Making Toronto’s Waterfront One of the Most Accessible and Inclusive in the World

POSTED: SEPTEMBER 21, 2023

In This Blog: 

• Waterfront Toronto is pleased to launch our inaugural draft Waterfront Accessibility Design Guidelines (Guidelines) for public comment. 

• The Guidelines provide technical specifications that will be applied to all new Waterfront Toronto public realm projects, enhancing the accessibility of waterfront areas. 

• In keeping with Waterfront Toronto's commitment to ongoing engagement with the disability community, the Guidelines were developed in collaboration with the disability community. 

• Now we are forming a new Waterfront Accessibility Advisory Committee (Committee) to help implement these Guidelines. 

• Get involved by reading the draft Guidelines and sharing comments and feedback.  

• Help implement the Guidelines by applying to be a part of the new Committee.

Waterfront Toronto is pleased to launch our draft Waterfront Accessibility Design Guidelines (Guidelines) for public comment. The Guidelines provide technical specifications that increase the accessibility of waterfront areas and amenities for people living with disabilities. The intention is to complement existing legislation and create an enhanced set of guidelines for elements that are unique to the waterfront, like canoe and kayak launches, gangways and other shoreline amenities, helping make Toronto’s waterfront one of the most accessible and inclusive in the world.

Currently, every public space created or revitalized by Waterfront Toronto adheres to the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). This includes recreational trails and beach access routes, outdoor public use eating areas, outdoor play spaces, exterior paths of travel, accessible parking, obtaining services, and maintenance.  These new Guidelines will enhance and support our vision for the waterfront, make a strong commitment to accessibility in the public realm and to make accessibility another area of true design excellence. 

The Guidelines will be applied to all new Waterfront Toronto public realm projects. In addition, the hope is that this document may serve as a resource for other organizations building public spaces along waterfronts in Toronto or elsewhere and, help cultivate ongoing collaboration between city builders and disability communities. 
 

Collaborating with the disability community 

In keeping with Waterfront Toronto's commitment to ongoing engagement with the disability community, the Guidelines were developed in collaboration with the disability community. The inclusive design process was led by Human Space – the accessibility practice at BDP Quadrangle – working closely with Waterfront Toronto’s Advisory Committee on Accessibility (ACA). The ACA is a group of individuals selected based on their professional, technical and/or their lived experience with disability. Together, Waterfront Toronto and the ACA established guiding principles that reflect the intentions of the Guidelines and its implementation.

Nothing Without Us: 

• Collaborating with the disability community in an Inclusive Design Process 

• Considering the full range of human diversity. 

• Promoting diverse participation (designers and users) and including individuals who have lived experience, especially persons with disabilities, in decision making that impacts their lives and the environment around them.   
   

Raising the bar for diversity and inclusion by: 

• Eliminating and preventing barriers for people with disabilities.  

• Creating environments where all people are able to participate. 

• Filling gaps in existing legislation and therefore exceeding minimum requirements. 
   

Promoting wellness by: 

• Creating opportunities for people with disabilities to easily access the restorative power of nature. 

• Upholding standards of health and safety. 

• Enabling participation to create a sense of belonging. 
   

Pursuing design excellence by: 

• Establishing thoughtful and integrated design solutions. 

• Designing high quality and durable interventions.  

• Proving that beauty and accessibility can be achieved together in public spaces. 

Implementing the Guidelines  

Now we are forming a new Waterfront Accessibility Advisory Committee (the Committee) to help implement these Guidelines – to provide feedback, guidance and advice to Waterfront Toronto and its design consultants on the design and delivery of future public realm projects. The Committee will review projects early in the design process and apply the principles and technical requirements of the Guidelines, as well as lived experience, and advocate for accessible and inclusive public spaces on the waterfront where everyone is welcome and encouraged to participate.  

To ensure continuity, members of the ACA that helped develop the Guidelines will be invited onto this new Committee. This will ensure that there’s a throughline between the creation of the Guidelines and their implementation. Members for the new Committee will be selected based on several criteria, including lived experience with a disability. The selection committee will include staff from Waterfront Toronto and individuals with disabilities. 

Get Involved 

We want to hear from you!  

Read the draft Guidelines and share comments and feedback. Please identify the chapter and section that you are commenting on. Send all feedback to info@waterfrontoronto.ca. 

Join the Waterfront Accessibility Advisory Committee 

We need your help to ensure the effective implementation of the Guidelines. Apply to be a part of the new Waterfront Accessibility Advisory Committee. Review the open call and terms of reference and apply by 4 p.m. on October 6, 2023. Questions can be sent to tsimpson@waterfrontoronto.ca.