Staff Report #1
September 15, 2026
To All Members of the Accessible Public Transit Service Advisory Committee
Re: Terms of Reference and Meeting Protocol Update
Recommendation
That the report be RECEIVED for information.
Background
At the June 29, 2026 meeting, the Commission received a report relating to the Terms of Reference and Meeting Protocols for the Accessible Public Transit Service Advisory Committee. The following actions were approved by the Commission:
- confirmed the updated Terms of Reference for the Accessible Public Transit Service Advisory Committee (see Enclosure I);
- confirmed the Meeting Protocols for the Accessible Public Transit Service Advisory Committee (see Enclosure II);
- directed Administration to update the Corporate website with the updated Terms of Reference;
- directed Administration to incorporate the new Terms of Reference and Meeting Protocol documents into the Committee Training package; and
- directed Administration to begin recording Accessible Public Transit Service Advisory Committee meetings and posting recordings on the Corporate website effective with the September 2026 meeting.
The remainder of this report provides a summary overview of the rationale supporting the changes set out above.
Committee Terms of Reference
Administration was directed to review the current Accessible Public Transit Service Advisory Committee (APTSAC) Terms of Reference, giving consideration to the duties of the Committee, the frequency of meetings, and the manner in which meeting agenda items are determined. As part of this review, Administration conducted a scan of Terms of Reference documents from a number of transit systems/other jurisdictions as well as that of the City of London’s Accessibility Advisory Committee.
The revised Terms of Reference for APTSAC as set out in Enclosure I incorporates elements from other documents reviewed noting all amendments are intended to provide clarity to the role of the APTSAC and address issues that have arisen in the past with respect to the functionality of the APTSAC. The recommended amendments are compliant with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) requirements as they relate to London Transit. The table below sets out each of the amendments to the Terms of Reference and the supporting rationale for same.
| Amended Section | Rationale |
| List of Duties | Updated to reflect work that is currently undertaken by APTSAC
Added clarification that APTSAC deals with broad systemic issues, not individual complaints |
| Staff Support | Updated to reflect the manner in which various LTC staff support and/or attend APTSAC based on the topics of discussion. |
| Member Qualifications | Added requirement for general knowledge of the AODA, Ontario Human Rights Code and other legislation pertaining to public transit. |
| Attendance at Meetings | Cleaned up confusing language, noting no change to intent of the clause. |
| Meeting Date and Time | Amended to reflect the need to establish a meeting schedule each year that is aligned with the Commission’s Annual Work Plan and any accessibility-related items that require consultation with APTSAC.
Also amended to provide flexibility in the length of meetings depending on the agenda topics noting this will ensure adequate time for Committee feedback. |
| Meeting Agendas | Updated to reflect the role of APTSAC in executing the Commission approved Annual Work Plan.
Updated to reflect that “other items” added to APTSAC agendas by Committee members must be related to the mandate of the Committee. |
| NEW – Meeting Conduct | Added section relating to expected compliance with London Transit’s Mutual Respect in the Workplace Policy for members and Human Rights & Diversity Policy (Anti-Harassment, Anti-Sexual Harassment and Anti-Discrimination). |
| NEW – Meeting Protocols | Added section relating to the recommended Meeting Protocols document that establishes the manner in which meetings will be conducted. |
As mentioned, the updated Terms of Reference for APTSAC are set out in Enclosure I, noting the corporate website has also been updated to include the new document.
In addition, the Meeting Protocols document is set out in Enclosure II. This document provides a reference for both Administration and Committee members with respect to how APTSAC meetings are scheduled and run and how agendas are prepared. This document will be a critical piece of the onboard training that will be provided to future Committees as they are established. Given this is the last meeting of this Committee, in-depth training on this document will not be undertaken, rather it will be provided to all members of the next APTSAC once established by the next Commission.
Accessible Public Transit Service Advisory Committee Training Material
Administration was also asked to review the training material that is provided to Committee members. Historically, the training provided to Committee members has included an overview of each aspect of the Committee’s Terms of Reference, discussion relating to the manner in which meetings are run, and an overview of the initiatives in the current Annual Work Program for which the Committee will receive reports and/or provide consultation on.
In advance of the appointment of the next APTSAC, the training program will be updated to incorporate the new information. The following topics will be included in the updated training program:
- APTSAC Terms of Reference (detailed discussion on each element of the document)
- APTSAC Meeting Protocols
- Overview of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) specific to the areas to which London Transit must comply
- Review of the Commission’s current Multi-Year Accessibility Plan
- Review of the initiatives included in the current Annual Work Program that APTSAC will be involved in (eg. receive reports, provide feedback, etc.).
This training will be provided to the newly appointed Committee as a whole at their first meeting, with one-off training provided to any member who joins the Committee part way through the four-year term.
Accessible Public Transit Service Advisory Committee Meeting Recording
Administration was asked to explore the use of AI Summary bot tools for the preparation of APTSAC minutes. This direction stemmed from commentary received from APTSAC that the public and Commission would benefit from greater clarity with respect to the discussions that take place during APTSAC meetings noting the current minutes capture only formal motions.
Administration reviewed the potential use of summary bot tools and identified the following issues with this approach:
- The introduction of a summary bot tool will increase the workload associated with the creation of Committee minutes as each topic of conversation that has been captured will need to be edited in order to only capture the key elements of the discussion and ensure accuracy.
- In order to ensure consistency with an approach of this nature, formal guidelines would need to be developed for the manner in which the verbatim discussions would be edited. This process would also introduce the potential for the minutes of discussion to unintentionally alter the intent of the commentary.
Given the overall intent behind this recommended review was to ensure that those wishing to have a better understanding of the discussion held at APTSAC meetings, coupled with the fact that meetings will continue to be held in a hybrid format going forward, Administration recommended that going forward, APTSAC meetings be recorded and posted on the Corporate website following the meeting and that minutes continue to maintain the current format. This recommendation was approved by the Commission, and as such, the meeting on September 15, 2026 will be recorded and subsequently posted on the Corporate website.
Finally, as part of this discussion, the Commission also concurred with maintaining the current approach relating to members of the public wishing to view the meeting virtually in real time. As such, members of the public wishing to view the meeting virtually need to contact the Commission Secretary in advance to receive a meeting link, noting that should they not request a link in advance they will now have the opportunity to review the video once it is posted on the website.
Enclosures
Recommended by:
Kelly S. Paleczny, General Manager