WHEREAS many members of our society are affected by accessibility limitations; AND WHEREAS communities who strive to make accessibility a priority are often unrecognized and unknown to those who might utilize them: THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED that UBCM lobby the Ministry of Healthy Living and Sport to implement a Provincial Accessibility Capital designation similar to the Forest Capital of British Columbia designation administered by the Association of BC Forest Professionals, and to award that designation to a community or region within British Columbia on a two-year basis.
Ministry of Social Development The Ministry of Social Development has launched and supported a number of initiatives to generate accessible and inclusive communities. In 2006200720072008, the province granted 2010 Legacies Now 2.62 million to establish the Measuring Up Accessibility and Inclusion Fund to support community projects aimed at increasing accessibility and inclusion for persons with disabilities. The fund has provided 84 communities with grants totaling 1.52 million each grant is up to 25,000, and there are currently over 100 communities involved in Measuring Up across the province. 2010 Legacies Now is transferring the resources of the Measuring Up program, as well as responsibility for its accessibility-related projects, to a trusted partner, the Social Planning and Research Council of BC SPARC BC. This will ensure British Columbia communities continue to benefit from the accessibility program as a legacy of the 2010 Olympic and Paralympic Winter Games.