Belleville City Council gave its support to several resolutions from other municipalities at its meeting on Monday.
Among them was a resolution from Prince Edward County strongly encouraging the provincial government to create a “Municipal Accessibility Fund.”
Such a fund would allow municipalities to develop, implement and enforce the Accessibility for Ontarians With Disabilities Act standards.
Accessibility Committee Chair Barbara Enright-Miller says many municipalities won’t be able to be AODA compliant by January 1, 2025 as required by the province unless they receive funding help to remove barriers.
Almost three million Ontarians currently live with a disability, representing at least 22% of the consumer base and the workforce, but she says, due to barriers, Ontarians with disabilities are too often falling short of their full potential.
Council also supported a resolution from the Town of Lincoln urging the provincial government to support increased funding to both public libraries and community museums.
Councillor Paul Carr noted that provincial funding for public libraries is currently based on population levels from 25 years ago.
Belleville Public Library has received the same $84,300 annually from the province since the mid-1990s despite massive population growth.
