By: Allison Cascanette
For people with disabilities, navigating snowy sidewalks in winter can be challenging, if not impossible. And in Halifax, where City Council has proposed an end to city-contracted residential snow removal and budget cuts for transit stop snow removal, getting around in the winter could soon become even more difficult.
According to the Canadian Survey on Disabilities, 2017, Nova Scotia has a higher percentage of residents with disabilities than any other province, with 30% of citizens over the age of fifteen identifying as having a disability. Snow removal is paramount to encouraging the full participation of all citizens, and the proposed budget cuts will negatively impact accessibility, safety, and inclusion for persons with disabilities, including those who are blind or low vision.
In response to the proposed budget cuts, Halifax advocates launched a letter-writing campaign addressed to the Halifax Regional Municipality (HRM) City Council.
Nova Scotia’s Accessibility Act, also known as Bill 59, aims to make the province inclusive and barrier-free by 2030. Within this Act, The Government of Nova Scotia identified the built environment as the most urgent barrier to accessibility. Building upon this Act, in the 2022 Accessibility Strategy report, HRM describes itself as a leader in “building an accessible community where everyone can participate fully in life, including persons with disabilities and seniors.” If these cuts are approved, HRM will fail to meet the commitments outlined in the Nova Scotia Accessibility Act and 2022 Accessibility Strategy report.
For more information, contact Shelley Adams, Manager, Community Engagement at shelley.adams@cnib.ca.