Accessibility

Collingwood strives to ensure that its residents and visitors of all abilities can visit and enjoy our facilities. Each building listed below has accessibility features to ensure that everyone is included. If you are planning to visit one of these facilities, you may want to check out these features.

Collingwood Town Hall (97 Hurontario Street)

• Designated accessible parking available on Hurontario Street and in the municipal parking lot behind the Business Development Centre
• Street level access with clear path of travel (no steps)
• Power assisted doors (exterior and interior)
• Lowered service counter
• Elevator to access the second level of the building
• Accessible washrooms on the second level of the building
• A manual wheelchair and a transfer chair are available
• Documents available in alternative formats (by request)
• Fire alarms that have both an audible and visual flashing light signal

Business Development Centre (105 Hurontario Street)

• Lowered service counter at the BDC
• Designated accessible parking available on Hurontario Street and in the municipal parking lot behind the Business Development Centre
• Street level access with clear path of travel
• Power assisted entrance door
• Lowered service counter
• Universal washroom available

Collingwood Curling Club (250 Hume Street)

• Designated accessible parking
• Street level access with clear path of travel
• Power assisted entrance door and lobby door to the change rooms
• Power assisted doors to the rink surface
• Elevator to access upper level spectator areas
• Accessible change rooms available
• Accessible washrooms available 

Eddie Bush Memorial Arena (97 Hurontario Street)

• Designated accessible parking available on Hurontario Street and in the municipal parking lot behind the Business Development Centre
• Street level access with clear path of travel
• Power assisted entrance door 
• Accessible washroom available in the lobby
• Power assisted door to the arena area
• Ramping to allow access to the viewing area 
• Companion seating available
• Four of seven change rooms are accessible

Central Park Arena (85 Patterson Street)

• Designated accessible parking
• Street level access with clear path of travel
• Motion sensored entrance door
• Accessible washrooms on both main floor and second floor
• Elevator to access second floor mezzanine, meeting room and washrooms
• All change rooms accessible
• Ramping to allow access to the viewing area

“The Station” (45 St. Paul Street)

Home to the Collingwood Museum and Georgian Triangle Tourism Association (GTTA) 

• Designated accessible parking available
• Street level access with clear path of travel
• Power assisted entrance door
• Men’s and women’s accessible washrooms
• Audio exhibits are available

Public Library and Municipal Offices (55 Ste. Marie Street)

• Designated accessible parking available in the library parking lot and in the municipal parking lot adjacent to the building
• Street level access with clear path of travel at front and parking lot entrance
• Power assisted doors at front and parking lot entrance
• Lowered service counter
• Universal washroom on first and second floors
• Accessible washrooms in the FreeSchools World Literacy Room
• Elevator to allow access to the second and third floors
• Public access computers with assistive technology
• Wheeled baskets to carry books and documents within the library
• 1 wheelchair for public use
• Portable infrared assistive listening system (which can be used during meetings, presentations, etc.)
• 1 DAISY player available for checkout (Victor Reader Stratus 4 M)
• Specialized memberships that provide special accommodations for clients of Breaking Down Barriers and for people registered with CNIB (Canadian National Institute for the Blind) or CELA (Centre for Equitable Library Access)
• Smartview 360 desktop video magnifier

Learn more about the Collingwood Public Library and accessibility at www.collingwoodpubliclibrary.ca.

Centennial Aquatic Centre (451 Third Street)

• Motion sensored entrance door
• Push button to the main entrance of the pool – lever handles on all other doors
• Three large accessible parking spaces (one larger than the other two) with direct access to a cut curb concrete sidewalk into the pool (75 regular sized parking stalls)
• Accessible washroom stall in both women and men washroom change room areas
• Ramp access to therapeutic pool and lift for large pool
• Waterproof wheel chair

Collingwood Fire Hall (45 High Street)

• The new Fire Hall was designed on one level to be fully accessible and to avoid the potential problems that elevators can present in an emergency. 
• The front entrance and the parking lot were redesigned before construction once the Accessible Design of Public Spaces Standards were released even though these requirements do not come into effect until 2016. 
• This redesign means that counters are at a level that is comfortable for people in wheelchairs, scooters, or those who just want to sit while speaking to Fire Department employees.
• The entrance is spacious to make it easy for people with mobility devices to maneuver. The building also makes use of natural light so it is welcoming for people with low vision.

If you require an accessible format or communication support, please contact Communications at 705-445-1030 or by email at communications@collingwood.ca. The Town of Collingwood’s documents are available in alternate formats upon request.  Please feel free to contact us to discuss how best we can meet your needs.  

Collingwood’s town buses are all fully accessible and can be used for wheelchairs, motorized scooters, pull behind shopping carts, as well as strollers. The buses are all equipped with a passenger side access ramp which is available for use upon request as well as Q-STRAINTsecurement. All buses are outfitted with bike racks as well which are available for use at no extra charge. Bus service operates on all days except statutory holidays.

Colltrans, the Town of Collingwood's public transit system, operates three regularly scheduled transit routes and the frequency of pickup at the terminal is every thirty minutes. The Colltrans terminal is located on the corner of Second Street and Pine Street adjacent to the municipal parking lot at 100 Pine Street. 

Other ways we ensure that our buses are accessible:

Our bus drivers are trained to provide accessible customer service for people of all abilities.

If you are a person with a disability who requires a support person to accompany you, your support person will be able to ride free of charge.

Do you have a request for a stop or shelter? Visit Stop and Shelter Design Guidelines to better understand our selection process. 

If you want to know if a bus is on time, is delayed or if its route has been changed, you can call the bus company directly at 705-446-1196. They will tell you the status of the buses on the route, date and time you require.  If you are at the bus stop and the bus is late, when you call this number, an employee will radio the bus driver to find out his or her exact location and expected time of arrival at your stop.

Accessible transit links to Wasaga and Blue Mountains

The Town of Collingwood offers two transit links to complement Colltrans service. The Collingwood/Wasaga Beach transit link and the Collingwood/Blue Mountains transit link. For route and schedule information, please click on this link.  These buses are also fully accessible.

Detailed information on accessibility equipment for any of the Town’s buses can be made upon request by emailing Collingwood Transit

For more information on fares and bus routes, go to the Town’s main transit page.

AODA Training Booklet (PDF)
AODA Contractor Compliance Statement Form (PDF)
 

There are many free training resources available.  You can get started by going to these links:

www.accessforward.ca
www.aoda.ca/free-online-training
www.ccohs.ca/products/courses/aoda
www.ontario.ca/page/how-train-your-staff-accessibility
www.ohrc.on.ca/en/learning/working-together-code-and-aoda 

Businesses across Ontario are responsible under Ontario’s accessibility legislation to provide accessible customer service under the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service Regulation and to make their businesses accessible in accordance with the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation and the Ontario Building Code accessibility requirements. More and more businesses in Town are proud to be able to serve customers of all abilities and to show that they are committed to accessibility. Businesses know that accessibility can increase their client base and build customer loyalty.

If you have a complaint or comment about the accessibility of a business, please go to them directly with the complaint or comment. Businesses are responsible to ensure that they are in compliance with Ontario’s accessibility regulations. 

• Is your event on or near a public bus route?
• Is there accessible parking nearby? 
• Is there room for someone with an accessible van to park and then to exit the van from the van’s side ramp?
• Is there a shuttle available for your event?  Is it accessible for someone in a wheelchair?

• Is the layout of the meeting space open enough for someone in a wheelchair to navigate?
• Is the lighting bright enough for someone with a vision disability?
• Is there a microphone available to ensure that everyone can hear?
• If you are seating people at tables, is there at least one table high enough to allow a person in a wheelchair to sit at this table?
• Is there an accessible washroom on the same floor as the main event room or close to the meeting space if the event is outside?
• If this room is not on the main floor, is there an elevator to the room?
• If the meeting space is outside, have you checked that the surface is level and hard enough to allow someone in a wheelchair or scooter to get around easily and safely?
• Have you checked for possible tripping hazards?

• In your initial advertisements or invitation letters/emails, please ask people to contact you if they have accommodation needs for a disability or different ability.  Remember this can include requests to accommodate food or environmental allergies, lighting requests (fluourescent lighting can trigger seizures in some people), accommodations for a service animal (e.g. a bowl of water and a place for the service animals to relieve themselves), ample breaks in the day to allow rest times, and many other requests.
• Once you have received these requests, work with the people making the requests to find the best way to accommodate their needs.