2013 City Election Education 101

This Thursday the Disability Action Hall will be talking about voter education. 

Many of us find barriers to voting. Here is what some members of the Disability Action Hall said at our last meeting:

• Voting, its confusing, I don’t know who to vote for.
• It is hard to tell the difference between city politics and provincial politics.
• Hard to remember what to ID to bring. 
• Hard to figure out where to go and voting stations change.
• We do not like the word incapacitated voter when reading help is all we need. 
• The information created by candidates is not easy to understand.
• Information is not easy to access if you do not have the internet.
• If you make  a mistake on the ballot, they don’t give you an eraser. What if I make a mistake? Can we  get a new one?
•  If you are blind, you cannot read them, and was refused help to read out the card. 
• It would be easy for candidates to tell us what is a city issue and a provincial issue. It is confusing.
• How do know if they are a good candidate?

Solutions: 

• Use plain language.
• Make it easier to hire people with disabilities to work at a polling station, we understand people have to take a test and do a workshop, take out the test.
• For those who cannot read, have a reader with them.
• Vote as a group. Have a party!
• Change the word incapacitated voter to, "a voter who needs help to vote".
• Use Picture driven voter machines like the ones used in the States.
• We like the bus that is driving around to help people vote at certain LRT stations.
• More advertising prior to the voting day, not just the internet.
• We need people to compile information important to people with disabilities. A score card, bingo card or report card are handy tools. 
• Got to a a debate and listen to the candidates. To learn when there is one in your area, Civic camp has a listing on their website. visit http://www.election.civiccamp.org/2013-forums 
• In the past, we have had more success educating ourselves as a group and voting as a group. 

Tips on Voter Education: 

http://www.actionhall.ca/2010/10/voting-for-city-of-calgary-election.html

1. What helps us vote? We learn as a group.

Voting as a group helps make elections easier. Read about our 2010 experience. This is us at the City Hall station You will need to know what ward you are in order to vote. Check out the ward map. 

If you want to learn who is running for mayor, councilor and school trustee there are many web sites. We tell people, if you do not know who to vote for, call them. We will be given a list of our candidates and phone numbers. We will also prepare some questions to ask the candidates.

2. We learn about who our candidates are! 
Two great places to check out. 

• The Calgary City Website.You can download a document from the city website.
• We like the quick reference look up and downloadable contact sheet on www.calgarydemocracy.ca 
• We also like CBC's listing find by postal code if you still cannot ready the ward map. 
• Ward 1(Retiring- Councillor Dale Hodges)
  Ward 2 (Retiring- Councillor Gord Lowe)
  Ward 3(Incumbent Councillor Jim Stevenson)
  Ward 4 (Incumbent Councillor Gael MacLeod)
  Ward 5 (Incumbent Councillor Ray Jones)
  Ward 6  (Incumbent Councillor Richard Pootmans)
  Ward 7 (Incumbent Councillor Druh Farrell)
  Ward 8 (Incumbent Councillor John Mar)
  Ward 9 (Incumbent Gian-Carlo Carra)
  Ward 10 (Incumbent Councillor Andre Chabot)
  Ward 11 (Incumbent Councillor Brian Pincott)
  Ward 12 (Incumbent Councillor Shane Keating)
  Ward 13 (Incumbent Councillor Diane Colley-Urquhart)
  Ward 14 (Incumbent Councillor Peter Demong)
  Mayor  (Incumbent Mayor Naheed Nenshi)
   

3. We talk about issues that are important to us. 

We then pick  the candidate who has the most in common with our beliefs. In 2010 our top issues that were very important to us and are still important to us in 2013 are:  

AFFORDABLE TRANSIT

• What will you do to make city services like public transit affordable for everyone? i.e., seniors are getting quite the deal and less and less people are qualifying for Access Calgary.
• Do you support city wide service for Access Calgary customers? Learn more about 'say no to 1 km rule' by clicking here.

SAFE and AFFORDABLE RENTAL HOUSING 

• What are your views in protecting the health and welfare of tenants in rental units? I.e. mould, fire hazard, defective appliances.
• What is your commitment to creating more affordable low- income rental housing?
• Will you support an independent housing appeal panel that is transparent and appointed by community agencies? 
• Secondary suites; what will you do make secondary suites safer and available?
• What will you do to address the housing choice gap for people living with low-income to own a home that is safe, accessible and affordable?

ACCESSIBLE COMMUNITIES

• What is your commitment to finding places that are financially and physically accessible for people with disabilities?

CELEBRATING DISABILITY CULTURE and COMMUNITY

• What are you going to do to ensure that disability pride and culture is celebrated?
• What is your vision on how the city can fund grassroots organizations to create diversity in our city’s culture? 
• What are you going to do to support the disability arts in Calgary and innovative projects that create diversity in our city?

4. Still don't know? Try election bingo! 

Join us for Calgary SCOPE Society's 30th Annual General Meeting

 Calgary SCOPE Society 

Notice of Annual General Meeting

30 Years of Creating Communities

Tuesday, September 24

7 pm – 8:30 pm

219 – 18 Street S.E.

Calgary SCOPE Office located in Maylands Industrial Park 

We hope you can join us!

  

Mobility for All: Its time to change the Service Area for Access Calgary

What would it take for all Citizens in Calgary to be able to move around our City? 

• Some citizens who rely on Access Calgary as a lifeline cannot rely on the services. People are then asked to find another way or pay more. 
• Is this fair?

The Disability Action Hall has written to elected officials and planners to ask Access Calgary Services to change the service area to City Wide; Currently, some Calgarians living more than 1000 meters from a bus stop or asking to be dropped off more than a distance of 1000 meters cannot get service.

We feel this rule hinders all 15,000 Customers who use Access Calgary Services. We would like Access Calgary services to get more funding in order to provide City Wide Service. 

If you feel strongly about this guideline that needs to be changed, please write your elected official today! 

Here is our letter to the Calgary Mayor and City Councilors: 

September 13, 2013

Dear Mayor Nenshi and City Council,

RE: LETTER OF SUPPORT TO REVISE ACCESS CALGARY SERVICE AREA GUIDELINES

Members of the Disability Action Hall a very concerned for the Calgarians’ health and well-being who rely on Access Calgary as a lifeline, ‘Access Calgary can only provide service to areas where Calgary Transit routes currently go. This means Access Calgary only services areas within 1km of Calgary Transit fixed-route stops.’[i] Some customers live outside of the one-kilometer service area and are informed by Access Calgary that service cannot be provided and alternate arrangements have to be made.  Customers who cannot make alternate arrangements are offered service provided they pay for each trip.  This can cost approximately $20 or more depending on the time/distance travelled. The policy of limiting Access Calgary service to be within 1 km of a Calgary Transit bus stop impacts those people with disabilities who are outside the service area and may cost taxpayers and society more money in the long run.  

Rationale:

•      Social Impacts:  Reducing transportation choices may increase health risks & decrease financial well-being for Calgarians with reduced mobility, resulting in social isolation & poverty.[ii]
•      Strategic Alignment: The current policy does not align with the vision for the 2020 Sustainability Direction goals of creating a sustainable City.
•        Equity: Customers living with low-income impacts the ability to pay for a public service:  15,000 Calgarians, including Senior Citizens and people with disabilities, some have restricted public access with unpredictable financial costs for those who wish to contribute to the economy, celebrate citizenship and benefit connecting to friends, family, and places of worship and live in our city.

What we recommend:

The policy needs to realign with the Sustainability Direction 2020 goals[iii] of creating community well being, smart growth and mobility choice, a prosperous economy, a sustainable environment and financial sustainability for our City and its Citizens. Studies[iv] have shown world class transportation systems are inclusive and encourage universal design address for all Citizens:

• Approve additional funding for Access Calgary to provide service for all customers to the city limits of Calgary.
• To explore the financial impact of increasing the eligibility distance from 1 km to City Limit Service.[v]
• Grandfathering existing customers who use to receive service more than 1 km from a bus stop.
• Phase in City Limit Service by having a 1-year pilot to explore operational costs.
• Enforce equity across all City subsidized service fees for Calgarians living on low-income, in particular for taxpayers who require trips outside the 1 km zone from a City Transit bus stop, to pay a reduced rate as outlined in the Fair Calgary[vi] policy.
• The Calgary Metropolitan Plan to include Access Calgary Services in a regional public transit agreement with outlying municipalities.[vii]

Please contact us if you have any questions, we can be reached at 403.717.7630 or email us at actionhall@calgaryscope.org

Thank you for your time and consideration.

Members of the Disability Action Hall

CC: Access Calgary Karim Rayani, Imagine Calgary, Office of Sustainability, L. Fowler, Leanne Squair ACA Committee, Civic Camp Calgary, Robert Wiles Fair Calgary

Endnotes

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[i] City of Calgary, Access Calgary Website, [website] Available at: http://www.calgarytransit.com/accesscalgary.html [Accessed September 9, 2013]

[ii] Fletcher, R., 2013. Disabled Calgarians Disabled Calgarians hit hard by ‘one-kilometer’ transit rule, advocates say, Metro Calgary, 9 April. [online] Available at: <http://metronews.ca/news/calgary/626279/disabled-calgarians-hit-hard-by-one-kilometre-transit-rule-advocates-say/> [Accessed August 21^st, 2013].

[iii] Office of Sustainability, 2013. 2020 Sustainability Direction: The City of Calgary’s 10 year plan towards a Sustainable direction for Imagine Calgary [pdf] Available at: <http://www.calgary.ca/CA/cmo/Documents/2013-0648_ChangesTo2020SusCover_spread_web.pdf>[Accessed August, 21^st, 2013].

1.) Community Well Being

a.) EQUITY (Target 1, page 15): The 1 km rule policy fair for Calgarians living on low-income who cannot afford an extra-ordinary fee, thereby restricting access to a public service.

b.) PROMOTE INCLUSIVENESS (Target 1, page 17): Calgarians with reduced mobility are restricted in activities, lifestyle and financial well-being.

c.) AGE FRIENDLY CITY (Target 2, page 17): Baby boomers will use Access Services when health is compromised, however restricting trips will discourage baby boomers to apply for the service and only encourage more traffic with use of private cars, potentially add more traffic and compromising safety at the wheel and to other drivers using the roads.

d.) COMPLETE COMMUNITIES (Target 6, page 22): How does this 1 km rule promote accessibility of community services, for a diverse community?

2) Smart growth and mobility choice,

a.) TRANSPORTATION CHOICE (target 2, page 27): A 1 km rule truly makes the transit fleet inaccessible for all Calgarians and forces people into private cars thereby increasing more traffic on our roads.

b.) COMPLETE COMMUNITIES (Target 6, page 22): How does this 1 km guideline promote accessibility of community services, for a diverse community?

3) Prosperous Economy

DIVERSE WORKFORCE (Targets 1&2, page 19): How does a 1 km guideline impact a diverse workforce to a population that is devastatingly underemployed with no means to reach various businesses outside of the existing infrastructure and limiting a Calgarians ability to contribute to the economy and taxation system thereby impairing people’s ability to earn above the low-income cut off.

4) Sustainable Environment (Target 1page 21)

How do we address green house gases and emissions when Calgarians with reduced mobility are forced to operate private vehicles in order to get to the doctor, see family, seek employment and get to the hospital?

5.) Financial Sustainability

CREDABILITY: (Target 1, page 33): It is estimated City Wide Service  will cost approximately $500,000 per year. An investment to help promote better health problems, create jobs and provider a wider tax base to make Calgary more sustainable; A pilot project is required to determine true costs.

[iv] King, R., 2013. Accessibility for All, The City Fix, Embarq, [online] Available at: <http://thecityfix.com/blog/accessibility-for-all-un-enable-right-to-movement-disabled-elderly-curitiba-brazil-robin-king/> [Accessed August 21^st, 2013].

[v] Harper, Chris, Platform 2013 [website] Available at http://www.chrisharper.ca/transportation-that-moves.html [Accessed September 13th, 2013

[vi]City of Calgary, 2011, Fair Calgary Policy, [pdf] Available at: http://www.calgary.ca/CA/city-clerks/Documents/Council-policy-library/csps019.pdf , [Accessed August 27th, 2013].

[vii] Calgary Regional Partnership, 2012. Calgary Metropolitan Plan, [pdf] pg. 31 Creating Sustainable Communities, Connecting to Regional Transit 3.b.6, Available at: http://205.186.144.206:8080/cmp/bin2/pdf/CMP.pdf [Accessed August 27, 2013].