Bokhari promises age-friendly, accessible city

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This article was published 25/08/2022 (853 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg must revamp its services, housing and Transit to become more accessible and meet the human rights of all of its residents, according to Winnipeg mayoral candidate Rana Bokhari.

“We have violated basic human rights of people just by not having these things in place,” said Bokhari.

If elected Oct. 26, she promises to make the city more age-friendly and accessible within her first four-year term.

The effort would require volunteers to help ensure sidewalks remain accessible year-round. She suggests the city create a community program that matches volunteers with seniors who need snow shovelled or grass cut. A pilot “do-it-yourself” safe sidewalk program would allow citizens to voluntarily spread city-supplied de-icing material on slippery public paths.

“What I’m suggesting is that we start to work together as a community to make sure that we don’t have 85-year-olds trying to shovel their own driveway or their sidewalk because they have to get (out),” said Bokhari.

While the candidate said she acknowledges it can be a struggle to attract volunteers for any project, she believes the city should be able to attract them through public education efforts.

Bokhari said the sidewalk changes wouldn’t replace city snow and ice removal on sidewalks but add to those efforts, especially when city crews fall behind.

Her plan includes the following steps:

• Require all new multi-residential developments to include main-floor measures that make them accessible for seniors and those with mobility issues, such as ramps and accessible washrooms.

• Encourage the development of, and ease the permitting requirements for, multi-generational homes.

• Mandate that community spaces, parks and sidewalks are accessible.

• Expand library hours and provide a library delivery program catered to seniors.

• Decrease call wait times for Winnipeg Transit Plus (Transit’s accessible service).

• Review all bus stops to ensure they can be accessed by a sidewalk or path.

Bokhari does not yet have a cost estimate for the plan, though she expects reducing Winnipeg Transit Plus wait times would require at least one additional staff member.

Also Friday, mayoral candidate Scott Gillingham promised to better maintain and enhance the city’s urban forest, if he’s elected mayor.

In a news release, Gillingham said he would: set a seven-year pruning schedule for city-owned trees; ensure the city plants at least two new trees for every public tree it loses; require construction projects to follow best practices in tree protection; fully implement Winnipeg’s urban forest strategy (which is expected in late 2022); work with other governments to approve public sites for tree planting; lobby the province to prevent Manitoba Hydro from cutting down trees “by surprise” in city parks; and contract more space in private greenhouses to grow more trees.

Gillingham also vows to remove barriers for volunteer tree planting to ensure 10,000 volunteers are “mobilized” to plant together by Arbor Day weekend in 2026.

Joyanne.pursaga@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @joyanne_pursaga