To extremes
Ultra-marathon races to first place finish in 200-mile race Page A3
COMMUNITY: Tourism hopes to boost numbers /A2 NEWS: Aboriginal groups celebrate court ruling /A4 BUSINESS: Payday loan reliance among users /A7
VICTORIANEWS Wednesday, July 2, 2014
Village plan takes step forward
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A question of rights Disabled rights advocate says province not obeying United Nations agreement
Drew McLachlan News staff
The Esquimalt Village Project’s remediation plan was given the green light by Esquimalt council last week, making project funding the next step before the project moves ahead. First pitched to Esquimalt council in 2008, the project aims to revitalize the town core by providing residents with additional amenities and services, focusing on both community recreational needs and economic development. Its proposed location is the area surrounding 1235 Esquimalt Road, former home to the public works yard and municipal hall, and will be comprised of both municipally and privately-owned property. The site also incorporates Bullen Park, the Public Safety Building, and the Archie Browning Sports Centre and parking lot. Should funding be approved, SLR Consulting will be granted a $200,000 contract to complete remediation this fall, allowing the project to obtain a certificate of compliance from the Ministry of Environment. Municipal staff will be applying for federal and provincial grants which would cover half the cost of funding. “It is important that we maintain momentum on the Esquimalt Village Project,” said Mayor Barb Desjardins. “This is an important next step in the process.” A timeline for the implementation of the Village Project has not yet been established.
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Kevin Laird News staff
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Steven Palmer is challenging the province’s decision not to fund a $5,000 wheelchair. He says the decion contravenes the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities. The province disagrees.
A Victoria disabled rights advocate is accusing the provincial government of not following the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities after officials refused to fully fund a specialized wheelchair. Steven Palmer said despite receiving a doctor’s prescription for a rigid wheelchair, the B.C. government won’t permit spending more than $1,500 on a wheelchair. A rigid wheelchair costs about $5,000. Rigid wheelchairs provide greater mobility and “The very fact flexibility for people with they’ve gotten physical disabilities, as compared to electric or away with this manual wheelchairs. for so many years “It would make my life so much easier,” Palmer and still refuse to said. “It’s a safer option acknowledge they for maneuvering on the street and when travel- are in violation of ling.” the convention is The United Nations Convention on the disturbing.” Rights of Persons with – Steven Palmer Disabilities was signed by Canada in March 2010. Under Section 20, the convention requires signing nations to give disabled people the option, with their doctor, to decide what they need, not based on what government is willing to pay. Palmer said the federal government has failed to implement the international treaty by requiring provinces to comply with the provisions. “The convention is a very serious document,” said Palmer, an advocate with the Disabled Rights Alliance, who has lived with polio for more than 60 years. PlEASE SEE: MP, MLA back advocate’s claim, Page A2
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