New features at the Mossom Creek fish hatchery in Port Moody make it easier for people with mobility challenges to move around the facility.
So, who better to try some of them out than Canada’s own Man in Motion, Rick Hansen?
Hansen was at the hatchery on Tuesday for the unveiling of a special plaque recognizing its achievement of gold status for accessibility by his advocacy organization, the Rick Hansen Foundation.
Mossom Creek is the first hatchery in Canada to attain the lofty accessibility standard — and the first facility in Port Moody.
Hansen’s visit was the culmination of the hatchery’s ongoing effort to remove barriers to allow anyone of any ability to access its programming and educational opportunities.
Long-time volunteer Pat Dennett, who spearheaded the project with the help of several other volunteers and community partners like Easi Entrance Automation Systems, the Pacific Salmon Foundation and even Port Moody firefighters, said the effort was worth it.
“It’s a knowledge you gain about a whole world of inclusiveness,” he said.
Dennett said when the hatchery complex was rebuilt after a devastating fire in 2013, care was taken to incorporate accessibility features like ramps to the entrance.
But an audit by the Rick Hansen Foundation showed the facility still had much more it could do.
Some of the new accessibility considerations include:
- automatic door openers
- wheelchair access to the viewing ponds
- improved washroom facilities to make them easier to use for people with mobility challenges or hearing impairments
- the installation of an audio system that transmits directly to hearing aids
When an auditor visited again last December to assess the changes at the hatchery, it scored 84 of a possible 100 points and was awarded gold certification.
Dennett said while more work still needs to be done at Mossom, he hopes the facility will become a catalyst for other hatcheries across Canada to take on a similar commitment.
For Hansen, being able to navigate the hatchery in his wheelchair hits close to home. In an article on his foundation’s website, he said fishing played a large role in restoring his physical and mental well-being as he rehabilitated from the accident that cost him the ability to move his legs.
“I am committed to giving back to those things that have given so much to me,” he said.
