City of Fernie
The City of Fernie is looking to break barriers for people living with disabilities in the region this National AccessAbility Week.
At a Council meeting on Tuesday, May 20, staff presented the Elk Valley Accessibility Plan, a guiding tool developed by the City with the Districts of Sparwood and Elkford. The plan is designed to identify and prevent accessibility barriers through six shared regional priorities:
- Built environment
- Communication and information
- Employment and training
- Emergency preparedness
- Policies and planning
- Transportation and mobility
A citizen-led group of advocates from the Elk Valley Accessibility Committee (EVAC) shared insight with Council on how to address current accessibility issues and build a roadmap to more inclusive communities in the future.
“We’re not pivoting on the capital plan at this point in this year, but the lenses recommended in this change how we colour those projects and how we design them,” said Chief Administrative Officer Michael Boronowski to Council. “I know this helps us inform some of the decisions we’re going to make about investments in the aquatic center, […] how we’re handling snow clearing.”
In 2019, Sparwood moved forward with implementing a Vulnerable Person Registry through the Accessibility Plan— an optional program that allows residents to indicate their transportation or accommodation needs in case of an emergency.
“I really like this notion of a Vulnerable Persons Registry because that extends to so many segments of our population across the community, that I would like to see something like that implemented locally,” commented Fernie Mayor Nic Milligan. “It just feels like the right thing to do, particularly as we approach wildfire season.”
More details on the Elk Valley Accessibility Plan are available online through the City of Fernie’s civic portal. The 2025 National AccessAbility Week takes place this week, from May 25 to 31.
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