Marie Pontini is a competitive bodybuilder who likes to keep active. But she’s frustrated that she cannot always get to where she wants to. There isn’t always access for her wheelchair, which she uses because she has multiple sclerosis. “New buildings, they have to be accessible,” she told Global News, “but there’s no guidelines […]

People living with disabilities say very little thought is given to making public and private spaces accessible. On Thursday, Global News reported on a man who was denied a permit to install a mechanical lift at his home for a wheelchair. As Phil Carpenter explains, advocates say the provincial law needs to be stronger.

A Montreal man living with multiple sclerosis has been denied a permit to build a wheelchair lift in front of his apartment. Claude Varin can’t leave his second floor apartment as often as he’d like.  There are 18 steps to get to his front door from the street. He’s in a wheelchair, so back […]

A 63-year-old Rosemont man is fighting with the borough in a bid to maintain his autonomy. Claude Varin has been living with Multiple Sclerosis for 15 years and needs the help of an electric wheelchair to get around. The borough, however, won’t let Varin install a mechanical lift outside his apartment, saying the “architectural qualities”…

A Maritime mom wants you to walk (or run) to help raise funds for kids waiting on a wish. Heather Langley knows first-hand how Make-A-Wish changes lives for families in Atlantic Canada.  Her daughter, Lucy was diagnosed at birth with a rare genetic condition called Wolf Hirschhorn, which affects one in 50,000 kids. Lucy’s […]

Brian George, an accessibility advocate who lives with a disability, has been able to do a lot over the years — triathlons, the Bluenose Marathon and skating at the Oval, to name a few. But never ziplining — until now. OnTree Park, located in Windsor, N.S., right next to Ski Martock, has introduced a […]

As the initiative is related to inclusive architecture and urban planning, it is also connected with accessibility following a Universal Design or Design for All approach.  It is an opportunity to highlight accessibility as part of the wider sustainability debate and mainstream it in architecture and design. In this way, it also relates to Standards, […]

A research group in Halifax is trying to make the city more inclusive to residents and visitors. PEACH Research works to promote equity, accessibility and health in urban design and planning practices. It’s part of Dalhousie University’s school of planning and consists of faculty members, students and partners developing and executing projects to help […]

Save-On-Foods has apologized to a B.C. man after a number of accessibility features were removed when the grocery chain updated its online shopping app. “I should be able to expect the same range of services as people who are sighted,” Richard Marion told Global News. Marion, who is blind, says In January, Save-On-Foods upgraded […]

Delayed by several years and more than $30 million over its initial budget, the long-awaited newly accessible tunnel linking the Vendome Metro Station to the MUHC’s Glen site will open next week. “It’s a priority for the STM. I think it’s very important to state that it’s a real priority and the results are […]