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December 1, 2016

How to make Bill 59 Work

The list of Bill 59's flaws is lengthy.  Here are 6 things that need to be done to make it effective:

  1. Be clear that it's about equality, not disability
  2. Name the problem - discrimination, not "issues"
  3. Name the Scope
    1. Employment
    2. Public Facilities and Services
    3. Private Facilities and Services
    4. Communication and Technology
    5. Transportation
  4. Find a credible home for standards development
    1. Justice or perhaps the Utility and Review Board
    2. Give them 9 months to issue minimum standards in the named areas, update frequently
  5. Commit to incentives
    1. Provincial and Municipal Accessibility Tax Credits, possibility of syndication, grants
    2. Meaningful penalties
  6. Continually document the economics
    1. Jobs created
    2. Increased valuations
    3. New revenues
    4. Supports eliminated
Here are some real-world problems it needs to fix.
Here is the outlines of a bill that would work.  It has roughly the structure of Bill 59.

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