{"id":419,"date":"2017-06-28T23:38:48","date_gmt":"2017-06-28T23:38:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/handydartriders.ca\/?p=419"},"modified":"2017-09-20T20:32:51","modified_gmt":"2017-09-20T20:32:51","slug":"media-release-handydart-riders-file-human-rights-complaint-against-premier-christy-clark-and-translink","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/handydartriders.ca\/?p=419","title":{"rendered":"Media Release: HandyDART Riders File Human Rights Complaint against Premier Christy Clark and TransLink"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"

Beth McKellar at Human Rights Tribunal offices<\/p><\/div>\n

Media Release: HandyDART Riders\u2019 Alliance<\/p>\n

HandyDART Riders File Human Rights Complaint against Premier Christy Clark and TransLink: Group alleges inadequate HandyDART service is discriminatory<\/strong><\/p>\n

The HandyDART Riders\u2019 Alliance has filed a class-action complaint with the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal alleging discrimination in the form of inadequate HandyDART service. The complaint alleges inferior transit service is provided to people with physical and mental disabilities compared to people who can use conventional public transit.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe are filing this complaint today because we want it to be clear that Christy Clark and the BC Liberal government are responsible for this discrimination people with disabilities have faced since 2009\u201d says HandyDART Riders\u2019 Alliance Co-chair Beth McKellar who filed the complaint on behalf of all HandyDART riders. \u201cWe hope the Human Rights Commission will order future provincial governments to improve the quality of service and increase the HandyDART service hours provided by fully trained drivers in HandyDART buses.\u201d<\/p>\n

The complaint states that \u201cPeople are being denied access to transit because they are unable to use conventional transit without assistance. Dignity & self-esteem are damaged. Safety is put at risk. People are being isolated from family, friends and community.\u201d The complaint also reports that TransLink CEO Kevin Desmond stated that bringing HandyDART in-house to improve service quality would cost too much.<\/p>\n

\u201cPeople have been feeling imprisoned in their own homes for years as a result of this unjust treatment\u201d says HandyDART Riders\u2019 Alliance board member Roseanne Shannon. \u201cBut this is not just for people who are disabled now, our population is aging rapidly and with that the number of people needing HandyDART will increase rapidly too.\u201d<\/p>\n

The complaint was filed against Premier Clark, former TransLink Minister Peter Fassbender, Minister of Transportation Todd Stone, along with TransLink and the US-based corporation TransLink contracts to run HandyDART.<\/p>\n

Attached photo \u2013 Beth McKellar outside Human Rights Tribunal offices<\/p>\n

-30-
\nFor more information please contact:
\nBeth McKellar – HandyDART Riders\u2019 Alliance Co-chair 604 444 9289<\/p>\n

www.HandyDARTriders.ca<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Media Release: HandyDART Riders\u2019 Alliance HandyDART Riders File Human Rights Complaint against Premier Christy Clark and TransLink: Group alleges inadequate HandyDART service is discriminatory The HandyDART Riders\u2019 Alliance has filed a class-action complaint with the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal alleging … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-419","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-media"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/handydartriders.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/419","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/handydartriders.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/handydartriders.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/handydartriders.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/handydartriders.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=419"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/handydartriders.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/419\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":430,"href":"https:\/\/handydartriders.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/419\/revisions\/430"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/handydartriders.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=419"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/handydartriders.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=419"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/handydartriders.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=419"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}