Bonnie Dalziel says head of Softball Yukon told her not to speak up

A woman who asked for improvements to softball facilities in Whitehorse for spectators who use wheelchairs says she was bullied by the head of Softball Yukon.

Bonnie Dalziel, a ball fan, appeared before Whitehorse city council on Tuesday night asking that the ball diamonds be made accessible for people with physical disabilities.

After a news story aired quoting her comments to city council, Dalziel says she got a phone call from an angry George Arcand, executive director of Softball Yukon.

Dalziel says Arcand told her not speak publicly anymore about the issue, which Dalziel says made her feel intimidated.

"In this day and age — 2015 — that a person in his position taking that stance is just mind-boggling to me."     

She says Arcand told her if she did speak further, the improvements that she and another council delegate requested would not be made.

Dalziel says she was shaken but is determined to speak out. 

"I said to myself, 'Bonnie, you vowed never ever to accept bullying, and isn't this what has taken place?' It is bullying — plain and simple."    

Arcand has declined to comment on the issue of accessibility. He says he did speak with Dalziel on the phone but denies making any threats or angry comments.

It's up to Softball Yukon to act

The city says it takes accessibility seriously, but notes many older sports facilities are lacking the proper infrastructure. Mike Gau is the city's director of development services. He says Whitehorse is a very large city and it cannot afford to bring all the facilities up to current standards with a large land base - and a small tax base. 

"We can't necessarily be a leader in accessibility," says Mike Gau, with the city's development services. "We are working on it but there are limitations to what we can do. Accessibility improvements cost money — which means tax dollars." 

Gau adds the city may not be able to afford to fix many of the accessibility issues around town, but says nevertheless, the city is working on what it can. 

Gau says new building codes stipulate facilities must be accessible but older facilities, like the Pepsi Softball Centre, which opened in 1983, don't have to meet the new standards.

"As a new development comes along, we're able to enforce the bylaws and the national building code. These bylaws and codes aren't retroactive."

Gau says the city can't afford to run all of the sports and recreational facilities itself, so non-government organizations operate them on the city's behalf. 

He says the NGOs come to both the city and the Yukon government's Community Development Fund for money to make modifications. 

Dan Curtis, Whitehorse mayor, says he'll do all he can to encourage increased standards for accessibility but says it's ultimately up to Softball Yukon.