HB NEWS CATHOLIC SCHOOL BOARD TAKES FIRST STEPS TO INSTALLING UNIVERSAL WASHROOMS ROLAND CILLIERS. rcilliers@metroland.com It's the first step to what could be a_ significa change for local schools. Halton Catholic District School Board (HCDSB) passed a motion on Oct. 4 that directs staff to conduct a feasibility study on creating univer- sal washrooms for every school at the board. Burlington trustee Brenda Agnew said adding these facilities would bene- fit many people in the school community. “Universal washrooms can provide privacy and dignity for people of all abilities, including people with disabilities who may need the assistance of an attendant,” she said. "Uni- versal washrooms can also benefit families with small children, individuals with medical needs, and really anyone who is not comfort- able usil a gender-de- fined washroom.” The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) mandates the installation of universal washrooms in i i rio building code and in- cludes several require- ments _ includi being large enough for a wheel- chair to turn, have a power- operated door and include an emergency call button. "The dignity of all stu- dents should always be at the forefront an ili- ty to go to the washroom when you need to ina place that's comfortable for ev- erybody, should be at the forefront. So, I think that tinensur- ings. The goal is to make Ontario more user-friend- ly and inclusive for people with disabilities. A universal washroom is defined within the Onta- ing that we have it,’ said Oakville trustee Nancy Guzzo. Out of the 55 schools at the HCDSB, currently only 11 have universal wash- Graham Paine/ Metroland The Halton Catholic District School Board is conducting a study that will look at bringing universal washrooms to all of its schools. rooms. The board's superinten- dent of Facility Manage- ment Services said it's un- clear what the cost of in- stalling all the universal comprehensive study. He did indicate that it presents a significant design chal- lenge. Tim O'Brien, Patrick Murphy, Peter DeRosa, Nancy Guzzo, Janet O'Hearn-Czarnota and Brenda Agnew voted in fa- vour of the motion. Helena Karabela voted against it. Report on feasibility is set to return to the board ta- ble on January 17, 2023. OPINION SEND US YOUR LETTERS T0 THE EDITOR The Oakville Beave! values the opinions of its readers, and the commu- nity at large. With that said, we wel- come your letters to the editor on all matters that impact area residents. We ask that letters be no more than 275 words, and include the full name and town of the writer. Your address tion purposes only. We donot publish anon- ymous letters. Letters will be edited or rejected for of- fensive content, factual er- rors, legal issues or space restrictions. Send your letters to in- sidehalton@metro- |.cOom. 282 Kerr Street Cakes, Cookies, Cupcakes € more! (905) 582-0862 www.thesweetestthing.com THING WEAON ‘Aepsiny| | 4eneeR IIAXED | SZ LL 194 zzz woo"uoy}EYyapIsUt