election and Accessibility
• Sylvia Ingham, Accessibility Coordinator
• Sabrina Cook, Accessibility Coordinator
• Chandra Urquhart, Legislative Coordinator

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1.

Call to Order

The meeting was called to order at 6:35 p.m. and adjourned at 7:02 p.m.

2.

Approval of Agenda

• AAC009-2025

  That the agenda for the Accessibility Advisory Committee meeting of May 13, 2025 be approved as published and circulated. 

  Carried

3.

Declarations of Interest under the Municipal Conflict of Interest Act

Nil

4.

Previous Minutes

4.1

Minutes - Accessibility Advisory Committee - February 25, 2025

The minutes were considered by Committee of Council on March 19, 2025, and approved by Council on March 26, 2025.  The minutes were provided for Committee’s information.

5.

Presentations\Delegations

Nil

6.

Municipal Accessibility Plan Priorities

Nil

7.

Other/New Business

7.1

Verbal update by Ed Fagan, Director Parks Maintenance and Forestry, re: Rosalea Tennis Dome

Ed Fagan, Director Parks Maintenance and Forestry, provided an update on the Rosalea Tennis Dome noting the following: 

• New accessible ramp has been installed and meets the AODA requirements
• Three additional accessible spots were added
• Accessible portable washroom will be removed on May 27th 
• New accessible washroom will be in place for the Fall season

Committee acknowledged the update.

8.

Correspondence

Nil

9.

Information Items

9.1

Report by Sabrina Cook, Accessibility Coordinator, re: 2024 Accessibility Annual Report

Sabrina Cook, Accessibility Coordinator, provided and overview of the 2024 Accessibility Annual Report highlighting the number of capital projects and site plans reviewed, partnership with the Region of Peel in the development of guidelines for electric vehicles and charging stations, and joint initiatives and collaboration with other City departments.

In response to comments and questions, Sabrina Cook explained the following:

• New City staff hires are provided with a number of training sessions including accessibility training 
• Accessibility design guidelines are being updated and will be presented to Committee at a future meeting

The following motion was considered:

• AAC010-2025

  1.  That the report from Sabrina Cook, Accessibility Coordinator, City Clerk’s Office, to the Accessibility Advisory Committee Meeting of May 13, 2025, re: 2024 Accessibility Annual Report, be received.

  Carried

9.2

Report by Sylvia Ingham, Accessibility Coordinator, re: 2025 Accessibility Awards – Nomination Process

Sylvia Ingham, Accessibility Coordinator, provided an overview of the report on the 2025 Accessibility Awards - Nomination Process, noting that Council approved the relaunch of the Accessibility Awards Program. As part of the process, the establishment of a sub-committee of up to two to five members are required to review nominations received.

Discussion took place and staff responded to comments and questions which included:

• Staff are working with Communications on a media release regarding promotion of the awards program, which may include various social media platforms, the City's website and the Brampton Guardian online
• Awards will be presented to recipients at a Council meeting and will be opened to interested public to attend or to view the livestream online
• Names of previous winners are listed on the website 
• Inquiry was made with the Citizen Awards and Protocol staff regarding the inclusion of the Accessibility Awards Program into the Citizen Awards, it was determined that:
  • adding the accessibility awards would lead to confusion for recipients
  • it would be considered inappropriate as there was no category for accessibility
  • the accessibility awards was a totally separate program 

In response to further comments, Clerk's Office staff reminded Committee that this matter was discussed at length at the previous meeting and Committee voted on a motion to continue to have the program administered by the accessibility team with the support of the Clerk's office. Staff has also followed up with the inquiry to explore the option of having the program included in the Citizen Awards, as noted in the response above.

Members were asked to volunteer to participate in the sub-committee to review nominations. The following members expressed interest:

• Michelle Buckland
• Sherri Hopkins
• Vanessa Tantalo
• Franco Spadafora

Staff advised that members who volunteered for the sub-committee will receive communication from staff once the minutes were approved by Council.

The following motion was considered:

• AAC011-2025

  1.  That the report from Sylvia Ingham, Accessibility Coordinator, City Clerk’s Office, to the Accessibility Advisory Committee meeting of May 13, 2025, re: 2025 Accessibility Awards – Nomination Process, be received;

  2.  That the Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC) select a sub-committee for nomination review; and,

  3. That the following members be appointed as members of the Nomination Review Sub-Committee:

  • Michelle Buckland
  • Sherri Hopkins
  • Vanessa Tantalo
  • Franco Spadafora
  Carried

10.

Question Period

Nil

11.

Public Question Period

Nil

12.

Adjournment

The following motion was considered:

• AAC012-2025

  That the Accessibility Advisory Committee do now adjourn to meet again on Tuesday, September 23, 2025 at 6:30 p.m.

  Carried