Accessibility

Accessible Esquimalt—Where everyone is welcome!

Focus on Accessibility

In 2021, the Province of British Columbia passed the Accessible BC Act requiring municipalities to develop a plan that addresses accessibility to municipal services, programs, and infrastructure. Everyone will experience permanent, temporary, or episodic impairments over their lifetime either personally, or through caring for someone else. By focusing on accessibility, we can work towards becoming a municipality where every person is able to participate fully and equally and is empowered to pursue the life they wish to live.

Accessibility Plan 

The Township of Esquimalt's Draft Accessibility Plan, developed in conjunction with the Capital West Accessibility Advisory Committee, is now available for public viewing and comment. To pick  up  a paper copy of the Plan,  contact Corporate Services at corporate.services@esquimalt.ca or (250) 414-7177.

Draft Accessibility Plan

The Draft Accessibility Plan was developed to improve accessibility to our municipal services, facilities, and natural and built environments, and reduce challenges people experience with our:

  • Information
  • Communications
  • Technologies
  • Policies
  • Practices; and 
  • Infrastructure

The Accessibility Plan will also help to inform the planning of future activities with a long-term goal of becoming a barrier-free community. 

The Accessible BC Act identifies eight standards for inclusion in a long-term Plan. The first iteration of our Plan will focus on the first two of those standards: Employment and Service Delivery. It will take time to eliminate barriers, however the Plan is the first step in identifying how we can improve accessibility going forward. 

The Plan must be reviewed and updated every three years and will incorporate information gathered through multiple public engagement opportunities. Opportunities will be advertised on this page as they are scheduled.

Provide Feedback on the Accessibility Plan

Council will consider approval of the Draft Accessibility Plan at the December 2, 2024 Regular Council Meeting. We invite you to provide your feedback in any of the following ways:

  1. By emailing council@esquimalt.ca;
  2. By providing written feedback mailed to or dropped off at Esquimalt Municipal Hall, 1229 Esquimalt Road, V9A 3P1; and
  3. Attending the December 2, 2024 Council Meeting. Please note that electronic participation is available by contacting Corporate Services at corporate.services@esquimalt.ca or (250) 414-7177. 

If you require or would benefit from assistance in accessing or providing comments on the Accessibility Plan, please contact us at accessibility@esquimalt.ca or (250) 414-7177.

Accessibility Committee 

An initial Accessibility Committee comprised of staff from partner municipalities, including the Township of Esquimalt, will review the Township’s internal practices for making information, activities, and environments sensible, meaningful, and usable for as many people as possible.

The Capital West Accessibility Advisory Committee is currently preparing to transition to a citizen membership model. For more information on the committee, including how to apply to serve as a member, please click the link below.

Capital West Accessibility Advisory Committee

2024 Meeting Schedule, Agendas, Minutes, and Meeting Videos

Public Participation and Feedback

A critical part of developing, monitoring, and updating the Accessibility Plan is receiving valuable feedback from people experiencing barriers. While the first term of the Plan is internally focused, public input is always welcomed and appreciated. Sharing your experiences in or interacting with the municipality will help us to identify barriers and improve accessibility for all people. 

We invite your feedback in the following ways:

Our Accessibility Story

Esquimalt has a history of recognizing the importance of accessibility considerations in the Township well in advance of the newly enacted legislation. The Township’s Access Awareness Committee ran from 2007 – 2012 with the purpose of making Esquimalt more accessible. The committee engaged with staff, agencies such as BC Transit, and other community groups to provide input on broad service delivery such as transportation, infrastructure, recreation programming, and conducted accessibility advocacy and public awareness. The Committee also participated in community events including Buccaneer Days, Access Awareness Days, hosted several community organizations including Community Living Victoria and the Disability Resource Centre, and participated in the 2009 Accessibility Audit.

The Township received a grant of $20,000 from the provincial government’s Measuring Up Program in 2009. The funds were used to engage the Social Planning and Research Council of British Columbia (SPARC BC) to conduct an accessibility audit of municipal buildings, public spaces, and businesses. The audit acknowledged the strides the Township had made to improve accessibility but also recognized that more work needed to be done to eliminate barriers. A copy of the audit is available below.

2009 Accessibility Audit

To better understand the work completed to date and to serve as an aid in determining next and future actions and initiatives to enhance accessibility in the Township, Esquimalt staff developed an accessibility inventory. 

Accessibility Inventory

Esquimalt continues to learn about incorporating accessibility into all regular operations in an intentional, consistent, and effective way. While the municipality has implemented impactful accessibility solutions, there is much work to do now and into the future.  A truly accessible Township requires continual improvements to our policies, programs, communications, services, facilities, and built environments over time that meets the changing needs of our residents, staff, volunteers, and visitors. We invite your input us as we work together to make Esquimalt barrier-free.

Contact Us

Public Engagement

In July 2024, the Capital West Accessibility Advisory Committee, with the assistance of consultants Changing Paces, conducted a series of seven public engagement sessions to receive feedback on accessibility barriers and solutions in all seven partner municipalities. A summary of the feedback, produced by Changing Paces, can be found below. The feedback we received at these engagement sessions will inform the development of our initial Accessibility Plan. Once completed, a copy of the Accessibility Plan will be shared on this page. 

Community Engagement Report

Two engagement surveys were conducted in 2024. Survey 1  was initiated to understand how to best engage the broader accessibility community. Survey 2 asked respondents for their accessibility experiences respecting each member  municipality and will inform the upcoming facilitated engagement sessions and assist with the development of an Accessibility Plan for the Township. 

Survey 1 Engagement Summary

Survey 2 Engagement Summary 

Community accessibility resources

Related links