Letter to the Editor
Dear Editor,
I will agree that is is nice to have a transit service for Grey County. Having said that: The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, under the section Accessible Public Transit Vehicles in Ontario, the first line reads: Under the Transportation Standard of the AODA, municipalities that offer public transit in Ontario must have accessible public transit for passengers with disabilities.
When the transit was first announced I thought it was marvellous. My wife, daughter, and I could take the bus to Blue Mountain. We wouldn’t have to worry about parking, we could have lunch, take in the sights, and then take the bus back home.
No, wait, we can’t do that. Why? Because the county of Grey has a bus service that IS NOT wheelchair accessible. Nobody on Grey County Council thought this was an issue, including the representatives from Meaford. I have been in a wheelchair for 49+ years and have been trying to be a good citizen. I was in business for 28 years. I was with the Chamber of Commerce for about 10 years. I have done countless hours of volunteer work for the citizens of not just Meaford but also Grey & Bruce by sitting on the District Health Council and was a founding board member of the Community Care Access Centre.
Now, in one foul swoop Grey County has said I don’t matter. This is a government Body for God’s sake. They are the ones who are supposed to be leading the way. Well, they have set a great example. If you are disabled, you don’t matter (period, stop, end of sentence). Thank you Grey County.
Geoff Solomon, Meaford
