The Town of Amherstburg wants to be a leader in offering accessibility to people with disabilities by 2025.
The town has approved the allocation of $50,000-per-year for businesses in the community to make their buildings more accessible.
Businesses have the opportunity to apply for part of the funding for any accessibility projects they may be starting to implement.
Councillor Rick Fryer is a member of the Amherstburg Accessibility Committee.
He says he wants Amherstburg to be completely accessible before 2025.
"What we are trying to do is get the municipality to be the lead municipality across Ontario in getting to the 2025 accessibility requirements for the municipality and with private businesses," Fryer says. "We are going to put out $50,000 to start allowing businesses to start getting their business into their 2025 allocation."
He says Amherstburg continues to set the bar for other municipalities.
"Not only under our strategic planning moving forward do we want to be the lead in sports tourism but we want to be a lead to allow people with accessibility issues to be able to come to Amherstburg and to go about their business," says Fryer. "I think this committee has been doing a pretty fantastic job."
He says all requests for funding will need to be approved by the Municipal Accessibility Committee and then brought to council for final approval.
"For example, if you were renovating a business and putting in an accessible washroom an spending $25,000 then once the terms of reference comes back you may be able to get five, ten, 20, 25 per cent, we do not know yet," says Fryer.
Fryer says $50,000 is only the beginning and he is looking to secure additional funding in the future.