February 2016 - Auto Door Depot

Halifax municipal staff to look at getting rid of sidewalk wheelchair ramp fees – Halifax

Halifax Mayor Mike Savage has ordered a staff report to look into waiving encroachment bylaw fees that business owners pay for their ramps and other accessibility devices that sit on sidewalks.“We want to change that and recognize that it’s a good thing to be doing, not a bad thing,” Savage said on Monday. “We have lots of bylaws that need to be reviewed, lots of them.”READ MORE: Halifax snow clearing getting better for people with accessibility needs: advocateHis motion was submitted last week.Savage said he first learned about the issue during a local radio station’s call-in program late last year.Woozles Children’s Bookstore has a ramp, built in approximately 1990, and pays $161.39 each year because the ramp is on the sidewalk. Story continues below advertisement “It’s not the biggest...

February 22, 2016

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Filed Under Accessibility, Fees, Halifax Downtown Business Commission, Halifax Regional Council, Mike Savage, Politics, wheelchair ramps, Woozles Children's Bookstore

Halifax snow clearing getting better for people with accessibility needs: advocate – Halifax

The snow on sidewalks around Halifax is being cleared better for people with accessibility needs despite some lingering issues, according to one advocate.“It’s not as bad as it was last year. There’s a bit of a different attitude at city hall, more sort of proactive about getting stuff done,” said Paul Vienneau, who made headlines last year after clearing snow off a sidewalk he uses on a wheelchair.READ MORE: Halifax residents digging out after being buried by winter’s biggest blizzardVienneau’s concerns include sidewalks and crosswalks not being cleared wide enough to accommodate wheelchairs.“The city has a moral and ethical responsibility to reasonably enable people like me and the elderly to safely do what we need to do to live fuller lives,” said Vienneau. Halifax received an unusually large amount of snow last...

February 10, 2016

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Filed Under Halifax Regional Municipality, Paul Vienneau, Snow, snowstorm, Weather, Winter weather

New blitz aims to catch drivers misusing permits – Toronto

TORONTO – Abuse it and lose it: that’s the name of a new enforcement blitz by Toronto police aimed at catching drivers who cheat the system by misusing accessibility permits and parking in designated accessible parking spots.The campaign was launched Monday after Toronto police noticed a spike in the number of tickets being issued for accessibility parking and permits infractions.“We are seeing a major increase in the down town core of persons misusing the permits,” said Kirsten Edgerton, Toronto police parking enforcement officer.“We see an influx in the amount of disabled permits throughout the city and they are congesting our traffic and we are out there making sure the people who are entering and exiting the vehicles are legit and they are the permit holders.” The City of Toronto grants parking by-law exemptions to...

February 8, 2016

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Filed Under Abuse it and lose it, Permit misuse, Traffic