Thank you very much, Mr. Chair.

I am pleased to join the committee remotely from my office at the Vancouver International Airport, where we're located on the traditional and unceded territory of the Musqueam people. YVR has a deep relationship with Musqueam through our sustainability and friendship agreement, and I, too, would like to pay my respects to elders past and present.

Thank you very much to the committee for inviting me to participate in this important study and to talk a little bit about the work that we've been doing at the Vancouver International Airport.

YVR has demonstrated a clear commitment to accessibility for many years. We are the first airport in North America to voluntarily have our entire airport space audited and rated by a group of independent accessibility experts through the Rick Hansen Foundation's building accessibility program.

Going beyond ramps and lifts, the audit identified improvements in everything from the colour palette of floor tiles to the sound barriers needed in walls and the widths of corridors and counters. YVR accepted 100% of the recommendations, and they have all been implemented. As a result, in 2018 we became the first airport in the world to achieve gold accessibility building-rating standards from the RHF program, something we have maintained at YVR each and every year since.

I am pleased to say that we didn't stop there. We continue to look for ways to improve our facilities to ensure that people can move independently and with dignity throughout our airport. For example, all of our new private, single-stall washrooms also include adult-size changing benches and the latest technology for accessible features. Most recently, we were the first airport to include key boarding announcements in sign language at all of our boarding gates. With the built environment at YVR, we have gone beyond and designed important supports with accessibility consultants, community partners and customers.

We know that buildings alone cannot make travel accessible. It also requires inclusive processes and trained staff to ensure that the experience of transiting through an airport is supportive and seamless.

Travelling through an airport can be stressful at the best of times. Imagine what it must be like for people who are sound or light sensitive, who are neurodiverse, or who are on the autism spectrum. Through YVR's partnership with the Canucks Autism Network, we organize dedicated tours, and to date, these have allowed over 400 families to practice the entire pre-flight process with us in a safe and supportive environment. Having practised it, families tell us it gives them the confidence that when they do travel, often for the first time as a family, they know what to expect and how and where YVR offers supports along the way.

As we say at YVR, running an airport is a team sport. Each and every day, 26,000 people work at YVR. To create a truly accessible airport, our team members at multiple levels need to be trained and ready to serve the needs of diverse passengers. Therefore, through a partnership with the Pacific Autism Family Network and through a partnership with the work you've already heard about through the Canadian Airports Council, YVR is providing training for everyone from our fire and rescue team to our guest-experience staff and our building maintenance and cleaning staff to ensure that we have the skills and expertise to support passengers whenever and wherever they may need it.

Finally, as one of our region's largest employers, we also know that we can create meaningful employment for people with diverse abilities. In October 2023, we opened the Paper Planes Cafe here in the terminal in partnership with the Pacific Autism Family Network. Through the café, we offer individuals with neurodiverse needs up to six months of training, and then we support them in their job search in the community. The first group of trainees has completed the program and gone on to secure employment. Now we have a waiting list of new applicants.

Our journey to become a truly accessible airport started with our building, quickly moved to our staff and the services we provide, and finally extended to our significant role as an employer. However, despite all of that, we believe that we can and need to do more.

Over the last 18 months, YVR completed a comprehensive audit of our full passenger experience. We partnered with the accessibility group Return on Disability to purchase airline tickets for over 40 individuals with accessibility needs to track the entire experience from booking a ticket through to travel. As a result, we have identified several opportunities that YVR will explore in the future.

For example, we're working collaboratively with partners to create a seamless experience from curb to gate. An immediate opportunity is for YVR to leverage our technology to track wheelchair flow and maximize availability in the airport. We're also simplifying our wayfinding and signage, and we're exploring digital wayfinding and mobile navigation tools.

Finally, we're working with the airport commercial and airline partners to better inform people about the range of accessibility services available at our airport.

As I conclude, I'd like to thank the committee. These discussions help us explore new ideas to ensure Canada's air transportation system remains accessible and continues to improve. I look forward to your questions.

Thank you very much,

Transcript

Discussions (0)