Human rights complaint unanswered
Yk woman says heavy doors restrict disabled access to washrooms and gallery at legislative assembly
Cody Punter
Northern News Services
Published Wednesday, March 26, 2014
SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
A Yellowknife woman who has brought repeated complaints against the legislative assembly for not being accessible to people with disabilities has resorted to filing a human rights complaint against the GNWT.
Elizabeth Portman says heavy doors - which are not equipped with automatic opening devices - restrict access to certain parts of the building, including the passageway to the elevator which visitors with disabilities rely on to access the assembly's gallery, as well as the disabled washroom of all places.
"The legislative assembly - more than any other building in the entire territory - should welcome all residents and visitors, not just the able bodied," stated Portman in an e-mail to Yellowknifer.
Portman first raised concerns about the lack of accessibility in the summer of 2011, when she took sergeant-at-arms Brian Thagard on a tour of the building to point out its deficiencies.
After 14 e-mails worth of correspondence, which were exchanged over a span of two years, Portman received confirmation from Thagard that the building was finally up to code last fall.
However, when attending a meeting with Weledeh MLA Bob Bromley at the legislative assembly in November, she found that significant barriers remained.
Portman, who at the time was on crutches due to a broken foot, said when she went to open the door to the disabled washroom, she found that it was too heavy for her to open, leaving her no option but to use the standard women's washroom.
Portman, who also has multiple sclerosis, said she had difficulty getting off the toilet as there wasn't a bar in the stall to help pull herself up from the seat.
"I had to grab - with both hands - the bottom of the stall door in order to gain leverage needed to lift myself up off the toilet," wrote Portman.
After she got up, she "had to fight (her) way out of the woman's bathroom and the heavy glass doors back to the meeting room."
"A number of times, I almost lost my balance," she added.
The experience, which Portman described as "undignified," left her feeling excluded and unwelcome at the legislative assembly, she said.
As a result, she filed a human rights complaint against the legislative assembly in November. Although the assembly was supposed to provide a written answer to Portman's complaint through the human rights commission by Feb. 28, she had not heard from them as of March 21.
Acting clerk Collette Langlois, who is named in the human rights complaint, told Yellowknifer that representatives of the legislative assembly would not comment on the status of its response because it was a legal matter.
Portman added that she included the NWT Disabilities Council on her early correspondence with Thagard, but stopped communicating with the group when it held a ceremony to celebrate people who volunteer with people with disabilities at the legislative assembly.
Officials with the NWT Disabilities Council were unable to comment by press time.
Speaker Jackie Jacobson, who is responsible for the legislative assembly building, addressed concerns over the lack of access for people with disabilities after Bromley raised the issue during a March 4 sitting of the assembly.
According to Jacobson, the legislative assembly was brought up to the standards of the NWT's 2010 building code in the fall of 2013, when it invested $90,000 to widen some of its doors.
However, he acknowledged that some of the doors at the assembly are still too heavy for some people to open.
"As soon as we have our new year's budget, we're going to fix the doors with both
disabled persons' washrooms on the first floor so that
they're easier to open," Jacobson said during a meeting
of the committee of the
whole.
Although there is no money in the current budget to pay for modifications to the doors, Jacobson said a supplemental appropriation order could be submitted so that the work on correcting those problems within the next year.
Langlois added that the assembly will consult with the NWT Disabilities Council to identify any other areas that might require upgrades.
"The idea is to get a comprehensive plan," she said.
In the meantime, the assembly has propped open the glass doors that lead to the elevator to allow for easier access, but the heavy doors at the bathroom remain.
Although Portman said she hopes Jacobson makes good on his promises, she was insulted that his statements did not acknowledge her complaint.
"He makes it seem like it was his idea," she said, adding that the assembly's "effort to put on a Band-Aid" by propping open the doors masks the fact that she has been trying to get the government to make changes for more than two years.
"They spent $90,000 - why wouldn't they put in automatic openers at the same time?" she said.
Even if the assembly does make the proposed alterations as set out by Jacobson, Portman said she does not plan to drop her complaint.
She said she wants the assembly to issue an apology to her for what she went through, as well as a public apology to all people who have suffered as a result of the building not being accessible to those with disabilities since it was built 20 years ago.
Portman added the assembly should have to post a notice on its website and front doors stating that the building is not fully accessible until the doors have been either changed or automated.
Human rights complaint against city
Portman recently filed another human rights complaint against the City of Yellowknife because people with disabilities pay more for public transportation than regular users, she says.
Although a one-time fare costs the same for all users, Portman - who does not drive a car - said people that use the Yellowknife Accessible Transit System (YATS) are not eligible for monthly passes, which are sold for use of the city's regular buses $40 per month. Instead, those with disabilities must pay a flat rate of $2.50 per ride. As such, after eight return trips, people with disabilities end up losing money.
When she raised the issue with Mayor Mark Heyck, she said she was told monthly passes cannot be provided for YATS because the service costs more.
"The city defends this because it costs 20 per cent more to run this," said Portman.
Richard McIntosh, communications officer with the city, said because the complaint is against the city, neither the mayor or staff will be conducting interviews regarding the matter at this time.
