Make sure polling stations are accessible despite the snow, advocates tell city ahead of election day

Access to polling stations must be a top priority for the city and the province with the Ontario election just two days away, advocates for people with disabilities say.

After two major winter storms that swept the city, some Toronto sidewalks remain only partially cleared, with melting snow still left on many sidewalks and snowbanks on the sides of roads — making getting around difficult for people with disabilities, advocates say.

Jennifer Jewell, a Toronto resident who uses a motorized wheelchair, said it was a "nightmare" to cast her ballot during advance voting on Friday. It took her about 40 minutes to get from Carlton and Jarvis streets to the Wellesley Community Centre on Sherbourne Street. The journey drained the battery of her electric wheelchair.

"I had a full battery and it burned the whole thing. So I couldn't come home. I had to have a friend transfer me money so I could get an Uber," Jewell said.

"We're supposed to have a say in the government that makes choices about our lives. Voting is one of the few things that we can do. It's supposed to be an equalizer, but there's so many barriers to getting to vote in the first place," Jewell said.

Jewell said she had to backtrack several blocks at a time because she was blocked by improperly cleared sections and deal with piles of snow on street corners that were not cleared at all. She also had to try to wheel over uneven snow.

She said the experience made her angry and depressed, adding it's unacceptable that the city did not clear the way to polling stations during advance polling.

"They need to do better," Jewell said.

In an email, Jewell added: "We deserve the right to be able to go out and vote just as able-bodied people do. Having that ability taken away from us because of other people's choices is not quality of life." 

'Having access to a voting centre is your civic right'

In a statement to CBC Toronto, David Lepofsky, the chair of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance, questioned why an election was called at this time of year, saying: "The decision to call a snap Ontario election in snowy February has created new serious accessibility barriers for voters with disabilities."

Anthony Frisina, volunteer director of media relations for the Ontario Disability Coalition, said it's a frustrating situation because of the abundance of snow but the city needs to be proactive.

Frisina is calling on the city and Elections Ontario to make sure everyone can access the polls on Thursday. That means providing accessible transit to and from polling stations and having the ability to accommodate people with individual needs, he said.

"Having access to a voting centre is your civic right," Frisina said. "You have a civic duty to vote whether you choose to exercise that or not."

Frisina said poll workers need to be reminded that disabilities come in many forms and that everyone needs to be accommodated. 

"Show up with empathy, show up with respect, show up with the intention for that individual to allow them to speak, act, and cast their vote as anybody else would."

Ensuring access to polling station is a priority, city says

In a statement on Monday, the city said ensuring access to voting places for the provincial election on Thursday is a priority. The city added that it has directed its staff to ensure that voters can access polling stations across Toronto to cast their ballots.

"Staff are now inspecting the areas around election day voting places and prioritizing them for clean-up," the city said in a statement on Monday.

The city said it is using all crews available, including its own road maintenance crews, plus winter maintenance contractors and park and recreation staff, to ensure the work is done as quickly as possible.

It added that access is needed on Thursday for the provincial election as well as on March 3 for the Toronto District School Board Ward 11 by-election for Trustee in Don Valley West.

Elections Ontario, in a statement on Monday, said it is a priority for its office to make sure every eligible voter knows when, where and how to vote.

It said "assistive voting technology" was available at advance polls and is available every day through Wednesday at local election offices. It said it is also available by appointment on election day at local election offices.

If people cannot make it to a polling station, Elections Ontario offers home visits for eligible people, it added.

"We know that snow removal has been a challenge across the Greater Toronto Area due to the exceptional snow accumulation in the last week. Anyone who has difficulty due to snow accumulation is urged to let us know so that we can address it," Elections Ontario said.