City of Kimberley Publishes Age-Friendly Accessibility Plan

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Kimberley City Council approved the Age-Friendly Accessibility Plan at the August 11, 2025 Regular Meeting. This document represents feedback from Kimberley residents, service providers, and community organizations, and contains recommended actions that the City of Kimberley can take to address and prevent barriers to accessibility.

The plan was developed by Cardea Health Consulting, who have completed ten similar projects in British Columbia. Cardea worked closely with City staff and the Accessibility Advisory Committee to gather feedback from a broad cross-section of residents and to develop a plan that is realistic and actionable. The plan highlights key areas to improve age-friendly accessibility in Kimberley, such as safer outdoor spaces, better transportation options, housing that supports aging in place, and clearer communication. It also includes recommendations that individuals and organizations can take to contribute to a more accessible community for residents and visitors of all ages and abilities.

“The Plan focuses on age-friendly accessibility because of the idea that, if you design a city that’s accessible for someone that is 80, it’s also going to be accessible for people who are 8, and people who are 8 months and who are in strollers. The interesting thing in this plan, we had a parallel focus of accessibility planning and planning for aging in the community. Doing those two things together, we’re looking at the same goals in many cases,” said Kate Milne, Principal Consultant with Cardea Health Consulting.

Development of the plan meets a requirement under the Accessible British Columbia Act. Passed in 2021, the Act requires local governments in B.C. to establish an accessibility advisory committee, prepare and release an accessibility plan every three years, and create a mechanism for public feedback related to accessibility. The City of Kimberley Accessibility Advisory Committee formed in 2024.

The City of Kimberley Age-Friendly Accessibility Plan is available on the City’s website at www.Kimberley.ca/accessibility and on EngageKimberley.ca where residents can comment on accessibility in Kimberley. As recommended in the Plan, staff are developing print and digital summaries, and an interactive webpage to make the Plan’s contents easier to read. To request a print copy of the Plan or a summary, residents can email the City of Kimberley Administrative Assistant at assistant@kimberley.ca.