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Committee pushes for accessible taxi bylaw

The Williams Lake Accessibility Advisory Committee is calling on city council to look into making an accessible taxi bylaw for the city.

The Williams Lake Accessibility Advisory Committee is calling on city council to look into making an accessible taxi bylaw for the city.

“This report and research was done at the request of the previous council,” said committee member Laura Klassen during a presentation to council at a recent meeting. “The report indicates that with a bylaw taxi companies will be required to have accessibility taxis in their fleet.”

After council’s governance committee received the report it referred it to the bylaw department to review and comment on it.

“We have not received a response yet or a request from the governance committee,” Klassen said.

One of the reasons the committee is hoping for a bylaw is because it will be in place, regardless of who is on city council.

“Our hope is that people who want to go out for dinner or a movie can call a taxi after hours and have a better life. Without an accessible taxi right now people are limited.”

The committee is also encouraging more hotels and motels in Williams Lake to develop accessible rooms.

“At present one motel/hotel identifies itself as having an accessible room for people with mobility issues,” Klassen said, noting that motel/hotel has one room and that room has aspects making it a challenge for people with accessibility issues.

There is a keen interest in learning what other communities have done to ensure there are accessible rooms available in their hotels and motels, she added.

“We want to create a check list for hotels and motels to utilize so they can begin to be truly accessible businesses.”

Klassen said accessibility isn’t just about physical disabilities, it’s about all disabilities.

“Our committee wants to be able to represent all types.”



Monica Lamb-Yorski

About the Author: Monica Lamb-Yorski

A B.C. gal, I was born in Alert Bay, raised in Nelson, graduated from the University of Winnipeg, and wrote my first-ever article for the Prince Rupert Daily News.
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