Ontario was supposed to be accessible by 2025. Some advocates say it's not even close

When Ontario crossed into 2025, it was supposed to do so as an accessible province. Instead, advocates say it's missed its own deadline.

In 2005, a unanimous vote carried in Queen's Park to make the province accessible to people with disabilities within two decades. 

The Accessibility for Ontarians With Disabilities Act (AODA) was created to help people with disabilities fully participate in society, bring them to the table in crafting regulations and build mechanisms to enforce standards. Advocates and experts hailed the legislation as groundbreaking and progressive.

But as Beau Hayward moves through Toronto in his wheelchair today, he still finds room for improvement.

"One of the biggest impacts is transportation," he said, pointing to sometimes spotty elevator service in TTC stations as an example. "During the winter time, if you have to bypass your location by several stations, pushing through the snow in a wheelchair for myself is quite difficult."

Hayward, a quadriplegic with some arm and shoulder function, said the biggest improvement to his mobility has come through a motorized wheel attachment for his wheelchair. Before, he was using a cumbersome fully motorized chair and ran into more barriers that others still face.

"Like, if a restaurant has a six-inch step to get in for a power chair user," he said. "That's pretty much like locking the door."

The fact that Ontario is not accessible to all in 2025 doesn't come as a surprise to those who've spent years calling on the government to make it happen. One of them was back at Queen's Park this fall, nearly 20 years after he and others fought for the AODA, still calling for change. 

David Lepofsky, chair of the AODA alliance, said in November that for more than a decade, minister after minister and government after government was warned the deadline would not be met. He said the province is "not even close" to its goal.

"At the rate we are going, not only won't we reach a fully accessible province that we were promised by 2025, we never will," said Lepofsky, who is blind. 

The minister responsible for the file, Raymond Cho, said he understands what those with disabilities are experiencing.

Asked if Ontario will be barrier-free in 2025 as promised, Cho, who turned 88 in November, said he is a stroke survivor with hearing challenges. He touted the province's investments to help open job opportunities for those with disabilities.

"Project by project, community by community, Ontario is meeting, achieving, exceeding the AODA," he said at a media availability in November. 

The TTC said 57 of its 70 stations are accessible and work is underway on the rest of them. A spokesperson said adding elevators to built-up downtown areas is challenging, and funding for the initiatives has only been in place in recent years.