Prince George, B.C. – When it comes to accessibility for those who have mobility challenges in Prince George,  there is still a lot of work to do.

The Accessibility  Committee had called on  City Council to move forward with four  requests. Two would have no impact on the budget, but  two others  would be costly.

1. An increase in annual Capital Works funding for sidewalk improvements;
2. A liaison from Council be appointed to informally attend Advisory Committee on Accessibility meetings;
3. A presentation be scheduled after the Canada Winter Games from the Advisory Committee on Accessibility to Council and staff regarding accessibility issues in the City of Prince George; and,
4. A review be completed of accessibility issues with City-owned facilities, with particular emphasis on washrooms and stairs

Approving  #2 was easy,  and Councillor Jillian Merrick has been  named  to  be the Council Liaison to the Committee.

Request #3  doesn’t carry a cost, but  #’s 1 and 4 have  hefty price tags.

According to  City Manager, Beth James, a preliminary estimate  suggests upgrading the sidewalks  will not be cheap “Administration has done some preliminary   work for Council’s information.  We believe it will cost about $1.4 million a year, annually, to reinvest in the sidewalks.”  That’s more  than  5 times the amount that has been earmarked for sidewalk upgrades  for 2015 , as $250 thousand has been  set dedicated for that work and a further $250 thousand has been set aside for pathways.

Councillor Brian Skakun asked that when reviewing sidewalks, the City not only look at the condition but at the weather implications as well.  He says the City should call on the Provincial Government to  ensure its  road maintenance contractors keep the  islands clear of snow  and debris so mobility challenged residents can access them.

The Committee also says there is a need to upgrade washrooms within civic facilities to ensure they are accessible.  That is the base for request #4.

The City is already  undertaking a review of  its facilities and the necessary repairs and upgrades that need to be done and the  City Manager says it may be possible to integrate those upgrades in facilities that are scheduled for  other work “But I think we need to do a little more work around that” says  City Manager Beth James, “So as we are doing the facility condition audits  we would be including the accessibility evaluations in any case, but I think it’s a  bigger piece of work and a multi-year,  three to five year plan consideration, and should be done in  conjunction with the budget work.”

Council has asked  staff to come back with a preliminary report to deal with all but number 2 of the  requests.