Inclusion Advisory Committee Minutes

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Virtual
Present:
  • Taylor Stocks, Chair - LGBTQ2S
  • Councillor Deanne Stapleton, Council Representative
  • Debbie Ryan, CNIB
  • Donna Power, Metrobus/GoBus, Accessible Transit
  • Megan McGie, NL Association for the Deaf
  • Grant Genova, NL Association of Architects, Universal Design
  • Joby Fleming, Empower NL
  • Trevor Freeborn, Coalition of Persons with Disabilities
  • Hope Colbourne, NL Association for Community Living
  • Renata Lang, Association for New Canadians
  • Dr. Sulaimon Giwa, Anti-racism
  • Alyse Stuart, Women’s Issues
  • TJ Jones, LGBTQ2S
  • Jane Simmons, Physical and Neurological Disabilities
  • Brittany Hiscock, Canadian Hard of Hearing Association
  • Natalie Godden, Manager of Family & Leisure Services
  • Sherry Mercer, Inclusion Coordinator
  • Trisha Rose, Fieldworker III, Inclusion Services
  • Shanna Fitzgerald, Legislative Assistant
Regrets:
  • Heidi Dixon, First Light NL
  • Sarah White, Autism Society
  • Heidi Edgar, Mental Health

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  • Moved ByDebbie Ryan
    Seconded ByJoby Fleming

    That the agenda be adopted with an update to item 7.4 as a review to all working groups.

    MOTION CARRIED
  • Moved ByDebbie Ryan
    Seconded ByGrant Genova

    That the minutes of the meeting held on October 7, 2020 be adopted as presented. 

    MOTION CARRIED

The new members were welcomed to the Inclusion Advisory Committee. The new members are noted to be:

  • Dr. Sulaimon Giwa
  • Alyse Stuart
  • TJ Jones
  • Jane Simmons
  • Heidi Edgar

Natalie Godden, Manager of Family & Leisure Services provided an overview and update to the committee regarding the functionality of working groups. Working groups provide discussion and consultation based on members expertise. City staff as well as people outside the Committee may be involved in those discussions to provide expert knowledge on topics as required. Working groups meet and form recommendations which will be placed in an information note or decision note and brought forward to the Inclusion Committee for input. Ad hoc working groups may be formed based on the information to be discussed. Membership for these ad hoc groups will be approved by the Committee co-chairs.

The current working groups are outlined as follows:

  • Universal Design Working Group (Primary focus is Accessibility. Includes but not exclusive to Ramps-Up consultations)
  • Inclusive Organization Working Group
  • Special Events Working Group
  • Anti-Racism Working Group 
  • Accessible and Inclusive Communications

The current chair's term with the Inclusion Advisory Committee has come to an end. The Office of the City Clerk advertised for the position of chair.  

The Committee was advised of the role of chair as follows:

Advisory committees are chaired by members of the public. One advisory committee member will be elected as chair by the committee every two years. The public member chairing a committee will have responsibility for ensuring the committee carries out its work as per the terms of reference. Chairpersons will be supported by City staff in carrying out their responsibilities. The chair conducts the committee meeting and guides the committee through the agenda items ensuring that meeting is conducted in accordance with formal meeting protocols. Excellent facilitation skills and previous experience as chair are beneficial for this role.

Members were invited to submit their interest and two members put their names forward for the position. It was agreed that Dr. Sulaimon Giwa and Joby Fleming are elected as co-chairs for the Committee going forward. The Committee extended a huge thank you to Taylor for the leadership and passion that he brought to the committee as chair.

David Day, Manager of Emergency Preparedness was welcomed to the meeting and proceeded to conduct an emergency preparedness presentation, a copy of which is appended to this agenda. The presentation addressed the City's response to the Mega Storm on January 17, 2020. This presentation gave insight into the events of snowmageddon, the true response efforts put forward, and the findings of the provincial emergency. The Coalitions of Persons with Disabilities Guide to Emergency Planning was distributed as part of the agenda. 

Since Snowmageddon 2020, many questions emerged with regards to the supports in place for the vulnerable populations in the City. Discussion took place with the Committee expressing the following comments:

  • People are encouraged to prepare for at least 72 hours. There are those who do not have the resources and the ability to respond quickly. It was recommended to divide the City into sections and have satellite warming stations so the response to people who are in need can be implemented. In response, David Day advised that there are already Community Centres in place - Teakwood in Southlands, Paul Reynolds Community Centre, Kenmount Terrace and the new Mews Centre currently under construction. Alternatively, the Foran Green Room in City Hall could be used but City Hall is not ideal for this situation as there are a lot of stairs and the size of the space may not be large enough. The new Mews Centre will have a generator for this purpose. Suggestion was made to move beyond City facilities and extend to organizations with resources that may offer more shelter for these situations. Snow clearing to these locations would have to be provided for accessibility during a snow event. Members were invited to contact Natalie Godden or Sherry Mercer to advise of capacities during an emergency of this type and they can pass this information on to the emergency team in place at that time. 
  • It was questioned if a plan was in place for the COVID-19 second wave. Members were advised that decisions relating to COVID-19 fall under the Province. The Department of Health has a plan in place and municipalities will follow their lead. The City has a partnership with Eastern Health and Public Health in that regard which will be discussed during the Healthy Cities presentation. 
  • As part of emergency planning it must be considered that the vulnerable sector will look to organizations they already know but physical access to these organizations was not available during Snowmageddon. There should be priority access to these organizations. In response it was reiterated that facilities closer to priority 2 or 3 roads that could house multiple organizations or larger numbers of people could be reviewed situationally with Public Works for access during a snow event. 
  • During Snowmaggedon areas of town were inaccessible. Reviewing those locations may help in identifying specific areas that have problems daily due to elevation or other factors. Question was raised about the possibility to run a post analysis of Snowmaggedon but applying it to normal everyday life to identify areas of the City that are problematic for accessibility and safety. A post emergency event consultation process will be initiated for the committee.

Further comments can be sent to David Day. 

Natalie Godden, Manager of Family & Leisure Services and Bruce Knox, Healthy Communities Fieldworker presented on the Healthy City Strategy, a copy of this presentation is appended to the agenda. 

A Healthy City Strategy will be the City’s long-term plan to improve physical, mental, social, and environmental conditions that impact people’s health. Through the Healthy City Strategy, the City of St. John’s is seeking the input from experts on what has been identified as the pillars, goals, assets, and implementation strategies to support a healthy city.

This Healthy City Strategy is still in the making and this first draft is focusing on high level priority areas and how to start to create change in the City. Today the focus is on the language in the main goals and implementation strategies. Members were invited to advise on gaps within the Healthy City Strategy.

The goals were outlined for the Committee:

  • Healthy Neighbourhoods and People: A City of complete neighbourhoods where residents feel safe, healthy, and connected to each other - neighbourhoods where people want to live, learn, work, and play.
  • Urban Design: A City where resident’s quality of life is improved through healthy design of streets, neighborhoods and public spaces.
  • Environment: Connect and preserve parks and open spaces to support equitable access to natural environments.
  • Housing: A city with a wide range of affordable, adequate, and accessible housing options that contribute directly to community health, sustainable growth and economic security.
  • Inclusion: A diverse city where residents of all ages feel safe, included, connected, with each other and with the city.
  • Transportation: An efficient, active and accessible transportation network that gets people where they want to go safely.

Discussion took place and the following was noted:

  • All categories should include connection to the form that members must engage with to function in the City, an example of which is elevations within the City. The City has different challenges for mobility - walking ability, movement of car, movement of bike. There should be focus on being proactive in development by considering mobility from one elevation to the next during the development process. Changes can be made to the physical city as a better response to inclusive issues. The Healthy Cities Strategy has been modeled after the Healthy Built Environment linkages toolkit from the British Columbia Centre for Disease Control. This model looks specifically on how the built form affects all aspects of healthy city from urban design to access to food and housing etc. The built environment is an overarching umbrella for the Healthy Cities Strategy. In response, it was noted that Newfoundland's geographic remoteness requires special attention to regional issues.

Members were invited to review the discussion guide and provide edits to bring back for discussion at the meeting scheduled for the following week. 

City Council decided to cancel the Downtown Holiday Market event that was being planned for December 5-6 and December 12-13, and Downtown St. John's cancelled the Santa and Friends event at Mile One due to increasing concerns related to the COVID-19 pandemic. Provincial government officials are asking residents and organizations to be vigilant in response to changes in the COVID-19 pandemic and due to increasing concerns for health and safety of the public, gatherings and events are not recommended at this time. Members were reminded that stores, restaurants, and businesses operating downtown continue to need support and are open for business during the holiday season.

Deferred to next meeting as time did not permit consideration.

Deferred to next meeting as time did not permit consideration.

The next meeting of the Inclusion Advisory Committee is scheduled for December 1, 2020.

There being no further business, the meeting adjourned at 1:13 pm.