The provincial government has appointed new members to Ontario’s new Accessibility Standards Advisory Council. This council is a requirement under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), and is tasked with advising government on how to improve accessibility. The council has to power to propose new accessibility standards and review existing ones. Members were appointed by Dr. Eric Hoskins, Minister of Economic Development, Trade and Employment. Newly-appointed council members include Stephen Murphy (Accessibility Advisory Coordinator, Niagara), Manon Poirier (Deputy City Clerk, City of Cornwall), Gary Rygus (Director of Government Relations, Retail Council of Canada), and Dean Walker (Executive Director, Ontario Association for the Deaf). Jim Sanders, the former president and CEO of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, was appointed council chair in January 2013.
The council’s first order of business will be to review the customer service standard, as required under the AODA.
Learn more about the appointments by visiting the Government of Ontario Newsroom.
To learn more about the council, please visit the Ministry of Economic Development, Trade and Employment website.