Ice gets cleared in front of Whitehorse City Hall. Photo Courtesy of Macklen Linke/CKRW.
Whitehorse, YT – The proposed class action lawsuit against the City of Whitehorse claiming inadequate snow and ice clearing policies is only the latest push in a decades-long struggle to improve accessibility for residents with physical disabilities according to Inclusion Yukon.
Ramesh Ferris and Eva Von Flotow brought forward the proposed lawsuit claiming that the City of Whitehorse fails to adequately clear bus stops and accessible parking spots.
The City of Whitehorse denies breaching any Charter rights and the proposed class in the lawsuit is too broad to succeed while maintaining that they have limited resources and a budget for snow removal.
Inclusion Yukon Advocacy and Engagement Manager Meriya Gmeiner-McPherson said the budget argument is a “copout.”
“There’re ways to make things a priority, especially when you have a community that’s been advocating for accessibility, not just for a couple of years, this is people who’ve lived here their whole life, grew up here and have faced this every step of the way,” said Gmeiner-McPherson. “This isn’t just ‘oh, occasionally it sucks.’ It’s every day, several moments every day of their lives.”
The City of Whitehorse argues they are ready for the snow this year. The City recently announced that they have added 12 new pieces of snow-clearing equipment and hired 12 more staff for winter maintenance.
Gmeiner-McPherson argues that more needs to be done to clear bus stops, accessible parking spots, sidewalks and crosswalks.
