CANADA PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
I Bet I Am Not Alone By David Parton —Mobility in Motion PRESIDENT, NMEDA CANADA
A
s a Canadian, and as a
These past few months have seen
implementation of WC-18, 19, and
population of what are often
those points of interest, targets for
20 for the benefit of occupied
innocuous even apologetic
education in hopes of bringing about
wheelchairs in transportation.
people, I want to say how sorry I am
change, have been working from
that the border between our two
home offices, and either, not available,
nations is closed and sounds to not
or working on fires, or not working at
be opening any time soon. I am a
all.
Canadian and proud of the heritage and history of my home. I am also a big fan of what is in every respect my first cousins living in the nation to the south of me. I recall being pulled over by a State Trooper in Toledo, Ohio one morning on a return trip from my favorite state, Florida. The officer decided not to ticket me because as he said, I was a foreigner. The word almost stung as I said in the back of my mind, “We share so much and have more in common than likely any two nations on the planet!” But I did not argue, no ticket was a preferred outcome. These last months have tried our collective patience and stepped on nerves we didn’t know we had. I felt leading up to March that your Canadian board of directors had kept up a steady pace, working on issues and opportunities on behalf of the members here in Canada. We have opened up many doors and made good connections both federally and provincially. We have had to remind ourselves we are in a relay race and not a single sprint. Targets are moving and not static.
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NMEDA Circuit Breaker
A recent policy was enacted by the Canadian Transportation Agency that was undertaken during a time when the legislative schedule was
Our government relations committee
not as full as usual. The new law
has had to essentially shelve projects
gives protection to ability-challenged
which were heading toward in-person
individuals preventing penalty
meetings. Social distancing, travel
ticketing when extra space is required
restrictions, and changing work
for mobility devices. The law gives
locations has left everything on hold.
specific rights and spells out penalties
We are trying to figure out now how
for infractions. What it does not do
to get reinvigorated and to find new energy and direction. One positive thing this pandemic has brought for some is that time is available, or at least not in such short supply.
“
is impact upon municipal transport agencies or interprovincial companies as the agency has no authority over these. We are still not requiring municipal buses to provide wheelchair securement, and we are not requiring
It also struck me that our members are not just dabbling in this mobility business. We have all made significant commitment to and investment in our industry. Our organization is called NMEDA, but our signature trademark is our QAP program.”
We are still motivated to bring
passenger trains or airplanes to
resolution to the issues and
provide for wheelchair capacity and
challenges experienced by the clients
safety on their vehicles. Rights are
we serve: The homogenization
enshrined, but the mechanism to
of standards across Canada; full
enable is still absent.
