Mainstreet Cape Breton

We continue our series Ready and Able..."Ready and Able" - is an ongoing look at accessibility and inclusion in this province. Our communities are about to change. Nova Scotia's new Accessibility Act heralds a sweeping strategy that aims to make the whole province, rural and urban, inclusive and barrier-free by 2030. That's less than a decade away. But work has already begun. Over the next number of weeks we will look at what has been done, what needs to be done, and what's on the horizon to make sure everyone can participate fully, irrespective of their abilities. Today, we're going to meet an interabled couple who are sharing their life's journey online. Interabled is the term given to a couple where one person has a disability and the other does not. Kevin Penny has a spinal cord injury, which has left him paralyzed from the neck down. But that hasn't stopped he and his partner Dee Osmond from living life to the fullest, and challenging disability stereotypes. The Halifax couple loves to travel and go on adventures. They then share those experiences through their YouTube channel, called Accessible Adventures.

Ready and Able is an ongoing look at accessibility and inclusion in this province. Nova Scotia's new Accessibility Act heralds a sweeping strategy that aims to make the whole province, rural and urban, inclusive and barrier-free by 2030.

In this segment, we hear from two senior leaders from the Department of Justice and Disability Network.

Rosalind Penfound is Chair of the Accessibility Advisory Board, which is responsible for advising and making recommendations to the Minister of Justice about accessibility. And Dawn Stegen is the Interim Executive Director of the Accessibility Directorate, which is responsible for administering the Act.

This is the first part of our conversation.

Ready and Able is an ongoing look at accessibility and inclusion in this province. Nova Scotia's new Accessibility Act heralds a sweeping strategy that aims to make the whole province, rural and urban, inclusive and barrier-free by 2030.

In this segment, we hear from two senior leaders from the Department of Justice and Disability Network.

Rosalind Penfound is Chair of the Accessibility Advisory Board, which is responsible for advising and making recommendations to the Minister of Justice about accessibility. And Dawn Stegen is the Interim Executive Director of the Accessibility Directorate, which is responsible for administering the Act.

This is the second part of our conversation.

Nova Scotia's new Accessibility Act heralds a sweeping strategy that aims to make the whole province, rural and urban, inclusive and barrier-free by 2030. One of the people who has helped to guide this initiative from the beginning is Gerry Post. He's an advocate for persons with disabilities, and he served at the first executive director of Nova Scotia's Accessibility Directorate. This is the first part of our conversation.

Nova Scotia's new Accessibility Act heralds a sweeping strategy that aims to make the whole province, rural and urban, inclusive and barrier-free by 2030. One of the people who has helped to guide this initiative from the beginning is Gerry Post. He's an advocate for persons with disabilities, and he served at the first executive director of Nova Scotia's Accessibility Directorate. This is the second part of our conversation.

On today's edition of the People's School on Community Leadership, we discuss how to make volunteer committees productive. Professor Tom Urbaniak joined the show.

"Ready and Able" - is an ongoing look at accessibility and inclusion in this province. Our communities are about to change. Nova Scotia's new Accessibility Act heralds a sweeping strategy that aims to make the whole province, rural and urban, inclusive and barrier-free by 2030. That's less than a decade away. But work has already begun. Over the next number of weeks we will look at what has been done, what needs to be done, and what's on the horizon to make sure everyone can participate fully, irrespective of their abilities. We start today with a conversation with Paul Burt. He's Manager of Building, Planning & Licensing Laws with the Cape Breton Regional Municipality. He also sits on the provincial standards development committee for the built environment. That's the committee that's working to develop accessibility regulations for public spaces, such as buildings, sidewalks, sports fields and other open areas.

On Tuesday, CBRM council settled on a new meeting schedule. As we reported earlier this year, council held several workshops with Cape Breton University political scientist Tom Urbaniak. They discussed possible changes to the number and purpose of committees, and having more frequent but shorter council meetings. After the council meeting, reporter Tom Ayers asked Mayor Amanda McDougall about the changes.

12-and-a-half billion dollars in spending - roughly 600-million dollars over what the province expects to receive in revenue. It's a big deficit but not as big as last year's which is now projected to be more than 700-million million dollars. Despite the fact our provincial debt is expected to continue to grow over the next four years - perhaps beyond - Finance Minister Labi Kousoulis says he has a plan to bring the province back to balance within four years. Those are the highlights. Here to walk us through some of the details of this budget - is our Legislature reporter Jean Laroche.

WestJet has announced plans to restore regional air service to communities across Atlantic Canada and Quebec City. That decision spells the return of a daily Sydney-to-Halifax route, starting June 28th. Airline officials held a virtual press conference following the announcement where they responded to questions from the media.