GOVERNANCE & FINANCE COMMITTEE SERVICE REVIEW ORDER OF BUSINESS Town of Banff Council Chambers Tuesday, 2019 December 17, at 9:00 a.m.

1.0 CALL TO ORDER The 2019 December 17 Service Review Meeting of the Governance and Finance Committee will be live streamed on the internet, and recorded, in accordance with Council Policy C8002, Video Recording and Live Streaming of Council Meetings. It will be made available on the Town of Banff website.

2.0 APPROVAL OF AGENDA

2.1 Agenda for the 2019 December 17 Service Review Meeting of the Governance and Finance Committee

Recommendation: That the Agenda for the 2019 December 17 Service Review Meeting of the Governance and Finance Committee be approved.

3.0 SERVICE LEVEL REVIEW AND NEW SERVICE LEVEL REVIEW REQUESTS: BEAR STREET SHARED STREET RECONSTRUCTION PROJECT

3.1 Public Input on Bear Street Shared Street Reconstruction Project

3.1.1 Written Submissions

3.1.1.1 Andrea Galster, Executive Foundation, CNIB Foundation Re: Bear Street Shared Space Reconstruction 3.1.1.2 Les Young Re: Proposed Town of Banff Parking Solutions

3.1.2 Oral Submissions

3.2 Bear Street Shared Street Update

Link to Bear Street Shared Street Update Document

Recommendation: That the Governance and Finance Committee recommends that Bear Street Shared Street Update be forwarded to Council for final consideration.

Agenda Prepared by: L. Lee and L. McDougall

All recommendations as presented are for discussion purposes only, and should not be considered as the opinion or direction of the Governance and Finance Committee. Page 1 of 2

3.3 New Requests Capital and Operating

Link to New Requests Capital and Operating Document

Recommendation: That the Governance and Finance Committee recommends that New Request Capital and Operating document be forwarded to Council for final consideration.

4.0 ADJOURNMENT

Agenda Prepared by: L. Lee and L. McDougall

All recommendations as presented are for discussion purposes only, and should not be considered as the opinion or direction of the Governance and Finance Committee. Page 2 of 2

Item #: 3.1.1.1

RE: Bear Street Shared Space Reconstruction To: Whom It May Concern

On behalf of the CNIB Foundation - Alberta Northwest Territories Division, I would like to take this opportunity to provide input on the Bear Street Shared Space Reconstruction project. Our comments will deal specifically with the barriers which may be created for pedestrians with sight loss if this project is built as proposed. About the CNIB Alberta Foundation

Celebrating 100 years in 2018, the CNIB Foundation is a non-profit organization driven to change what it is to be blind today. We deliver innovative programs and powerful advocacy that empowers people impacted by blindness to live their dreams and tear down barriers to inclusion. Our work as a blind foundation is powered by a network of volunteers, donors and partners from coast to coast to coast. About sight loss

According to the World Health Organization there are an estimated 285 Million (39 million blind and 246 million people who are living with some degree of sight loss) blind or partially sighted people in the world. In 2017, Statistics Canada undertook a survey which revealed that 1.5 Million Canadians self-identified that they were living with a serious loss of sight. The survey goes on to reveal that in addition to the 1.5 Million Canadians who identified irreversible sight loss as an existing condition, an additional 5.9 Million were living with a disease which would likely cause them to suffer a serious degree of sight loss. The prevalence of is also compelling. The same Statistics Canada study revealed that Canadians living with a physical, perceptual or cognitive disability, either episodic or permanent, represented 22% of the Canadian population. Of particular note, is that when compared to other minority groups, Canadians with are the most numerous. These

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people, increasingly found amongst an older age cohort will continue to become active participants in all aspects of life as their numbers grow. And grow they will, as the prevalence of disability has a straight-line correlation to aging. Thus, as Canadians and foreign visitors visit the town of Banff, more of them will be someone with a disability. What does this mean for the Bear Street Shared Space Reconstruction project?

Simply put, there will be a significant number of vulnerable road users including visitors and residents who have a visual disability who will be accessing the Bear Street shared space. What does accessibility mean for someone who is blind?

There is no single answer to this as sight loss manifests differently for every person acquiring it. However, the following relevant points must be considered when designing public spaces:

1. Are paths of travel - sidewalks - free of obstacles? 2. Do sidewalks run in an intuitively perceivable manner? 3. Can someone accompanied by a or a sighted companion navigate their way along a public pathway when walking side by side? 4. Are on-street elements such as benches, planters and amenities situated in such a manner so as not to create either confusion or unnecessary obstacles? 5. How are hazards indicated using non-visual design elements such as tactile warning surface indicators or tactile way finding strips?

6. Are on-street amenities easily identifiable using both tactile and high colour contrast? The compulsion to act

There are three distinct motivators which compel the Town of Banff to increase their efforts to ensure that the Bear Street Shared Space project is as accessible as possible: Page 2 of 5 Governance and Finance Committee Service Review Agenda 2019 December 17 Item #: 3.1.1.1

1. First is the Accessible Canada Act. Coming into force on June 21, 2019, Canada's new accessibility legislation will ensure that federal public spaces no longer create physical barriers for persons with disabilities. We are paraphrasing considerably the intent and mechanisms spelled out in the Accessible Canada Act, but the overarching principle is summed up above. 2. Does the Town of Banff fall within the purview of the Accessible Canada Act? CNIB is of the opinion that it does. Within the Incorporation agreement for the Town of Banff, the following text is of relevance:

"11 (3) Any development, permit issued or regulation or control imposed by the Town relating to the use or development of land subject to regulation pursuant to Section 70 of the Planning Act shall be subject to the prior written approval of the Federal Minister, and to such terms and conditions as the Federal Minister deems appropriate." Thus, it is our interpretation that given the coming into force of the Accessible Canada Act, that Ottawa would likely require compliance to the act with regards to the reconstruction of the Bear Street Shared Space project. 3. The second compelling reason to ensure accessibility can be found within international conventions. The Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD) is a United Nations instrument which came into being more than a decade ago. Canada, as a signatory to the convention ratified the convention along with every Canadian province. The convention consists of articles which spell out governments obligations to increase accessibility through a variety of means, least of which is to have public spaces constructed and maintained in such a manner so as not to impose unnecessary barriers for persons with disabilities. 4. Finally, and, in CNIB's view, ensuring public spaces are universally accessible is simply the right thing to do. People with disabilities face many unnecessary barriers. The vast majority of these are avoidable and can be easily mitigated if accessible design concepts are incorporated at the earliest stages of any project. There is significant research which points to the economic benefits of , but in short, these benefits can be summed up as follows: A person Page 3 of 5 Governance and Finance Committee Service Review Agenda 2019 December 17 Item #: 3.1.1.1

with a disability not only exercises their own economic influence, but they, as members of a larger community, can also indirectly influence how family, friends and colleagues also do business. Thus, by creating physical spaces which deny equal and dignified access to all visitors, the lost opportunities stand to be significant. What could the Bear Street Shared Space project look like?

The CNIB foundation has the following recommendations which we would encourage the Town of Banff to consider:  Place restaurant seating directly adjacent to existing buildings. Do not require servers to cross a path of travel as this will place both pedestrians and staff at increased risk of unnecessary conflict.  Ensure that outdoor amenities which share sidewalks are surrounded by barriers which are both colour-contrasted and cane detectible. This can be achieved using a variety of techniques such as using raised flower boxes or glass barriers to delineate outdoor dining spaces.  Do not permit the use of sandwich board signage on a path of travel. These should be ideally placed within a service zone directly adjacent to a road.  At intersections, ensure that curb cuts are appropriately marked using tactile walking surface indicators.  Avoid at all costs "urban braille" grooves, cut into a cut curb as the effectiveness of this method is significantly less than using tactile warning surface indicators.  For large expanses of sidewalks absent of orientation queues, install colour-contrasted tactile way finding strips. These devices provide pedestrians who have sight loss with a marked path of travel which can be easily followed.  At controlled intersections, ensure that all traffic lights are equipped with an accessible pedestrian signal. These devices, when properly installed, provide all pedestrians with audible and vibral/tactile indication when it is safe to begin a crossing. Innovative solutions exist which can augment the operation of these devices by having the accessible pedestrian signal activated without the need to locate and press a button.

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 Finally, do not place trees directly onto a path of travel. Wherever possible, situate trees, planters, benches or other amenities in a service zone situated directly adjacent to the road. Ensure that a service zone is clearly marked from a path of travel by using textured and high contrast coloured materials which differ from the main path of travel. Conclusion:

CNIB is pleased to share with the town of Banff our recommendations on how best to ensure that visitors with sight loss do not encounter unnecessary barriers. Recently introduced legislation via the Accessible Canada Act sets out fundamental guidelines on the part of the Federal government and all federally regulated entities such as the town of Banff. Additionally, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with disabilities, ratified by the Federal Government as well as every provincial jurisdiction expects governments to stop perpetuating barriers, such as public spaces, absent of appropriate accessibility considerations. The reasons to apply an appropriate disability lens, in addition to the regulatory and governance issues sited above pale next to the impact and social benefits realized when visitors with disabilities are able to partake in the same endeavors as friends, families and/or colleagues. The recommendations set out in the preceding pages are detailed on CNIB's website which can be found at www.clearingourpath.ca/. We appreciate the opportunity to share our suggestions with the town of Banff. Please do not hesitate to contact the undersigned should there be any questions or need for clarification.

Sincerely,

Andrew Galster Executive Director CNIB Foundation, AB/NWT

T: 1-800-563-2642 ext. 6202 M: 403-614-2522 E: [email protected]

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Governance and Finance Committee Service Review Agenda 2019 December 17 Item #: 3.1.2

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Governance and Finance Committee Service Review Agenda 2019 December 17