ORANGEVILLE COUNCIL deserves commendation for waiving development charges and building permit fees for a barrier free addition to the Royal Canadian Legion on John Street.

As we understand it, the Legion's club rooms, banquet room and washrooms are practically inaccessible to some handicapped persons. The main entrance door is not wide enough to allow ready access for those who require motorized scooters. It is extremely difficult, if not impossible, for persons on crutches or using canes to descent the stairwell to the downstairs banquet room. The existing washrooms cannot be converted to handicapped ones within the requirements of the Code.

In short, the only possible way to provide barrier free access to all Legion members and the public generally is to build an addition that would house the required washrooms and an elevator.

It should be kept in mind that several local service clubs use the Legion facilities, and the Legion has for many years provided a Christmas dinner for senior citizens. Some Legion members, veterans of the Second World War, have difficulty attending general meetings. Some seniors need to be seated upstairs at the Christmas dinner as they cannot get to the lower level with the main dinner party.

The issue of Development Charges with respect to additions necessary to provide access raises an interesting point.

New regulations are such that all buildings in Ontario to which the public has access must be made barrier-free in a few short years. Orangeville and Dufferin have policies and/or implied requirements of their own in that regard.

This means all businesses and clubhouses are facing the cost of making their buildings barrierfree. In some instances, such as the Legion, imposition of development charges would be akin to the proverbial straw. As we see it, those charges should never be imposed on anyone striving to comply with provincial laws and municipal policies by building additions required solely for that purpose.

The spirit of development charges is simply that new businesses or expansions thereof should not be a tax burden on existing property owners. They are meant to cover the costs of whatever new or expanded services - roadways, sewer, water, recreational facilities, etc. - have to be added to accommodate the new construction.

Accessibility additions surely do not fall into that category. We commend the council for taking that view with respect to the Legion, and trust that it and the County would assess all such requests similarly. To do otherwise would be nothing short of a "cash grab."