Press Release
INSTITUTE OF CANADIAN JUSTICE
12:00 EDT, October 20, 2010
HUMAN RIGHTS LEGAL SUPPORT CENTRE SERVES DEMAND LETTER ON THE TOWN OF WHITBY SO-CALLED “CENTRE OF ACCESSIBILITY
EXCELLENCE” FOR REFUSING HUMAN RIGHTS TO PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES
SINCE 1991 THE TOWN OF WHITBY, THE SO-CALLED ACCESSIBILITY CENTRE OF EXCELLENCE, DESPITE RECEIVING MILLIONS IN PUBLIC FUNDS STILL REFUSES LEGISTLATED ACCESSIBILITY FOR PEOPLE WITH DISABILITIES, THE GREY TSUANMI AND OUR VETERANS.
The existing Mayor, Chief Administrative Officer and the Councillors who are the Chairperson(s) and Council Appointee’s of the Planning
and Accessibility Committees of the Town of Whitby have all been served by the Ontario Humans Rights Commission Legal Support Centre for refusing lawfully required and provincially mandated accessibility provisions like accessible parking signs and provisions
under the Planning Act, Highway Traffic Act, the Ontarians with Disabilities Act, Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities,
Elections Act and Ontario Human Rights Code requiring accessibility and the enforcement thereof.
“This situation is the worst example of municipal systemic discrimination against people with disabilities and our maturing
population that has been revealed in Ontario and across Canada in our opinion. It is now our responsibility at the Institute of Canadian
Justice to attend to this issue and to continue to force rogue municipalities and the most demonstrable refusals like that the Town
of Whitby to wake up and smell the coffee” –states Gerald Parker the Executive Director and General Counsel of the Institute of Canadian
Justice.
It is unacceptable that elected officials make deflective and wholeheartedly incorrect public pronouncements during municipal
election debates such as “that is your standard-not mine” and that the municipality doesn’t have the power to force these issues. The
same persons named and encharged under law to do otherwise. “We are glad our standard is that of respecting the existing law of the land
and our most precious citizens. It is going to be really interesting to read the responses of the defendants by October 22, 2010” states
Parker.
As a member of the Ministry of Transportation Task Force in the 1990’s, that engaged the legislative amendments to require
municipalities to permanently erect and enforce accessible parking and provincial regulatory signage by no later than 1991, Parker is
profoundly disgusted by the indifference of those that purport to be government and industry leaders and acting in the publics interest
saying one thing and doing something completely different. “It makes a mockery of every Canadian and the millions the Minister of Finance and his wife, the Deputy Leader of the PC Party of Ontario as the local members of parliament, announced in their own backyard for the so-called Accessibility Centre of Excellence. The reality is Canada’s public interest, safety and social and economic integration of its
best, brightest and bravest citizens is being endangered by reckless municipalities like the Town of Whitby and those they are all too
often found taking photo-ops with.
Both federal and provincial representatives were informed in 2009 and rather knowingly refuse the very same signage at the constituency office on Dundas Street”-states Parker.
It is now 2010 and this issue is reflective of the fact that Canada is the last country in the western world to engage meaningful
accessibility legislation and demographic planning. Parker further points out “that all too many municipalities and businesses across
Ontario have continued to knowingly allow superseding law and decades old accessibility regulations to be thwarted and not enforced. This
systemically condoned practice is a prima facie breach of the public trust and associated legal requirements”-states Gerald Parker
Executive Director of the Institute of Canadian Justice. “More to the
point it is because of the very earnest efforts to deflect, misinform, suppress and refuse resolution of these issues and, the
lengths the named persons continue to go to, that puts the Town of Whitby squarely as the worse offender in our opinion. The fact that millions in public funds and political collateral have been spent saying one and doing something completely different is a matter for
the Ontario Human Rights Commission and the citizens of Whitby to attend to and the named persons and the Town of Whitby to respond to
now”.
“The rights and integration of our best, brightest and bravest, our friends, family, work colleagues, maturing populations, veterans and
entire community demand it and so does the Ontario Human Rights Commission now”-states Parker. “I can honestly say that after four
years of providing solutions and offering assistance to resolve these issues it is poetic justice that the demand letter came during the
election when the named persons are very busy out spinning and spewing deflections throughout the municipality and beyond on this
matter. It feels good to set the record straight and yes, honesty, integrity, accountability will be engaged by the Institute of
Canadian Justice let’s see what happens now” -states Parker.
If you require a copy of the Demand Letter from the Ontario Human Rights Legal Support Centre it is part of the public record and if
those named fail to provide it we will. Please pay particuliar
attention to the remedies.
-End-
INSTITUTE OF CANADIAN JUSTICE
Contact: G Parker
47 Stratton Crescent
Whitby, Ontario L1R-1V5
Phone 905-493-0272
Cell: 905-431-0035