Council to advocate for PDD

Miriam Ostermann
Times Associate Editor

 

Provincially-controlled changes to the Persons with Developmental Disabilities (DPP) Safety Standards Regulation, which requires thousands of dollars worth of upgrades to residential detached and semi-detached single family dwellings, is raising concerns of discrimination and the future of available accommodations for such individuals in Strathmore.
Consternation grew after Municipal Affairs introduced an Approved Guideline Standata in August 2015. Safety codes officers, municipally and provincially, previously reported that individuals with disabilities were residing in living conditions that did not comply with the Alberta Building Code (ABC) and the Alberta Fire Code (AFC). As a result, the Standata aimed to improve fire and life safety in existing residential detached and semi-detached single family dwellings that have undergone a change of use to a residential support dwelling or a residential care dwelling under the Government of Alberta’s PDD program. The modifications could become pricey, and likely require rezoning from residential home to a care support dwelling, building permits, electrical permit, site plans, floor plans, and financial costs associated with possible renovations of widening doorways and hallways, installation of wheelchair ramps, fire alarms, fire extinguishers, carbon monoxide alarms and sprinkler systems.
According to a letter written by Minister of Municipal Affairs, Deron Bilous, the deadline for compliance to the regulation and its Standata was postponed to allow for extensive consultation in what is being treated as a pause-period – a duration with a deadline of March 31, 2016.
“The safety of individuals is a crucial priority, [and] I have also heard the concerns about the potential disruptive impact of the regulation on the wellbeing of individuals in the PDD program if they are implemented without full understanding of the context in which these individuals live and in which care is provided,” Bilous wrote.
“The Government of Alberta will work with persons with developmental disabilities, their families, service providers, and municipal governments to find workable ways to ensure safety, while also respecting and supporting individuals in their homes and communities. Following the consultation we will find an appropriate balance.”
Yet Albertans are concerned that if the proposed changes are implemented, an opposite effect may be observed promoting fear and panic rather than safety, while possible housing opportunities for individuals with disabilities may disappear.
Strathmore resident Vivian MacCallum approached the Strathmore town council on March 16, encouraging them to be vocal about the issue.
Having a daughter with cerebral palsy with a roommate who suffers from a brain injury in Calgary MacCallum found out she would be on the PDD list, which would require rezoning, alarm systems, a drywall rating of 45 minutes, and a sprinkler system costing between $20,000 to $55,000 for her house in the city. As the water pressure in her area does not meet standards allowing for sprinklers to run for 30 minutes, the family would be required to install a 500-gallon water tank in the basement by either removing the staircase or cutting a hole in the floor. Furthermore she argued that people with disabilities understand fire alarms from their school experience, but may panic, seizure, hide, or attack when hit unexpectedly with water. MacCallum has been in touch with Strathmore Brooks MLA Derek Fildebrandt and does not believe Municipal Affairs should force municipalities into these positions, rather keeping the responsibility with PDD.
“Our disabled people are totally different in thinking than a normal person in how to take direction,” she said. “It puts our towns and municipalities in a terrible situation. This does not cover apartments, condos, six-plexes or four-plexes. Why should my daughter in our single family home be discriminated against? What condo board is going to agree to have a building code set up like this, and what apartment building is going to do that?”
According to Harry Salm, Strathmore’s safety codes inspector, the number of homes affected in Strathmore remains a mystery. Until notification from human services surfaces informing Strathmore residents that they are among those who receive PDD funding and require changes to their homes, residents continue to wait until a decision is made regarding the Standata on March 31.
“Realistically any municipality, really all you can do is sit on your hands, it’s under the provincial government so we don’t have a hand in it. All we can do is wait for direction from them and see what that looks like and do whatever needs to be done in conjunction with that direction.”
Town council agreed to take preemptive actions in consulting with the province and liaise with MLA Fildebrandt to ask the province to stay the Standata for the single family home duplex issue and advocate strongly for PDD. Council also passed another motion to send the issue to the Alberta Urban Municipalities Association (AUMA) in the fall.
To find out more about the PDD Safety Standards Regulation and the recent Standata visit www.municipalaffairs.alberta.ca.