The City is taking the next step in developing its first-ever Accessibility and Inclusion Plan, helping to make Coquitlam spaces, services and programs more welcoming and accessible.
COQUITLAM, B.C., April 30, 2025 – The City is taking the next step in developing its first-ever Accessibility and Inclusion Plan, helping to make Coquitlam spaces, services and programs more welcoming and accessible.
Building on a solid foundation of proactive work, the final Plan will meet new requirements under the Accessible BC Act, identifying opportunities and guiding actions to make it easier for people with diverse needs to participate in community life.
Shaped by Community Voices
The City launched development of its first Accessibility and Inclusion Plan with a focus on hearing from those with lived experience. Feedback, summarized in a What We Heard document, showed strong support for Coquitlam’s ongoing leadership in advancing accessibility prior to the legislation.
Several areas for growth were also identified, including:
• Continuing to enhance the design of accessible public spaces.
• Continuing to expand and advance affordable and adaptive programming that meets a range of needs, ages and abilities including youth and seniors.
• Ongoing support for safe transportation connections for people of all abilities whether walking or rolling.
Building on a Strong Foundation
Coquitlam’s Accessibility and Inclusion Plan builds on a solid foundation, with an approach grounded in years of proactive work, progressive policies, strategic partnerships, and inclusive programming. The City has long demonstrated leadership in this area by:
• Partnering with organizations like Crohn’s and Colitis Canada and the Rick Hansen Foundation, which has awarded Accessibility Gold Certification to several Coquitlam civic facilities.
• Designing and building inclusive and accessible facilities and public spaces that incorporate sensory-friendly features, accessible parking, wheelchair-friendly trails, tactile wayfinding, Braille signage, Hearing Loop systems, universal washrooms, lifts in change rooms, automated entrances and adjustable seating options.
• Delivering inclusion-focused recreation programming, including adaptive sports and specialized programs supported by the Recreation Accessibility Resource Guide, as well as a Financial Assistance for Recreation program.
• Implementing pedestrian and transit upgrades along key corridors such as Guildford Way to enhance mobility.
• Expanding accessible communications with plain-language materials, screen reader-compatible websites, and translation tools.
• Operating a well-established Accessibility and Inclusion Advisory Committee (formerly the Universal AccessAbility Advisory Committee).
Next Steps
With engagement now complete, staff are working on a draft Accessibility and Inclusion Plan that will balance community input, Council direction, other approved City plans and strategies and best practices.
The draft Plan will focus on six key areas set by the Accessible BC Act: Delivery of Services, Built Environment, Transportation, Employment, Procurement, and Information and Communication. It is expected to be presented to Council over the coming year, and will serve as both a roadmap and a living document, updated every three years as required by provincial legislation.
Media contact:
Michelle Frilund
Sr. Manager, Communications and Civic Engagement
EDI@coquitlam.ca
We acknowledge with gratitude and respect that the name Coquitlam was derived from the hən̓q̓əmin̓əm̓ (HUN-kuh-MEE-num) word kʷikʷəƛ̓əm (kwee-KWET-lum) meaning “Red Fish Up the River”. The City is honoured to be located on the kʷikʷəƛ̓əm traditional and ancestral lands, including those parts that were historically shared with the q̓ic̓əy̓ (kat-zee), and other Coast Salish Peoples.