Notes from the City of Brantford Council meeting, which was held on Tuesday, May 28, 2024.
National AccessAbility Week
The City of Brantford has declared the week of May 26 to June 1, 2024 as “National AccessAbility Week”
With 15.9 per cent of Ontario’s population living with some form of disability, and with that number expected to increase, disability awareness and education is important to create a culture of better understanding towards persons with disabilities.
The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) was given Royal Assent in 2005 and mandated that standards regarding accessibility should be developed, implemented and be under enforcement by 2025.
The Act has been legislated to remove and prevent barriers and provide standards in the areas of customer service, information and communication, employment, transportation and the built environment.
Brantford has adopted the Principles of Universal Design and the Brantford Facility Accessibility Design Standards (FADS) for all future building and renovations of City facilities and has an active Accessibility Advisory Committee. The Committee’s mandate is to eliminate barriers which prevent individuals with disabilities from fully participating in the community.
Global ALS Awareness Day
The City of Brantford has declared Friday June 21, 2024, as “Global ALS Awareness Day.”
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a rapid and fatal neurodegenerative disease with no known cause or cure.
ALS attacks the nerves of the body that send messages from the brain to the muscle, and results in weakness and wasting that in time, will leave individuals with ALS completely immobilized with an inability to swallow or breathe.
As Healthy Canada has declared the month of June as ALS Awareness Month across the county, fundraising and awareness intiatives will take place in honour of the approximately 4,00 Canadians currently living with ALS and the two to three people who die of the disease each day.
National Cancer Survivors Day
Council members have proclaimed June 2, 2024 as “National Cancer Survivors Day” in the City of Brantford.
The proclamation was made to reaffirm the City’s commitment to supporting initiatives aimed at cancer prevention, detection, treatment, and survivorship, and to fostering a community of compassion, understanding, and support for all those affected by cancer.
The day is specifically meant to be a celebration for those who have triumphed over cancer, a day of inspiration for those currently fighting, and a day of support for all those affected by this disease.
Brantford is urging all residents to join in recognizing and honoring the courage, resilience, and strength of cancer survivors, and to support efforts to improve the lives of those affected by cancer.
National Indigenous Peoples Day
With June being National Indigenous History month, Council members have once again proclaimed June 21, 2024, as “National Indigenous Peoples Day” in the City of Brantford.
As the first peoples in Canada have and continue to contribute to the development and future of Canada, the goal of the day and the month is to encourage all people in Brantford to recognize and celebrate the unique heritage, culture and diversity of First Nations, Inuit and Métis people, and to celebrate the culture and contributions of the Six Nations of the Grand River and Mississaugas of the Credit First Nations.
In 1996, then Governor General of Canada, Romeo LeBlanc, proclaimed June 21st of each year to be National Aboriginal Day (now known as National Indigenous Peoples Day), following consultation and statements of support from various Indigenous groups. The day was specifically chosen as the summer solstice, is the longest day of the year and of significant cultural importance for Indigenous Peoples.
Pride Month
The City of Brantford has once again declared the month of June as “Pride Month.”
The month marks embracing inclusiveness by supporting the physical, mental, spiritual and social well-being of all its members including the two spirited, lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and queer community.
Now in its 14th year, The Bridge and the Brantford Pride Committee are inviting all individuals to join together to make the local community a diverse, safe and proud city, not just in June but every day.
The month of June is a reminder to recognize that a community is made up of many diverse and unique groups and that equity means a better life for all.
Seniors Month
Council members have proclaimed June as “Seniors Month” in the City of Brantford.
Social inclusion, social participation and civic engagement were identified as priorities in Healthy Aging: the City of Brantford’s AgeFriendly Strategy, in order to provide fundamental strategic action to ensure a high quality of life for all citizens.
Throughout the month, the City of Brantford and community partners will celebrate the month by launching the Healthy Aging Passport, offering free activities aimed at increasing social participation, promoting health and wellness, and highlighting new and existing programs and activities for older adults within the City of Brantford.
The goal of the month is to celebrate strong community partnerships that support the City of Brantford as an Age-friendly Community.
City of Brantford gives final approval to investigate opportunities to build new medical clinic
The City of Brantford Council has given final approval to a resolution originally brought forward by Councillor Dan McCreary on Tuesday, May 14, 2024.
The now approved resolution has given direction to Brian Hutchings, CAO for the City of Brantford, to undertake the following actions:
A. Review the availability of city-owned space including but not limited to 177 Colborne St. West, 58 Dalhousie St; and 99 Wayne Gretzky Parkway and other properties which may be acquired by the City of Brantford; and
B. Review costing and produce a preliminary budget for outfitting a family medicine clinic; and
C. Review costing and produce a preliminary budget for ongoing operating costs.
With so many communities working to acquire the same medical professionals, McCreary hopes that if Brantford can provide a new family medicine clinic, perhaps they would have a better chance in securing doctors for the City.
“In its simplest form, this would allow the city of Brantford to own a building, that being the most important thing, so that it not be left as a leasehold with a third party,” he said. “When you look at the need for doctors, you look at the ability of us to compete with other communities to attract doctors and although we think that we are the cats behind here in Brantford… if you’re a young doctor starting out, it’s not necessarily about the community, it’s about dollars and cents and the ability to get up and running in a hurry and I think this gives us a leg up.”
During comments, both Councillors Mandy Samwell and Richard Carpenter suggested other properties such as 25 William St., 264 Erie Ave. and the City’s current tourism building as options.
The resolution was carried unanimously.
