Canada Games success comes at the cost of infringing free speech and discrimination against the
The Canada Games host committee and national organization censored stories during the Games that disclosed there were limitations in disability access. Do sporting events require infringement of free expression and disability discrimination.
Online, September 17, 2009 (Newswire.com) - The Canada Games 2009 Host Committee reported their happiness with the Games success in the Charlottetown Guardian.
"Why does a national sporting event funded with taxpayers money feel it has the right to infringe our freedom of speech and trample disability rights?" said Stephen Pate, director of PEI Disability Alert.
"We don't believe taxpayer money should fund organizations that didn't appreciate the values in a liberal democracy."
"Why did Canada Games tolerate the disability discrimination at the UPEI Canada Games site?"
"On August 19th when we discovered the disabled parking was not installed at the UPEI site we reported the story on NJN Network. "No disabled parking at Canada Games site UPEI"
When Canada Games host committee asked for a building permit for the site, they promised the City of Charlottetown that 12 disabled parking spots would be installed.
Accessible parking is part of the National Building Code that the City of Charlottetown has adopted it.
Not only the law, it is common courtesy to those who have a walking disability to give them better access.
The disabled are supposed to have equal access under the law according to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
"Despite numerous emails and telephone conversations about the problem, the disabled parking was not installed according to the building permit," says Pate.
"We sent an email that day to Canada Games officials.
"Instead of trying to solve the parking problem, Canada Games marketing people censored our comments on Facebook and then banned us. They told us that we were the only ones who could not comment on their site."
"This seemed like a surprisingly heavy handed response to a story about disabled parking."
"We enlisted the aid of other disability groups and our MLAs. The Canada Games committee promised to install the parking but did not complete the task."
"The paternalism and discrimination we endured at the hands of Canada Games officials was surprising."
We don't believe you have to discriminate against the disabled to stage a sporting or any event. That seems like a idea from the past."
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Tags: Canada Games, censorship, disability access
