CAN (LET’S) is a representative for a BC Human Rights Tribunal (BCHRT) complaint, which was submitted on December 8, 2020. We were recently contacted because they wanted to “provide you with this update and thank you again for your support and time”. CAN (LET’S) is happy to help in this process, as representative for this complaint. There should not be barriers to accessibility for business owners who want to make modifications.
The update was as follows:
“Background:
We want to install at our own cost a new accessible entrance for our commercial unit at _______ in Vancouver to enable independent access to our proposed café and existing bathrooms, for people with mobility challenges, but the strata council of the building opposed our request. We submitted a BCHRT complaint in hope that the Tribunal can help us find a solution to facilitate installation of a new accessible entrance.
Recent Progress
- In April 2021, our BCHRT complaint was assigned to a Case Manager and is currently in the screening process, which we understand takes time.
- In March 2022, the City of Vancouver approved our tenant improvement application including our proposed new accessible entrance. We are currently working on the tenant improvements that don’t require strata approval, and the City has been positive to work with throughout the process.
- We continue to work towards meeting additional requests that were outlined in a letter from the lawyer engaged by the strata council in regard to our proposed plans.
Next Steps’
I understand that the next step will be communication from our BCHRT Case Manager to advise if further information is needed.”We will include an update in our newsletter when one is available.