Projet Montreal unveils accessibility plan, opponents not impressed
Projet Montreal leader Valerie Plante said Saturday that, if elected on Nov. 7, her team will kick her party's universal accessibility plan into high gear.
Her Ensemble Montreal rivals, however, say she's had more than enough time and is lagging.
Projet Montreal said it will accelerate its in-progress plan to install elevators in metro stations and develop universally accessible parks, adding that ableism was added to the Montreal Charter of Rights and Responsibilities.
In the next four years, Projet Montreal says it will offer delivery services for people with disabilities and functional limitations, create a directory for universally accessible businesses, and ensure that universally accessible city-subsidized social and community housing projects are publicized.
The party added that 14 more universally accessible metro stations will be up and running within four years.
Ensemble Montreal Lachine borough mayoral candidate Lise Poulin uses a wheelchair and called the announcement a step backward.
"While the STM planned to have 41 universally accessible metro stations by 2025, the Plante administration is announcing this morning a two-year delay in the implementation of the STM's universal accessibility plan," she said. "It is amazing to hold a press conference to announce such a setback."
Poulin pointed out that Montreal's ombudsman's office received more than 300 complaints about Plante's safe active lanes that were installed in summer 2020.
Plante said her party has worked hard to ensure every citizen in the metropolis has access to barrier-free environments.
"We have worked tirelessly to provide Montrealers with a more accessible and inclusive city and universal accessibility will continue to be a priority for Projet Montréal over the next four years," she said. "We are determined to take concrete action to improve the city's architectural and urban accessibility and to ensure that everyone has equal access to programs, services, employment and communications."
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
BREAKING New York appeals court overturns Harvey Weinstein's 2020 rape conviction from landmark #MeToo trial
New York’s highest court on Thursday overturned Harvey Weinstein’s 2020 rape conviction, finding the judge at the landmark #MeToo trial prejudiced the ex-movie mogul with improper rulings, including a decision to let women testify about allegations that weren’t part of the case.
BREAKING Monthly earnings rise, payroll employment falls: jobs report
The number of vacant jobs in Canada increased in February, while monthly payroll employment decreased in food services, manufacturing, and retail trade, among other sectors.
Doctors say capital gains tax changes will jeopardize their retirement. Is that true?
The Canadian Medical Association asserts the Liberals' proposed changes to capital gains taxation will put doctors' retirement savings in jeopardy, but some financial experts insist incorporated professionals are not as doomed as they say they are.
Remains from a mother-daughter cold case were found nearly 24 years later, after a deathbed confession from the suspect
A West Virginia father is getting some sense of closure after authorities found the remains of his young daughter and her mother following a deathbed confession from the man believed to have fatally shot them nearly two decades ago.
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
What do weight loss drugs mean for a diet industry built on eating less and exercising more?
Recent injected drugs like Wegovy and its predecessor, the diabetes medication Ozempic, are reshaping the health and fitness industries.
2 military horses that broke free and ran loose across London are in serious condition
Two military horses that bolted and ran miles through the streets of London after being spooked by construction noise and tossing their riders were in a serious condition and required operations, a British government official said Thursday.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Fair in Ontario, flurries in Labrador: Weather systems make for an erratic spring
It's no secret that spring can be a tumultuous time for Canadian weather, and as an unseasonably mild El Nino winter gives way to summer, there's bound to be a few swings in temperature that seem out of the ordinary. From Ontario to the Atlantic, though, this week is about to feel a little erratic.