Minutes

Age-Friendly Brampton Advisory Committee

The Corporation of the City of Brampton

Tuesday, May 25, 2021

7:00 P.m. - 9:00 P.m.

Council Chambers - 4th Floor, City Hall - Webex Electronic Meeting

Members Present:

• Saad Ali (Co-Chair)
• Bob Pesant (Co-Chair)
• Elvira Brathwaite
• Umar Javed
• Angela Johnson
• Sushil Ninawat
• Elizabeth Pike
• Sonya Singh
• Sandra Fitzpatrick, Manager, Region of Peel Public Health
• Peter Howarth (CARP)
• Alexa Roggeveen, Sheridan College, Social Service Worker, Gerontology
• Laura Tribble, Advisor, Region of Peel, Housing Services
• Joelle Berube-Cheng, Peel Senior Link
• City Councillor C. Williams

Members Absent:

• City Councillor D. Whillans
• City Councillor J. Bowman
• Tony Brookes
• Vidhi Bhatt, Brampton Multicultural Youth Council
• Myrna Adams, Brampton Seniors Council
• Rodrigo Merio, Brampton Multicultural Community Centre
• Ava Joshi, Community Investment Manager, United Way

Staff Present:

• Jeffrey Humble, Manager, Policy, Program & Implementation
• Bindu Shah, Policy Planner
• Mirella Palermo, Policy Planner
• Melinda Yogendran, Assistant Policy Planner
• Tristan Costa, Planner
• Chandra Urquhart, Legislative Coordinator
• Gloria Ruiz, Coordinator, Community Safety

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1.

Call to Order

The meeting was called to order at 7:11 p.m. and adjourned at 8:20 p.m.

2.

Approval of Agenda

• AFC011-2021

  That the agenda for the Age-Friendly Brampton Advisory Committee meeting of May 25, 2021, 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 - Age-Friendly Brampton Advisory Committee - March 25, 2021

The minutes were considered by Planning and Development Committee on May 10, 2021 and approved by Council on May 19, 2021. The minutes were provided for Committee’s information.

5.

Presentations\Delegations

5.1

Delegation from Vasco Alcantara, Rick Hansen Foundation, re: Benefits of Universal Design, Age Friendly, Accessible Housing

Vasco Alcantara, Rick Hansen Foundation (RHF), provided a presentation entitled 'Benefits of Universal Design, Age Friendly, Accessible Housing'. He noted details of successful RHF Accreditation Certification projects with the focus on construction and retrofit requirements for accessibility for multi-unit residential buildings (MURBS). The following was highlighted:

• Accessibility starts at home
• Accessibility – from legislation to design to build
  • need for legislation mandating minimum requirements for MURBS with accessibility in mind
• Examples of Rick Hansen Foundation Accreditation Certification (RHFAC) and MURBs
  • Ryder Village, Hope B.C
  • Carleton University New On-Campus Residence
• RHFAC and Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)
• Request from CMHC to create rating and scoring system to rate MURBS with the objective to reduce barriers
• RHF is in search of partners to conduct pilot programs
• Discussions with the City to offer sites for the pilot initiative

Committee discussion, comments and questions included:

• Availability of financial assistance for retrofits
  • Federal and Provincial governments and a number of municipalities offer grants
• The AODA requirements does not stipulate a percentage of ownership of accessible units for multi-unit residential buildings
• Questioned the definition of a disabled person given that 25 percent of the population are considered disabled
  • Federal government outlines 10 different categories that determine disability
• Whether the local municipalities can incorporate a minimum standard for multi-unit residential buildings through the development approval process that requires the construction of a percentage of accessibility units
  • Standards for accessible features such as kitchens are not mandated
• Construction of accessible multi-unit residential buildings would also be beneficial to seniors
• Details provided of the initiative to conduct pilot program ratings on buildings in Brampton when funding is available through the Canadian Mortgage and Housing Corporation (CMHC)
• Region of Peel expressed interest in pilot initiative for newer affordable housing multi-unit residential projects

The following motion was considered:

• AFC012-2021

  That the delegation by Vasco Alcantara, Rick Hansen Foundation, to the Age-Friendly Brampton Advisory Committee meeting of May 25, 2021, re: Benefits of Universal Design, Age Friendly, Accessible Housing be received. 

  Carried

5.2

Presentation by Mirella Palermo, Policy Planner, and Melinda Yogendran, Assistant Planner, re: Staying Connected: Video Resource & Directory for Seniors and Caregivers

Mirella Palermo, Policy Planner, and Melinda Yogendran, Assistant Planner, provided a presentation entitled "Staying Connected: Video Resource & Directory for Seniors and Caregivers", which included the following:

• Project overview - mandate and objectives
• Project timeline -initial stage and implementation phase
• Directory themes - include:
  • social support
  • social connectivity
  • financial services
  • accessibility 
  • housing and homes services

Committee discussion and comments were provided on the themes with the following suggestions: 

• Roots Community Services Inc. be added under the Social Connectivity theme
• Non-profit organization ‘Cope’ be added to the Financial Supports theme
• City offer a resource site that provides safe and reputable ‘home-help’ services for seniors, such as, snow clearing, gardening and window cleaning
• Inclusion of seniors organizations in the directory, such as, CARP and Probus Club

Staff requested volunteers to participate in the preparation of the video and design of the webpage for the Age-Friendly Directory. Members were advised that they will receive an email with details of the project and they may express interest if they wish. 

The following motion was considered:  

• AFC013-2021

  That the presentation by Mirella Palermo, Policy Planner, and Melinda Yogendran, Assistant Planner, to Age-Friendly Brampton Advisory Committee meeting of May 25, 2021, re: Staying Connected: Video Resource & Directory for Seniors and Caregivers be received. 

  Carried

5.3

Presentation by Tristan Costa, Planner, and Gloria Ruiz, Coordinator, re: Nurturing Neighbourhoods Update

Tristan Costa, Planner, and Gloria Ruiz, Coordinator, provided an update on the Nurturing Neighbourhoods Program, which included the following:

• Overview of program from 2018 to date
• List of neighbourhoods toured in person and virtually
• Neighbourhood survey results for 2019 versus 2020
• Preliminary city-wide data results and emerging themes
• Supporting the eight domains of the Age-Friendly Strategy
• Questions - best ways to communicate and achieve support and strong outreach for programs both virtual and online
• Next steps include
  • continuation of the program online

Committee discussion included the following:

• Suggestions and options to connect with the community on initiatives and projects before the events occur, such as, a notice in Councillors' newsletters
• Indication that marketing and promotion of the Nurturing Neighbourhoods program  are being explored by staff and a suggestion that this initiative be considered as a standing item in Councillors' newsletters
• Programs such as this help to connect the community and make residents more invested in the neighbourhood
• Indication from staff that details on the touring of the 15 new neighbourhoods will be shared with the public once the locations are confirmed

Staff requested volunteers to become a community champion to promote the neighbourhood in which they live. Members were advised that they will receive an email with details of this initiative and they may express interest if they wish. 

The following motion was considered:

• AFC014-2021

  That the presentation by Tristan Costa, Planner, and Gloria Ruiz, Coordinator, Community Innovation and Resilience, to the Age-Friendly Brampton Advisory Committee meeting of May 25, 2021, re: Nurturing Neighbourhoods Program Update be received.

  Carried

6.

Reports / Updates

6.1

Update by Bindu Shah, Policy Planner, re: Housing Brampton-Next Steps 

Bindu Shah, Policy Planner, referenced the staff presentation, recommendation report and executive summary provided for information with the agenda. Ms. Shah noted that staff have been meeting with delegations who expressed support for the Housing Strategy. She advised that funding was approved by Council for the Housing Capital Catalyst Program under which several pilot projects are being considered, and also for some of the incentive programs. 

7.

Other/New Business / Information Items

Nil

8.

Correspondence

Nil

9.

Question Period

Nil

10.

Public Question Period

Nil

11.

Adjournment

The following motion was considered:

• AFC015-2021

  That the Age-Friendly Brampton Advisory Committee meeting do now adjourn to meet again June 22, 2021 at 7:00 p.m.

  Carried