Did you know that out of the RDEK's 66,000 residents, around 13,000 individuals
of all ages face health and activity limitations that affect their daily lives?

As part of the new Accessible British Columbia Act (“Act”) and associated regulation (BC Reg 105/2022), local governments (and other public sector organizations), must by September 1, 2023, establish an accessibility committee, develop an accessibility plan, and create a mechanism for public feedback regarding accessibility.

To facilitate the work of the Accessible British Columbia Act, the East Kootenay Accessibility Advisory Committee has been formed to help guide the RDEK and member municipalities in the creation of an Accessibility Plan. In addition to the RDEK, the participating municipalities include the City of Cranbrook, the Village of Canal Flats and the District of Invermere.

The purpose of the East Kootenay Accessibility Plan is to identify, remove and prevent barriers to individuals in, or interacting with, the RDEK and member municipalities. Barriers may be present in the built environment, information and communications, or the delivery of programs or services that are within the RDEK’s and member municipalities' jurisdictions.

• CLICK HERE to view some common barriers and different types of barriers
  
  

INTRODUCTORY SURVEY: NOW OPEN

Having community engagement and feedback is critical to the success and effectiveness of the Accessibility Plan. To help gather input and learn more about their experiences, we have released an introductory survey. The survey will be open until 4:30pm on September 25, 2024. Residents can participate in the survey in a number of ways:

• Filling it out online at the link below
• Requesting a hard copy. Hard copies can be:
  • mailed to you
  • picked up at the RDEK Cranbrook or Columbia Valley offices, Village of Canal Flats, District of Invermere or City of Cranbrook municipal offices)
• Contacting Sandra Haley at 1-888-478-7335 to complete the survey by phone