Better sidewalk snow clearing, transit top of mind for disabled voters

Lori Helgeson was part of a community gathering hosted by the Manitoba League of Persons with Disabilities. They came together on Saturday to speak about disability, transit and climate action. All top of mind issues for Helgeson as Winnipeg's municipal election draws near. If the city did decide that we were actually people instead of just problems, maybe we would get accessibility. There's 175,362 of us here in Manitoba. I mean that's a pretty big chunk of the electorate. One of Helgeson's biggest priorities is making sure Winnipeg's next municipal government clears sidewalks better in the winter. Every winter, I still have a life. And I don't stay in my apartment and go, oh, sorry, I can't go out anymore. I go out, and I can't use the sidewalk. Adrian Chung took an Uber to the event. He says it would have taken him over an hour with several transfers if he went by bus. He is visually impaired. Let's talk about when people with disabilities always, we have low income, and I don't think a lot of people can take Uber like me. Like, yeah, I'm really fortunate for this. More accessible sidewalks and better snow clearing were the top priority for voters who responded to the MLPD's accessible vote campaign. Transit improvements also ranked high on the list. The MLPD says the responses were sent to all mayor and city council candidates. They also sent all candidates questions on how they'd make the city more responsible and implement its accessibility strategy. Jennifer Bredum is helping spearhead the Accessible Vote campaign. We've been advocating for 50 years now in Winnipeg, as long as MLPD has been around, to improve accessibility, and it just hasn't really taken hold as a priority for the city. Someone new will be elected in at least one-third of Winnipeg's council seats, which Bredum says is a good chance for change. Still, she hopes more mayoral candidates would respond to the MLPD's questions. Gavin Axelrod, CBC News, Winnipeg.