Disability advocates are calling on Metrolinx to improve accessibility at Finch West station
“Why did Metrolinx not include an elevator?” the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance asked in a letter to president and CEO Michael Lindsay
The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance is bringing attention to Toronto’s Finch West station, which the group’s chair, David Lepofsky, said in a recent video does not allow passengers who use wheelchairs to navigate the space with ease.
“Let me show you the stupidest accessibility ramp in the world,” Lepofsky said, before explaining the station’s accessibility limitations.
“Metrolinx properly included an elevator at the Cedarvale station to get up from Line 5 to Line 1, but inexplicably and inexcusably chose not to do the same at Finch West to get from Line 6 to Line 1,” a statement published by the advocacy organization said.
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The statement continued, offering possible remedies. “In addition to fixing this accessibility blunder, the AODA Alliance is calling for two solutions to the recurring accessibility failures in new public infrastructure. First, it calls on Metrolinx to engage an independent accessibility audit of Lines 5 and 6, with its report and recommendations to be made public. Second, the AODA Alliance has pressed the Ford government since taking office to strengthen Ontario’s weak accessibility laws for the built environment, such as the outdated Ontario Building Code.”
It noted that people with chronic fatigue or chronic pain, as well as parents pushing strollers, would also benefit from an elevator.
A Metrolinx spokesperson responded to an inquiry from CBC, saying, “We recognize the importance of ongoing feedback and continuous improvement. Metrolinx is pursuing user testing with individuals representing a range of disabilities to better understand customer experiences.”
Carly Lewis is a journalist whose work has appeared in the New York Times and the New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, Wired, Interview Magazine, Pitchfork, Elle, and Maclean’s, where she is a contributing editor. Her work has been recognized by the National Magazine Awards and the Digital Publishing Awards. She reports on city life, culture—including what people do online—politics, art and crime. She received the Dave Greber Freelance Writers Award for “The Murder of Ashley Wadsworth,” an investigative feature about a Canadian teenager who was killed by a man she met on social media, published by Maclean’s.
