Accessibility legislation opens door to more inclusive B.C.
Re: Proposed B.C. accessibility legislation falls short
On April 28, I was honoured to introduce Bill-6, the Accessible British Columbia Act. This bill marks an important step in building an inclusive province that works for all of us.
Bill-6 was informed by extensive consultation with more than 7,000 people with disabilities, disability-serving organizations and the broader public. Our Accessibility Legislation Advisory Committee helped ensure this bill reflects the diversity of the disability community. It has received broad support from all political parties and was celebrated by people with disabilities and disability advocates across the province.
Bill-6 provides a solid foundation to create new accessibility standards and regulations in such areas as employment, the built environment and transportation. These standards and regulations will be created with the advice of a provincial accessibility committee. At least half of the committee's members must be persons with disabilities or represent a disability-serving organization, and the committee will include Indigenous representation.
While the initial focus will be on education to effect change, the bill contains effective compliance and enforcement provisions.
At first, Bill-6 will apply only to government. This will allow us to build momentum, share lessons learned, and ensure that private- and public-sector organizations are supported to follow the regulations once prescribed.
We've committed to releasing annual reports outlining the progress made to eliminate barriers. In addition, independent progress reviews will occur at the five- and 10-year mark, and every 10 years after that.
Bringing Bill-6 into law signifies our government's commitment to building an inclusive province, but there is more to do. In the months ahead, I look forward to continuing to work closely with the disability community to advance our work to build a barrier-free B.C. Nicholas Simons, minister of social development and poverty reduction