City seeking partnership with province to pay for $157M in accessibility retrofits

The city will ask the new provincial government for help with a daunting $157-million-plus bill to make Hamilton buildings and infrastructure accessible for disabled residents.

Councillors got an update Tuesday on city efforts to comply with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, which introduced updated standards in 2013 for new building construction and major renovations.

A consultant reviewed many city facilities and estimated a high-level cost last year — about $157 million — to bring them up to the new standard. The city is not required to meet those standards by a particular deadline, but must make accessibility changes whenever an older building is renovated or replaced. Coun. Sam Merulla said Hamilton has been “a leader” on accessibility despite a lack of funding from the province to make the changes required by the new law.

“Our biggest challenge as a municipality is the province of Ontario,” he said at the meeting, where he successfully pitched a motion to ask the new Progressive Conservative government to make Hamilton a “pilot project” for a new funding formula for accessibility renovations.

Merulla also argued the city could access new federal grants if Ontario identified accessibility upgrades to buildings as an infrastructure priority.

Other councillors echoed the need for financial aid — and not just for buildings. Coun. Lloyd Ferguson, for example, pointed out the lack of sidewalks in parts of his Ancaster ward and other fast-urbanizing parts of the amalgamated city.

Council also asked for an updated report from staff on the cost of making other city facilities accessible, noting the $157million estimate did not include social housing, police facilities, seniors lodges or heritage buildings.