Thank you. My name is Brad Brohman, and I work with the Rick Hansen Foundation.
For 30 years, the Rick Hansen Foundation and many others have been dedicated to raising awareness, changing attitudes, and breaking down barriers for people living with disabilities. We're grateful that the Government of Canada has been a generous supporter of our journey and mission.
To date, by leveraging the donations from the Man in Motion world tour, along with government and corporate support, over $325 million has been generated to support initiatives that promote awareness, improve accessibility, and facilitate spinal cord research through national and global partnerships. This work is now largely administered through the Rick Hansen Institute, which is independent from the foundation, with separate governance structures and missions. That said, we fully support their attendance here today. Their work is critical in supporting quality of life for all Canadians with spinal cord injuries and continues to position Canada as a leader in the world.
I'll go back to the mission of Rick Hansen and the foundation. A lot has been done, but so much more is needed to make Canada truly accessible and inclusive. According to StatsCan, approximately one in seven Canadians aged 15 or older reported having a disability that limited them in their daily activities, and with aging baby boomers that number is expected to rise to one in five within 20 years. As well, there are over 400,000 working-age Canadians with disabilities who are not working but whose disability does not prevent them from doing so.
How will we unleash the social and economic power of all people with disabilities, along with their extended families and communities?
One, increase awareness that disability and accessibility are big issues.
Two, work to change attitudes about the potential of people with disabilities.
Three, remove those barriers that prevent people with disabilities from fully participating in society, beginning with accessibility of the built environment, which is the places and spaces where we live, work, and play.
Finally, we need to measure progress and celebrate success along the way.
The funding proposal will drive Rick's vision, while clearly complementing the Government of Canada's stated objectives to build a more inclusive society, including supporting the efforts of Minister Qualtrough as she embarks on the development of accessibility legislation.
However, we know the Government of Canada can't do it alone. Minister Qualtrough talks about the need for complementary initiatives to raise awareness about the importance of removing barriers and seeing accessibility differently, not simply checking boxes but as an integral part of everything we do. That's exactly the right orientation.
Minister Sohi talks about applying a social inclusion lens to infrastructure investments and that the time to act is now, and we couldn't agree more. With phase two of the infrastructure plan, we have a once-in-a-generation opportunity to build an accessible Canada in which no one is left behind. For three decades, the foundation has been a trusted and effective partner with the Government of Canada, delivering tangible results, and we're well positioned to continue being a catalyst for social innovation and change.
Here are our recommendations and solutions.
Overall, we recommend that the government fund the Rick Hansen accessibility innovation strategy, a $37.6-million, five-year multi-initiative plan that will work in partnership with provinces, municipalities, the community of people with disabilities, and the business community to accelerate the shift to a fully accessible society. We ask that 10% of the overall infrastructure fund be set aside to help finance innovation, accessibility, and inclusivity in the design of the built environment. We ask for support to launch our accessibility program, anchored by a LEED-style certification program designed to rate the accessibility of the built environment and promote and recognize adoption of inclusive design principles.
We ask that the government use the Rick Hansen certification program to determine eligibility of projects seeking funding under the infrastructure fund set-aside that I just previously mentioned. Overall, our goal is that the Rick Hansen certification program will be self-financing within the five-year window of this strategy, and it has the potential to become globally relevant, portable, and scalable as a made-in-Canada solution.
Finally, we're looking for support to activate or expand several awareness-driven initiatives, starting with our Canada 150 signature event—which will coincide with the 30th anniversary of the Rick Hansen Man in Motion world tour—and extending into the reinvigoration of National Access Awareness Week and expansion of programs within the foundation.
All these initiatives are intended to inspire—