The Resort Municipality of Whistler is one of eight B.C. municipalities and two First Nations communities receiving funding from the Rick Hansen Foundation (RHF) to improve accessibility in the resort and provide accessibility training for municipal staff.
Brad McCannell, RHF vice president of access and inclusion, believes the funding, provided through the B.C. Grants Program, will go a long way towards improving accessibility in the communities.
“Almost 50% of adults in Canada have a permanent or temporary disability or live with someone who does. Many of us struggle every day to access the places where we live, work, learn, and play, facing significant barriers that others take for granted,” McCannell said in a release Thursday, March 9. “Accessibility improvements to spaces such as community centres, libraries and arts facilities will benefit everyone across our province—parents, seniors, people with temporary and permanent disabilities, their caregivers and loved ones. Everyone has a right to real, meaningful access.”
Selected based on population and geographic representation, $82,500 each is being provided to the local governments in Whistler, Coquitlam, Kamloops, Kelowna, Nanaimo, Port Moody, Prince George, and Richmond to improve accessibility at three sites in their respective communities. The RHF will identify the sites needing improvement, and, following the upgrades, municipalities will receive accessibility certification and plaques for each site.
The funding for accessibility improvements comes at an ideal time, with the Invictus Games set to be hosted in Whistler in 2025, bringing hundreds of disabled and injured veterans to the resort to compete in adaptive sports.
In addition to the funding, three RMOW staff members will receive a complimentary RHF Accessibility Certification tuition grant to instruct staff on how to rate existing buildings and pre-construction drawings on their level of accessibility.
“Not only do we recognize that municipalities require access to this program and funding, but we want to ensure that future building upgrades and new structures can be designed with accessibility in mind,” McCannell said. “Through accessibility training, each municipality will have the opportunity to continue their community’s accessibility journey and foster a positive culture of Diversity, Equity and Inclusion.”
Along with the eight municipal recipients, two B.C. Indigenous communities will also receive funding through the program, which the foundation said it would announce in the coming months.
Learn more about the RHF B.C. Grants Program here.
