On a beautiful, sunny spring afternoon, about thirty residents of Old Hazelden met with Steve Lehman, Councillor for Ward 8, to share their views on the future of St. Anthony Road. The meeting, organized by long-time resident Susan Skelton, was held outdoors and socially distanced on Monday, March 22, 2021, the day before London City Council is set to debate the construction proposal that would add sidewalks to the south side of St. Anthony Road between west Hampton Road and Hyde Park.
Lehman, addressing the residents where they met at the triangle island on St. Anthony west of Hampton Road, articulated that his job was to listen to and represent his constituents. Commenting on the diverse group that had gathered, Lehman said that, “Different streets have different needs, and we have to listen to the voice of residents, especially those who have challenges getting around.”
The gathering included many residents who must use mobility aids to get around, like Dr. Susan Mahipaul, who has been mobility challenged for her entire life and uses a wheelchair or canes to move around. Mahipaul, who holds a Doctorate of Philosophy (Rehabilitation Science) from McMaster University, explained, “There’s an automatic assumption that sidewalks mean safety and accessibility.” Mahipaul went on to say that, “We have people with acquired disabilities, people like me born with our disabilities, and people who are aging in place. They have very different needs.”
Susan Skelton, who also faces mobility challenges, echoed other residents from this and other London neighbourhoods facing a similar situation, maintaining that sidewalks do not improve accessibility. She added, “Sidewalks can be uneven, built with a slope, icy and inaccessible in the winter. They do not provide accessibility for people with mobility challenges.”
The week before, the London Civic Works Committee heard from almost thirty delegations from various neighbourhoods around London who were opposed to the installation of sidewalks and the removal of trees. A motion by committee member Councillor Van Meerbergen to remove the proposed new sidewalk from the approved road reconstruction project was defeated in a 4-1 vote; committee members Councillors Peloza, Helmer, Cassidy, and Turner all voted against Van Meerbergen’s motion (Mayor Ed Holder was absent).
At that meeting, several committee members were swayed by the arguments of disability advocates Jay Menard and Jeff Preston.
Jay Menard, Chair of the Accessibility Advisory Committee of the City of London, said in his opening remarks to the Committee, “We are on the cusp of determining whether an unintentional systemic barrier becomes an intentional one,” and went on to say, “We are no longer talking about accessibility,” a term he suggests has become commoditized and a way to ignore or de-prioritize the issues, “we are saying what this truly is – ableism.” It seems that Menard is painting everyone with the same brush, including those disabled residents he professes to represent, while at the same time denying that he is doing so.
Jeff Preston, a well-known disability activist, said that he was there, “to speak about the debate around the legitimacy of disabled Londoners’ right to access municipal infrastructure and how regular amendments, variances and permission to remain inaccessible continue to erode our efforts.”
Both Menard and Preston presented their views from a rigidly philosophical standpoint without consideration of, and direct contradiction with, those with accessibility and mobility issues who actually live and thrive on St. Anthony Road and on many other similar streets in London.
There is a meeting of the City of London Council today at 4:00 p.m. where the construction proposal will be debated. Details on how to follow that meeting are here.