Changes to Municipal Government Act prompt concerns about 'two-tiered' accessibility

Recent changes to provincial legislation will allow municipalities to give money directly to businesses in an effort to make Nova Scotia accessible by 2030, but concerns are being raised by a political scientist who studies municipal politics that it could lead to a "two-tiered system" of accessibility.

The changes to the Municipal Government Act, announced on March 24, were requested by the Halifax Regional Municipality but have been extended to all municipalities across the province.

Tom Urbaniak, a political science professor at Cape Breton University, said while he "absolutely supports" the goal of making the province more accessible, the change could have unintended consequences.

"Wealthy municipalities can give grants to private businesses. Poorer municipalities, including those on Cape Breton, simply will not have the fiscal capacity to do that," he told CBC's Mainstreet Cape Breton.

Urbaniak is concerned businesses, especially larger ones with "lobbying clout," will now be able to use the potential grants as a condition of whether they plan to participate in a particular local economy.

"The concern [is] that some municipalities will now become more accessible to others," he said.

Not an 'equal playing field'

The province has a role to play in ensuring all communities are accessible by 2030, and Urbaniak said that should include funding the grants so there's an "equal playing field" for all municipalities in Nova Scotia.

He's concerned that municipalities could now face pressure to divert funding for improving the accessibility of public facilities — like buses, community centres, libraries and sidewalks — to private businesses.

"Municipalities are under great fiscal strain to be able to make sure that these important public spaces and public facilities are accessible," he said.

Urbaniak also raises concerns about the scope of the grants and how some businesses, particularly developers, could use them to pressure municipalities to fund aspects of their construction.

He said the bill "allows grants for any purpose related to accessibility" but does not define accessibility.

Municipal grants 'just one tool'

Rosalind Penfound, the chair of the Accessibility Advisory Board, which advises and makes recommendations to the minister of justice about accessibility, said while Urbaniak's concerns are "worth considering," the recent change to the Municipal Government Act is "just one tool" that's available for improving accessibility.

There's provincial money available through Nova Scotia's business accessibility grant program, which can fund up to $100,000 or 66 per cent of accessibility projects taken on by businesses. It wasn't fully subscribed this year.

"Where the money is going to come from, you know, is an issue that comes up all the time when you talk about accessibility. I think all levels of government are going to need to turn their mind to how that can work," Penfound told CBC's Mainstreet Cape Breton.

Regarding Urbaniak's concern about creating a "two-tiered" system, Penfound said accessibility is one of many issues municipalities in Nova Scotia have to take into account based on their size and resources.

"I'm not seeing this as something that is going to tip the scale one way or the other. It's a problem and an issue that needs to be thought through thoroughly," she said.

Penfound said 30 per cent of Nova Scotia's population identifies as having a disability.

"The need for governments, and businesses and communities, to be responsive to that part of the population, and apply their resources appropriately, has never been more important," she said.