The newly delivered 2025 Prevost H3-45, manufactured in Canada, is equipped with a state-of-the-art RICON removable wheelchair lift and features capacity for 56 passengers along with secure seating for multiple wheelchair users. With its arrival, Hammondbus.com now offers 11 accessible vehicles across its fleet, with an additional accessible small vehicle charter bus expected later this spring.

“This investment continues our mission of making transportation accessible to everyone,” said Greg Hammond, President & CEO of Hammondbus.com. “I remember when we bought our first accessible school bus in the early 1980s. For many people, it meant the first time they could leave a nursing home or hospital and enjoy a picnic, attend a family gathering, or simply experience the outdoors again. This new motorcoach builds on that legacy.”

Kent Hammond, Co-Owner of Hammond Tours & Travel, also emphasized the importance of accessibility in group travel: “This new motorcoach ensures that more of our clients can explore the world in comfort. We’re seeing increasing demand for inclusive group travel, and this vehicle allows us to better serve seniors and individuals with mobility challenges on longer-distance tours. It’s a meaningful step toward making travel more accessible for all.”

The new motorcoach joins Hammondbus.com’s fully accessible range of services, which already includes accessible school buses, transit vehicles, and small group charters. With this addition, the company ensures that individuals of all mobility levels can travel comfortably and with dignity — whether for appointments, social outings, or leisure travel.

Made in Canada and powered by a Volvo D13 435 HP engine, the Prevost H3-45 delivers not only accessibility but also top-tier comfort, safety, and performance. Features include air conditioning with cabin preheating, a premium sound system, a scenic-view camera, and six HD video monitors, making it ideal for both local charters and long-distance tours.

For more information about accessible charter options or upcoming tour availability, visit www.hammondbus.com or contact 705-645-5431.

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Leadston and the other honourees received their awards at the annual Lieutenant Governors’ Legacy Awards Ceremony on Sept. 16. These awards, named after four previous Lieutenant Governors —the Honourable Lincoln M. Alexander, the Honourable James Bartleman, the Honourable David C. Onley and the Honourable Hilary M. Weston — honour their legacies and contributions in the areas of anti-racism, literature, accessibility and mental health research.

“I am proud to further the legacy of my predecessors by presenting these awards that bear their name to 14 worthy recipients,” said the Honourable Edith Dumont, Lieutenant Governor of Ontario. “Through their creativity, leadership and determination to improve the lives of others, they have made impressive and inspirational contributions to their communities and to our province.”

The recipients of these awards have demonstrated leadership by supporting and empowering Indigenous and underrepresented communities, following in the footsteps of the previous Lieutenant Governors. This is the first time since her appointment as Lieutenant Governor, the Honourable Edith Dumont recognized recipients at the annual award ceremony.

John Leadston is a powerful advocate for the rights of neurodivergent employees in the Ontario Public Service. Working with the Ontario Public Service’s Leadership Network and the Conference Board of Canada, he helps to provide senior public service leaders with the skills to support neurodivergent employees.

Leadston also authored a series of articles that sparked lively debate and broke down stigmas. The province awarded him the David C. Onley Award for Leadership in Accessibility in the category of Employee Engagement.

The David C. Onley Award for Leadership in Accessibility recognizes the outstanding work of those who have demonstrated leadership and gone above and beyond to champion accessibility and improve the quality of life for people with disabilities. The awards are given in four categories: Employee Engagement, Role Model, Youth Leadership for individuals, and Honour Roll for organizations. Individual recipients receive a $5,000 cash award and a personalized certificate.

“I would like to express my congratulations to our three remarkable recipients of the David C. Onley Award for Leadership in Accessibility,” said Raymond Cho, Minister for Seniors and Accessibility. “They have worked tirelessly to make meaningful and positive change to promote inclusion and improve the quality of life for people with disabilities. I am inspired by their outstanding leadership and dedication to championing accessibility.”

For more information on the Lieutenant Governors’ Legacy Awards and its recipients, visit the province’s website.

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“The City is committed to developing and enhancing accessibility in the areas of information and communications, employment, and transportation for all residents with disabilities. When we understand the needs, concerns, and issues surrounding accessibility in the municipal context, Council will be better informed to make decisions to plan for and implement improvements and solutions,” said Mayor Don McIsaac. “We want to hear from members of our community about experiences and observations while visiting City facilities and using City services and encourage everyone to share their input.”

As part of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), all municipalities are required to prepare a Multi-Year Accessibility Plan to outline the organization’s strategy to prevent and remove barriers. The survey includes questions about citizen experiences when accessing City facilities, functions and services, and provides an opportunity to nominate a local business as an Accessibility Champion in the City of Orillia.

“Accessibility in municipal functions and services needs to be considered and planned for in a way that respects the individuals’ dignity and independence, provides an equal opportunity to use and benefit from the City’s goods and services, and also allows persons with all forms of disabilities to benefit from the same goods and services at the same time and location as all other residents,” said Lilly Cadeau, Chair of the AAC. “All Orillia residents are asked to participate in the survey with accessibility for everyone in mind. The Accessibility Advisory Committee looks forward to reviewing shared experiences and comments on a full range of municipal facilities, amenities and services.”

The survey is available online at the City of Orillia’s website at orillia.ca/HaveYourSay. The survey is also available in alternative formats. For assistance accessing the survey, please contact the City at 705-325-1311 or clerks@orillia.ca. All survey submissions will remain anonymous and will help to identify barriers and inform the new 2023-2028 Accessibility Plan.

The Accessibility Advisory Committee is mandated by the Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2001. It provides Council with recommendations related to the identification, removal and prevention of barriers to persons with disabilities in our community and is responsible for making recommendations on the annual updating of the City’s Multi-Year Accessibility Plan. For more information about the committee, visit orillia.ca/BoardsCommittees.

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The Council Chamber was initially designed and constructed in the early 1990s.The upgrades will improve accessibility to the Council Chamber while refreshing and modernizing the space. This will include improving layout and functionality of seating, removing the variance of height between the current platform and the rest of the Council Chamber, creating an inclusive atmosphere for the public and Members of Council, and improving and upgrading audiovisual technology to enable virtual and hybrid meeting formats.

“The Council Chamber was built almost 40 years ago and requires significant work to modernize and create a more welcoming space,” said Mayor Don McIsaac. “The renovations will help make Council meetings more accessible to everyone in our community, whether they would like to attend meetings in person, watch on TV, or view and participate online.”

While the Council Chamber is undergoing renovations, alternative meeting arrangements have been made for Council meetings for the rest of 2023 (see attached schedule). Regularly scheduled Council meetings this summer will be held electronically and can be viewed on RogersTV Cable 10 or online. Beginning Sept. 1, 2023, regularly scheduled Council meetings will be held in person at the Orillia Opera House (20 Mississaga St. W.). Residents can attend the meetings in person, view on RogersTV Cable 10, or watch online. Any Special Council meetings called will be held electronically using the Zoom meeting platform, unless otherwise noted.

Orillia City Centre (50 Andrew St. S.) will remain open throughout the project with no impact to access City services or parking. The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2023.

Funding for the Audiovisual and Accessibility Upgrades and Refurbishment project was approved by Council through the 2022 and 2023 budgets. For more information on the project and Council meetings, visit orillia.ca/councilmeetings.

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