Everyone shares a responsibility to make communities inclusive and accessible to all, said Mayor George Harvie in a letter this week to Delta MP Carla Qualtrough.
Harvie provided Qualtrough, Minister of Employment, Workforce Development and Diversity Inclusion, an update regarding concerns about the inadequate number of full-service gas stations in the city.
Residents are reporting that some of the few remaining full-service gas pumps have been, or are in the process of being, converted to self-serve, further limiting fueling options for people with mobility issues, Harvie noted.
Discussing a staff report on the issue earlier this month, council agreed to have Harvie send letters to all gas station owners/operators, as well as corporate headquarters, urging them to review their current policies and practices to confirm that they properly support convenient, effective and timely access for people with mobility challenges, and to see where improvements can be made.
The issue had been raised earlier this year and residents have continued to send correspondence to the city asking what can be done.
Members of South Fraser Active Living Group have also written to Qualtrough.
Harvie in his letter to Qualtrough noted that the issue of accessibility at gas stations, and at retail stores more generally, will be referred to Delta's new Mobility and Accessibility Committee.
The recommendations from that committee will be shared with Qualtrough.
Coquitlam and Richmond are currently the only two B.C. municipalities that have bans on gas stations being self-serve.
Meanwhile, one of the first priorities for Delta's new social planner will be to update the Social Action Plan, and accessibility will be one of the key issues to be addressed.
