Mandatory retrofits to upgrade life safety systems and improve features in accessible public bathrooms are among 127 recommendations recently presented to the Ontario government from the committee it appointed to review provincial accessibility standards for indoor and outdoor public spaces. The sweeping report addresses the objectives and details of guidance and requirements under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) and the Ontario Building Code, and calls for new definitions, firmer directives and numerous technical refinements.

“The current regulatory and legislative framework in place to enforce accessibility in Ontario has not evolved fast enough to keep up with the growing needs of persons with disabilities across the province,” the report’s introduction states. “Recommendations presented by this committee are informed by validated data from academic research, national standards for accessibility and principles of universal design for the built environment.”

The AODA was adopted in 2005 with the aspirational aim that Ontario would be widely accessible and inclusive by 2025, but subsequent progress reports have found the province falling short of those ambitions. The 14-member standards review committee — with representation from providers of public services and facilities, groups representing people with disabilities, and the design and urban planning sectors — examines a range of concerns from planning and permitting procedures to specifications for property/building configurations, features and wayfinding to training needs for local officials, design professionals and building/facilities managers.

The Ontario government is inviting public feedback until August 29. The recommendations pertain to many indoor and outdoor attributes of existing commercial properties and public facilities, as well as to building code and other potential regulations for new construction and development.

That includes a recommendation that the Ontario Fire Code be amended to mandate visual alarms and accessible placement of pull stations, fire extinguishers and other fire safety equipment in all buildings. For new development, recommendations call for preparation of comprehensive accessibility reports as a condition of site plan approval.