Item - 2020.DI11.10

The Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee recommends to the Executive Committee that:

1.  City Council amend the Simplified Procedures for Advisory Bodies to permit remote electronic participation in perpetuity.

2.  City Council request the Chief Technology Officer, in consultation with the City Clerk, to explore options for improving accessibility for all participants in remote meetings of Council and Committees, such as captioning, and to report back to the Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee by the second quarter of 2021.

The purpose of this report is to provide an overview of the remote electronic participation amendments to the Simplified Procedures for Advisory Bodies which govern the meetings of Council Advisory Bodies, including the Toronto Accessibility Advisory Committee, as requested by the Committee.

At present, the amended Simplified Procedures permit any member of an Advisory Body to participate in meetings by electronic means, and be counted for quorum.

As it stands, these amendments will remain in place for a period of one year following the termination of the municipal emergency related to COVID-19.