'We can, and we must, do better': First-ever Air Accessibility Summit hits Ottawa
Passengers who say they've been mistreated by Canadian airlines had the national stage today as federal ministers, airline executives and accessibility advocates gathered for the first-ever Canadian Air Accessibility Summit.
“We can’t treat a wheelchair like luggage. It simply isn’t luggage. That is why we are here today,” said Transport Minister Pablo Rodriguez in his opening remarks on Thursday morning.
Rodriguez and Minister of Diversity, Inclusion and Persons with Disabilities Kamal Khera co-hosted the Ottawa summit.
“We know that the instances we do hear about only represent a small number of the instances that do occur,” Khera said. “We can, and we must, do better.”
In recent months, stories of passengers whose wheelchairs have been broken while flying, and passengers who were left behind or forced to deplane without assistance, have made headlines.
The stories prompted a parliamentary committee to launch a study on accessibility in the airline industry, with executives brought before it.
Many of those stories were relayed again Thursday at the summit.
Lawyer and Paralympic athlete Josh Vander Vies told the audience about the times he has arrived at his destination without a functioning wheelchair or with his equipment left behind. While he called on the airlines to do better at ensuring accessibility equipment is handled properly, he also called on airline manufacturers and designers of accessibility equipment to modify their designs to help accommodate people with disabilities.
In 2019, the federal government passed the Accessible Canada Act with the aim of trying to make travel more accessible. In 2022, it took another step towards that goal by introducing the Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations.
But accessibility advocates say that despite those changes airlines rarely face punishment for breaching Canadian disability regulations.
The chair of Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance David Lepofsky called the summit “smoke and mirrors.”
“The airlines know what would they need to do, the airports know what they need to do, the federal government knows what they need to do,” Lepofsky said. “Instead of doing it they're holding a big, glitzy summit, so they can stand around talking about what they need to do rather than doing it.
Lepofsky, who is legally blind, said he dreads flying in Canada because of what he says are “inconsistent services.”
“I never know, when I land, how long it's going to take me to get out of the airport, (and) whether or not I'm going to have someone to assist me who's got any proper training on how to guide a blind person,” he said. “It's basically organized or disorganized chaos.”
It’s an experience Robert Fenton knows well. As the chair of the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) board of directors, Fenton, who is a frequent traveller, says he's learned to expect delays or what he calls hiccups.
“When you are busy and have worked all day and want to get to your hotel or race from the airport to a meeting, the last thing you want are delays due to an accessibility,” he said.
“We are busy people too, we have lives too, and I think that is sometimes forgotten, and I think people in society often assume that people with disabilities have unlimited time.”
Fenton says that while he is optimistic progress is being made, he believes it will likely take years before passengers with accessibility needs can expect a consistently smooth flying experience.
“The optimist in me says I hope so, but the realist in me says I want to wait and see,” he said when asked about the speed of progress.
The CNIB recently proposed 25 changes it believes would make for a smoother travel experience for people who are deaf, blind or have low vision. Fenton says the government should look there for advice on what changes to make.
What's next
The government announced the airlines will soon have new measures to announce, but no details were provided.
Asked about those announcements, WestJet’s vice-president of external affairs Andrew Gibbons offered few details, but suggested the change has to do with the treatment of mobility aids.
“We will have more to say on that in the coming weeks, but that is a criticism that we have heard and as they say to us very clearly these are people’s legs, people’s dignity. These are not people’s luggage and we understand that,” Gibbons said.
Air Canada also had a representative at the event. The airline’s vice-president Canadian airports and customer experience strategy Tom Stevens said the summit was a good opportunity to bring stakeholders together to find ways to reach a barrier-free Canada.
“We believe that in order to make improvements we need to understand from our customers what it is like to travel,” Stevens said.
Last year, Air Canada launched a 145-page accessibility plan that Stevens says the airline is using to make changes, including offering passengers the ability to track their mobility devices using the company's mobile app.
“We know that we need to do better as an industry and that’s what we are working on,” Stevens said. “We are fully behind this and committed.”
The federal transport minister says he will meet with his European and American counterparts in the coming months to discuss accessibility in the air sector.
“I am pretty convinced we can accelerate some of the solutions,” Rodriguez said. “What I am ready to do is implement what you guys need because you guys know what you need way more than I do.”
In his closing press conference, Rodriguez said the airlines had agreed to adopt a common medical form, a change many had been asking for, and that the industry intended to explore better ways to share data with the federal government and regulatory agencies. No new penalties or fines, however, were announced.
In a statement, the National Airlines Council of Canada (NACC), which represents Canada’s largest air carriers, said it is committed to working with partners to standardize and share relevant data that can be used to improve accessibility.
“We support the creation of a common medical intake process for cases requiring medical clearance and will work diligently to ensure this is implemented in a manner that respects the privacy of our customers,” the council’s president and CEO Jeff Morrison said in a statement. “Airlines are committed to removing barriers for air passengers with disabilities and advocate that all modes of transportation be required to follow suit.”
What’s needed
Throughout the day, advocates made several suggestions for changes they hope the industry will implement to make flying a smoother experience. Those suggestions ranged from better data sharing between stakeholders, to the simplification of medical forms and even removing the requirement for one all together.
The founder and CEO of AccessNow, Maayan Ziv, said the summit was an important chance to discuss the inconsistences Canadians with disabilities face and to collaborate on ways to improve services.
“Tomorrow, I'd love to be able to get on a plane and stay in my wheelchair. The reality is that we're far from that day,” she said. “We need aircraft manufacturers involved and designers and there's a whole system. So I don't think it's really about any quick fix. But I'd say the most fundamental one is a cultural shift.”
Ziv says she is optimistic that the disability community will continue to advocate to see its rights achieved, but says she is not optimistic about the timelines just yet.
“I'm excited about days like today where that advocacy has led to this room being filled with people who are in positions to make those changes possible,” Ziv said. “There's nothing stopping any industry, any company, from putting in place new policies tomorrow, today that actually respond to any customer's desires or wishes.”
The summit closed with a commitment from airline executives and government officials to do better and work harder to make the flying experience smoother for passengers with accessibility needs.
IN DEPTH
Budget 2024 prioritizes housing while taxing highest earners, deficit projected at $39.8B
In an effort to level the playing field for young people, in the 2024 federal budget, the government is targeting Canada's highest earners with new taxes in order to help offset billions in new spending to enhance the country's housing supply and social supports.
'One of the greatest': Former prime minister Brian Mulroney commemorated at state funeral
Prominent Canadians, political leaders, and family members remembered former prime minister and Progressive Conservative titan Brian Mulroney as an ambitious and compassionate nation-builder at his state funeral on Saturday.
'Democracy requires constant vigilance' Trudeau testifies at inquiry into foreign election interference in Canada
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau testified Wednesday before the national public inquiry into foreign interference in Canada's electoral processes, following a day of testimony from top cabinet ministers about allegations of meddling in the 2019 and 2021 federal elections. Recap all the prime minister had to say.
As Poilievre sides with Smith on trans restrictions, former Conservative candidate says he's 'playing with fire'
Siding with Alberta Premier Danielle Smith on her proposed restrictions on transgender youth, Conservative Leader Pierre Poilievre confirmed Wednesday that he is against trans and non-binary minors using puberty blockers.
Supports for passengers, farmers, artists: 7 bills from MPs and Senators to watch in 2024
When parliamentarians return to Ottawa in a few weeks to kick off the 2024 sitting, there are a few bills from MPs and senators that will be worth keeping an eye on, from a 'gutted' proposal to offer a carbon tax break to farmers, to an initiative aimed at improving Canada's DNA data bank.
Opinion
opinion Don Martin: Gusher of Liberal spending won't put out the fire in this dumpster
A Hail Mary rehash of the greatest hits from the Trudeau government’s three-week travelling pony-show, the 2024 federal budget takes aim at reversing the party’s popularity plunge in the under-40 set, writes political columnist Don Martin. But will it work before the next election?
opinion Don Martin: The doctor Trudeau dumped has a prescription for better health care
Political columnist Don Martin sat down with former federal health minister Jane Philpott, who's on a crusade to help fix Canada's broken health care system, and who declined to take any shots at the prime minister who dumped her from caucus.
opinion Don Martin: Trudeau's seeking shelter from the housing storm he helped create
While Justin Trudeau's recent housing announcements are generally drawing praise from experts, political columnist Don Martin argues there shouldn’t be any standing ovations for a prime minister who helped caused the problem in the first place.
opinion Don Martin: Poilievre has the field to himself as he races across the country to big crowds
It came to pass on Thursday evening that the confidentially predictable failure of the Official Opposition non-confidence motion went down with 204 Liberal, BQ and NDP nays to 116 Conservative yeas. But forcing Canada into a federal election campaign was never the point.
opinion Don Martin: How a beer break may have doomed the carbon tax hike
When the Liberal government chopped a planned beer excise tax hike to two per cent from 4.5 per cent and froze future increases until after the next election, says political columnist Don Martin, it almost guaranteed a similar carbon tax move in the offing.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton dead following prison attack
Convicted B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton, who preyed on women he lured from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside to his rural pig farm, has died.
2 children among 5 people hospitalized after head-on crash on Hwy. 417 in Ottawa's west end
Two young children and three adults were seriously injured in a major collision on Highway 417 between Palladium Drive and Carp Road in Ottawa's west end Friday afternoon.
DND moving 1,000 employees out of Ottawa office building due to safety concerns
The Department of National Defence is moving approximately 1,000 employees out of an office building in Ottawa's Lowertown neighbourhood, citing safety concerns for its employees.
Baby dead after being delivered via emergency C-section to woman who was in police custody
A newborn is dead after being delivered via emergency C-section to a woman in police custody.
Jennifer Lopez cancels summer tour: 'I am completely heartsick and devastated'
Jennifer Lopez has cancelled her 2024 North American tour, representatives for Live Nation confirmed to The Associated Press.
Fast food chain value deals ramp up in the United States: What does it mean for Canada?
After years of price increases and a decline in customers, fast food chains in the United States are competing with each other and offering value deals in hopes of bringing more foot traffic into their establishments.
This Calgary home has a giant tree in the middle, and it's for sale
There's a luxury 'tree home' for sale in Calgary.
Marian Robinson, mother of Michelle Obama, dies at 86
Marian Shields Robinson, the mother of Michelle Obama who moved with the first family to the White House when son-in-law Barack Obama was elected president, has died. She was 86.
'We will go with the majority': Liberals slammed by opposition over proposal to delay next election
The federal Liberal government learned Friday it might have to retreat on a proposal within its electoral reform legislation to delay the next vote by one week, after all opposition parties came out to say they can't support it.
Local Spotlight
U of W Two-Spirit Archives aim to preserve history of a community 'erased' from heritage
A hefty donation by a renowned local activist to the University of Winnipeg has created what is believed to be the most comprehensive two-spirit archives in all of Canada.
'It really has brought a lot of joy': Family of baby foxes moves into Manitoba woman's yard
Leanne Van Bergen discovered a skulk of 10 baby foxes, and two mothers, had made themselves at home on her property in Beausejour.
81-year-old Waterloo, Ont. woman with paralysis, amputated leg lives out dream of riding horse again
An 81-year-old Waterloo, Ont. woman thought she’d never ride a horse again after a brain bleed led to severe physical complications.
Video shows driver in Toronto frantically getting out of car being pushed by truck
A CP24 camera caught the moment a driver frantically got out of her car as it was being dragged by a truck on Avenue Road Wednesday afternoon.
Prince Edward Island celebrates first-ever International Day of Potato
Prince Edward Island is celebrating its first-ever International Day of Potato on Thursday.
'Bigger and better and stronger than ever': Covered Bridge Chips president sets sights for late 2025 rebuild after fire
The president of Covered Bridge Chips in New Brunswick is hoping to have his factory rebuilt for late 2025 following a devastating fire last year.
Winnipeg high school helps lead ducks that nested in courtyard to water
Students and staff at Winnipeg’s Westwood Collegiate had a unique problem to solve this month; how do you lead ducks to water from the school’s courtyard when 12 of them can’t fly yet?
Questions and concerns remain after space junk lands in Saskatchewan
Debby Lorinczy remembers her father as an amazing person and as a man who also made an amazing discovery.
Ski jumper Abigail Strate getting a buzz out of working with bees
Abigail Strate is a member of the Canadian national ski jumping team and an Olympic bronze medallist. She's also a certified beekeeper.