(Montreal) For many, summer is synonymous with eating and drinking with friends, seated on the terrace of their favorite restaurant. However, access to the terraces is not the same for everyone. Organizations denounce their frequent inaccessibility for people with disabilities across Quebec.
There is no law on accessibility in the province, and this is the sinews of war for Steven Laperrière, director general of the Regroupement des activistes pour l’inclusion au Québec (RAPLIQ).
“On the other hand, under the Charter of Rights, there is an obligation of reasonable accommodation without undue hardship,” said Mr. Laperrière in an interview.
Last summer, RAPLIQ identified more than 200 terraces that were not accessible to people with disabilities in Montreal. However, around forty merchants have made a commitment to the organization to make their terraces accessible. RAPLIQ will carry out its verification tour in the coming weeks.
“What we mean by ‘not accessible’ is that someone with a wheelchair cannot get in without help,” explains Steven Laperrière.
Even if a person using a wheelchair can enter a terrace, barriers to accessibility may remain. For example, if only picnic tables are available, a person in a wheelchair cannot sit there. Or, if the terrace only has high “bistro” style tables, a disabled person could not sit there to eat.
According to Anne-Sophie Verreault, co-director of the Carrefour familial des personnes disabilities, an organization that works in the Capitale-Nationale region, the ephemeral terraces and those that are not accessible by entering through the restaurant are often those that are inaccessible.
“There are new terraces being created from year to year, and it continues to be created in an inaccessible way. Then I think that in 2023, we should make sure that no one is excluded from anywhere, ”she says.
Mme Verreault points out that the inaccessibility of terraces is a “widespread” problem, which is not limited to Montreal and Quebec.
A lack of awareness
The Family Crossroads for Persons with Disabilities asks the City of Quebec to put in place regulations on the accessibility of terraces during their construction.
“We think there is really a lack of awareness,” says Ms.me Verreault, saying the city must inform restaurateurs, for whom accessibility is not necessarily part of their expertise.
“It is clear that when a permit is issued, whether in Montreal, Quebec, or elsewhere, the people responsible [de délivrer] the permit should tell merchants de facto that the terraces must be accessible,” says Steven Laperrière.
He points out that many restaurateurs are “in good faith”, and that some are not aware of their duty to provide “reasonable accommodation” to people using wheelchairs.
RAPLIQ also denounces that the definition of “reasonable accommodation” is elusive. For example, Mr. Laperrière illustrates, a measure may be adequate for a person who uses a manual wheelchair, but not for a person who uses an electric wheelchair, as these devices are often larger.
“I remain convinced to see an improvement in the number of terraces that are now accessible, but I maintain that there will still be many, unfortunately, that will not be,” says Steven Laperrière.
This dispatch was produced with financial assistance from the Meta Exchange and The Canadian Press for News.