Accessibility

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 

To improve accessibility to our municipal services, facilities, and natural and built environments, the City of Colwood is working with other regional municipalities to develop an Accessibility Plan. The Plan will identify and reduce challenges people experience with our:

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

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 public engagement opportunities. Opportunities will be advertised on this page as they are scheduled.

Accessibility Committee 

woman wheelchair tree

An initial Accessibility Committee is comprised of municipal staff from the following partner municipalities:

The Committee will review internal practices for making information, activities, and environments sensible, meaningful, and usable for as many people as possible. Once a robust staff foundation is built, the committee composition can be expanded to reflect the Plan’s revised areas of focus to further enhance access and inclusion in the City of Colwood.

Be Colwood's Citizen Representative on the Capital West Accessibility Advisory Committee

The City of Colwood is seeking one (1) Colwood resident who would be interested in becoming a representative for the Capital West Accessibility Advisory Committee. This opportunity is set for a 2-year term, ending on December 31, 2026. Committee appointment will not begin until January 2025.

The Committee is looking for a citizen representative from each of the member municipalities (Sooke, Langford, Highlands, Metchosin, View Royal, Esquimalt and Colwood).

Please review the Committee Terms of Reference [PDF/233KB], prior to completing the Citizen Representative Application Form [PDF/1.8MB].

To obtain an application form you can:
•    Use this link Citizen Representative Application Form.
•    Email at accessibility@colwood.ca to obtain a copy via email.
•    Visit City Hall for a paper copy.

Completed applications can be submitted by the deadline of 4:30 pm on Monday, December 16, 2024 as follows:
•    Email: accessibility@colwood.ca 
•    Fax:  250-478-7516
•    Mail or Hand Delivered: City of Colwood, 3300 Wishart Road, Victoria BC, V9C 1R1

If you have any questions or comments throughout the application process, please feel free to reach out to Marcy Lalande, CMC, Manager of Corporate Services at 250-294-8141.

Committee Meeting Agendas and Minutes via the City of Colwood meeting portal.  Please subscribe to receive meeting notices, agendas, and minutes.

Meetings will be open to the public and written feedback is welcome.

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:

Accessibility Plan and Next Steps

Once the draft Plan is developed, it will be presented to Council for consideration and approval.  Opportunities for review and comment of the draft Plan will be posted on this page.