The city has adopted new design guidelines to ensure accessibility standards are in place in all of its facilities.
The Facility Accessibility Design Standards, or FADS, is an in-depth guide outlining all accessibility standards required in design, construction, retrofits, alterations or additions to facilities owned, leased or operated by the City of Cambridge.
The city follows on the heels of cities like London, Ottawa, Toronto, and the Region of Peel to adopt FADS along with structured approaches to ensure continuous evaluation and enforcement is implemented.
The new standards touch on everything from clearance measurements, ramp angles, obstructions and floor surfaces to suitable heights for door handles, windows and handrails.
The guide also incorporates the Ontario Human Rights Code to ensure persons with disabilities are respected in all aspects of communication while supporting inclusion and enabling full participation on an equitable basis.
Coun. Sheri Roberts, who consulted as a member of the city's accessibility advisory committee before becoming a councillor, applauded the efforts of staff who worked on the new design guidelines over the last several years.
"I'm so excited to see this be the new standard for our city facilities because it's just going to make such a difference to so many people and ensuring that people can participate fully in our community," she said.
Coun. Corey Kimpson echoed that sentiment, commending staff and members of the community who helped make the new standards a reality.
"Although we do have other provincial legislation, this recognizes that meeting a standard is insufficient and we have to look at proactively addressing accessibility and inclusivity in our community," she said.
Coun. Scott Hamilton pointed to the fact that forward thinking documents like this prevent costly efforts to bring facilities up to standards that could have been incorporated when they were built.
"It's great to see we're getting ahead of the game and we're doing what's right today instead of looking back with hindsight in the future."
Staff has been asked to report back to council by next summer with an implementation plan.