HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2019-07-04, Page 20PAGE 20. THE CITIZEN, THURSDAY, JULY 4, 2019.
I am sure that you are all curious
about what has been happening
behind the papered windows of the
old Blyth CIBC on the main street.
This week I got a sneak peak at the
final product. When you visit the
new Blyth Pharmacy you will see
the shell of the former bank (vault
still intact) and the old red brick
floor, but that is where the
similarities end.
What you will find inside is a
welcoming counter for inquiries,
prescription drop-off and pick-ups.
There is shelving that will be
stocked with everything
pharmaceutical in nature. Off of the
new hallway there is office space for
consulting, washrooms, storage and
a kitchenette. Some of these rooms
will become the home of a future
medical practice. There is also a
separate entry for this office space.
What you won’t see is how
accessible this newly renovated
pharmacy is. Wait – it’s not
accessible? Of course it is! You just
won’t see it because it’s not obvious.
That is the sign of good access – it
seamlessly blends into the
surroundings – unless it is
something that is supposed to stand
out.
When the project was started,
building owners David and Annie
Sparling (DEAMS) asked me to
meet with the team doing the work -
Colleen Jordan and Shane Yerema
(of the new Hotel Lux in Blyth). We
talked about the accessibility goals
for “the bank” and what needed to
happen to see it come true. I
provided some suggestions and a
good resource manual (from the City
of Guelph) and Colleen and Shane
ran with it.
The Blyth Pharmacy is an example
of everyone – owners, contractors
and tenant retailers – wishing for
the same outcome: access. They
were all able to see the big
picture, but also knew that “the
devil is in the details”. Let me share
with you what some of those details
are; features that unless I pointed
them out to you, you would not even
notice them due to their integration.
The floor to ceiling glass is frosted
in horizontal panels for safety (and
privacy) to prevent someone from
walking into the window. Both
counters are at a height for approach
from a seated or standing position.
Retail shelving does not exceed the
reach of someone in a seated
position and has room for a
wheelchair to manoeuver and turn in
between them.
The point-of-sale (POS) machine
is on a cable that can be easily
passed to the customer. Lighting is
bright. Door frames and door edges
are colour contrasted to the walls,
handles are all levers and doors are
lightweight enough to open easily.
Doors with self-closers are push-
button-operated. Where carpeting
exists, it is industrial style,
low pile.
The features that do stand out are
the properly-outfitted wheelchair-
accessible washroom and the yellow
and blue stickers on the entry power-
operated doors. That’s it! You see,
when accessibility follows the
principles of universal design,
everyone benefits.
These may seem to be small,
insignificant changes to the set-up of
a shop, but they mean that a person
with vision loss or a mobility
disability knows that it is a
welcoming space and they can shop
and attend to their medical needs
with confidence, safety and
independence.
When I visit the Blyth Pharmacy, I
won’t have to wave my hand in the
air over my head to get the attention
of the staff because, whether
they themselves are seated
or standing, they will see me
coming.
Local accessibility champions
By Julie Sawchuk
Invisibly accessible
Local accessibility expert Julie Sawchuk is helping to make sure the soon-to-open Blyth
Pharmacy is accessible and she is very impressed with the outcome of the work between the
parties involved in the project. (Photo submitted)
Spending deficits a sign of difficult times to come
THE EDITOR,
The provincial government under
Premier Doug Ford has been in
power for one year and has about 50
per cent of the voting population
unhappy with them. I am not sure
whether he is trying to get bad news
over with early and make things
work over the next three years or
not.
I would point out the federal
government has a $15 billion deficit.
The provincial government has a
$15 billion deficit.
Some economists say the federal
deficit is manageable, but worry
about the provincial deficit and our
ability to pay it down.
I would point out the federal
government has all of Canada,
between corporate and personal
income tax to fund the deficit. The
provincial government has only
Ontario to fund the deficit.
The federal government collects
between 15 per cent and 33 per cent
personal income tax while the
provincial government collects
between 5.05 per cent to 13.16 per
cent, plus some surtax on personal
income tax.
We have a big problem. I would
point out to public works unions the
NDP government of Bob Rae had
“Rae Days” because his government
could not make the payroll in a time
of high deficit.
We have to take care of the deficit
before we have our next economical
downturn or we will be in real
trouble.
Yours truly,
Barry Currie.
Frying it up
The crew behind the annual Brussels Legion Branch’s Canada Day fish fry, working outside
preparing the titular food and french fries, couldn’t have asked for better weather on Canada
Day. (Mark Nonkes photo)
Letters to the Editor
Editorial was ‘refreshing’
THE EDITOR,
Re: Every human is valuable,
Editorial by Keith Roulston, June
13, 2019.
I couldn’t agree more! What a
refreshing editorial!
It is so wonderful to acknowledge
that the life of one so humble as Jean
Vanier has affected others. Today
there are L’Arche communities in 37
countries of the world, caring for
individuals with developmental
disabilities. To quote the editorial,
“here was Vanier reminding us that
all of God’s children (he was
religious) were of value, whether
they contributed to the betterment of
the world or were incapable of
feeding and clothing themselves.”
Thank you for your positive,
refreshing, insightful editorial.
Kathy Waechter.
A June 27 article in The Citizen
about the Huron County Natural
Heritage Plan requires clarification.
The headline, “County approves
heritage plan” is inaccurate. The
details of the story remain accurate;
the county is moving forward with
the plan, but requires final approval
from Huron County Council before
it can be implemented at the lower-
tier level.
At the June 19 meeting of Huron
County Council, council accepted
the report of Senior Planner Denise
Van Amersfoort, directing several
changes to be made before the plan
is presented for final approval at a
future meeting, the date of which
has yet to be determined.
The Citizen regrets the inaccurate
headline.
Clarification
Drop by our office in
Blyth or Brussels and
check out our wonderful
selection of books. We
have books for all ages.
541 Turnberry St., Brussels
519-887-9114
405 Queen St., Blyth
519-523-4792