By Justyne Edgell, Local Journalism Initiative ReporterThe Uxbridge Cosmos Thu., Dec. 17, 2020
Recent renovations to a busy downtown Uxbridge building have earned a regional Champion of Accessibility Award.
Durham Region’s Accessibility Advisory Committee recently presented the honour to 29 Toronto St., home to Pharmasave, the Toronto Street Medical Centre, Uxbridge Physiotherapy and several other businesses. The building has had a major facelift of late, adding many features that not only update the building, but make it more accessible, hence the award.
Brandon Bird, CEO of Bernard Cole Corporation, bought the building last year. Bird, who was born and raised in Uxbridge, says he was excited when the opportunity to own property in his home town came up.
“29 Toronto St. fit all the criteria I had, but needed a lot of tender, love and care to restore it to its original glory,” explains Bird. “We are currently undergoing a significant revitalization of the property, both inside and out which gave us several opportunities to improve access around the property.”
Bird was given the Champion of Accessibility award after renovating his building beyond legislation set out by the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, including replacing pathways, improving signage and widening doorways.
According to the official announcement from the Region, award recipients are businesses or services that have made an effort to identify, remove and prevent barriers for individuals living with a disability.
Bird says he’s pleased with the award, but is looking forward to further improvements on the building.
“We still have many more projects to go to get the property up to our standards. Over the next four months tenants and residents will continue to see improvements inside and out!”
Original at https://www.thestar.com/news/canada/2020/12/17/downtown-buildings-facelift-wins-award-for-accessibility.html