Accessibility Task Force

Member biographies

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  Andrea Sara (she/her)

  Andrea is a gerontologist and health promotion professional, specializing in aging, health, and the built environment. 

  She has a particular interest in inter-generational programs to support three-generation families.

  Andrea is currently the co-chair of the Transportation, Access and Mobility sub-committee of the City of Vancouver’s Seniors' Advisory Committee. 

  She has been a director of the Dunbar Residents’ Association for many years, acting as chair of the Neighbourhood Transportation Committee and spearheads the Resilient Neighbourhood Action Plan. She has coordinated the neighbourhood’s involvement in the Safe Routes program, SW Marine Drive upgrades and W 41st Avenue Rapid Bus implementation. 

  She is currently the neighbourhood lead for the Westside Seniors' Hub's capacity-building project for dementia-inclusive communities, creating a community of practice dedicated to building capacity for outdoor programming among seniors-serving non-profits.

  She is also very proud to be a Butterfly Ranger for the David Suzuki Foundation’s Butterflyway program.

  Andrea was born with atresia of the right ear, resulting in right-sided deafness and vestibular dysfunction, which affects her hearing, balance, and noise tolerance. She has been a tireless advocate for advancing multi-modal transportation options and safe street infrastructure for an aging population, particularly for older adults who have retired from driving.

  Andrea grew up in the Maritimes and enjoyed a successful career in the technology sector in Asia before moving to Vancouver in 2002. She holds a Master’s Degree in Gerontology from Simon Fraser University and a Bachelor of Business Administration from University of New Brunswick.

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  Caitlin Anderson (she/her/ they/them) 

  Caitlin is a wheelchair-user settler who now lives on the unceded lands of the xwməθkwəy̓əm, Skwxwú7mesh, and səl̓ílwətaʔɬ, having originally grown up in Montreal.

  They have worked in finance at various law and accounting offices. They currently work as the bookkeeping and administrative coordinator at West Coast LEAF, a non-profit working on gender equity. 

  Volunteering on various advisory committees, Caitlin has experience in helping shape city policies and advocating for transformative community change. In their spare time, Caitlin is also an avid dragon boater and a strong promoter of adapted sports as a way to combat isolation for people with disabilities.

  To offset her participation in paddling and other group activities, Caitlin knits, reads, and binge-watches bad dramas.

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  Dale Lutes (he/him)

  Dale is a retiree and a member of the Seniors Advisory Committee who was born in New Brunswick, graduated with a BA from UNB and worked in management and senior management in five provinces, retiring in British Columbia. 

  Dale along with the MLA and others in his community of The Pas opened one of the first fully integrated pre-school programs in Canada, The Merigols Pre-School Centre in The Pas Manitoba in the mid-seventies. Working in Northern Manitoba for 10 years he learned about the Indigenous cultures and saw the issues that prevented the Indigenous people from being respected and included in every aspect of our society. In Winnipeg, he and his staff convinced his employer to allow community-living individuals to sit on the agency board and committees. During his career, he has seen our country making positive progress on many societal issues but has also seen discrimination and exclusions based on different types of disabilities, some invisible like arthritis. 

  In his last position with The John Howard Society of the Lower Mainland, Dale was responsible for accreditation, human resources, program and policy development, and liaison with other agencies. 

  Coming from a large family and working in the social services sectors, Dale has seen many accessibility gaps/issues that result in many of Canada’s citizens being excluded from fully participating in society that must be addressed and has always advocated for inclusion and human rights.

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  Dellie Lidyard (she/her)

  Dellie served for 5 years in the Political and Security Council Affairs of the United Nations in New York. Dellie returned to Canada in 1971 to take care of her young children. She returned to the public sector in 1980 and served in different departments and capacities as a civilian employee of the RCMP.

  She was elected for three consecutive terms as the regional vice-president (BC and Yukon) for the Union of Solicitor General Employees. For her contributions to public service, Dellie was awarded the Queen’s Golden Jubilee Medal by the Commanding Officer of the RCMP.  

  Since retirement, Dellie has devoted much of her time to community service. A member of the City’s Seniors’ Advisory Committee for 10 years and Chair of the Transportation Subcommittee for two terms, she also volunteers with the Seniors’ Advisory Committee at Kits Neighbourhood House, the Book’mark Program at Vancouver Public Library, and the Social Justice Committee of St. Augustine’s Church.

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  Jacques Courteau (he/him)

  Jacques is a retired lawyer who held senior executive management positions during his 37-year career in federal public service. In his legal career, he dealt with issues including human rights, ethics, access and privacy, international law, administrative law, national security, and police law. At the Privy Council Office in 2002 to 2003, his functions included being a member of the committee on equity, disability, and accessibility.

  While posted to the INTERPOL Office at the United Nations in New York in 2007, Jacques had an accident that left him paraplegic and paralyzed his eyes and tongue. He then participated in the development of the first ever UN Policy on Managing Employees with Disabilities (UNDP). He was a champion for persons with disabilities in the RCMP from 2010 to 2015 and the RCMP representative on the Federal Government Interdepartmental Committee on Accessibility.

  Jacques has been a volunteer with the City of Vancouver since 2016 and co-chaired the Persons with Disabilities Advisory Committee in 2018 and 2019. He is currently the chair of the Accessibility Strategy Task Force.

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  Peter Brown (he/him)

  Peter was born in Vancouver and has lived in the Lower Mainland his entire life.

  After graduating from Windsor High school in North Vancouver, Peter attended Simon Fraser University graduating with a BA in Criminology in 1983. He then attended UBC Law School, graduating in 1987. Peter was called to the bar in the August 1988 and spent the majority of his 31-year career as counsel to the Public Guardian and Trustee. He retired in February 2019.

  Peter is currently the co-chair of the City’s Persons with Disabilities Advisory Committee, the President of the Cerebral Palsy Association of British Colombia, and the Vice Chair of the Accessible City Task Force. Peter lives in Port Coquitlam with his wife Michelle, a retired teacher. They have one daughter, Ashley, who is following in Peter’s footsteps and was called to the bar in June 2021. 

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  Sana Aziz (she/her)

  Sana is a Gerontologist, change maker and advocate for older adults to age well with dignity and support in accessible and inclusive communities.

  In her current position with the Alzheimer Society of BC, Sana works closely with municipalities, community organizations, businesses, and service providers to form strategic partnerships to support and educate them in working towards becoming more inclusive of people living with dementia and caregivers. She also sits on the Dementia-Friendly Canada working group as the BC lead.

  Sana continues to seek opportunities to provide support and inform people living with dementia and their care partners through their dementia journey to reduce stigma and raise awareness.

  Sana has a Master of Arts degree in Gerontology from Simon Fraser University.

  Sana has been a longtime volunteer with the Aga Khan Council for B.C. She is also a member of the Seniors Advisory Committee since 2021 and sits on the Accessibility Task Force for the City of Vancouver.

  In her personal life, Sana keeps busy with her family raising two young boys, playing ball, walking along the seawall, or getting up to some mischief with her little ones.

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  Tasia Alexis (she/her)

  Tasia as been supporting individuals with developmental disabilities and their families for over 40 years, advocating for human rights, access and inclusion.  

  What has served her best throughout her career is the knowledge she has gained because of the willingness of people to share their truth. Throughout her career, she has focused on building community capacity to develop and strengthen partnerships with ministries, social services agencies, and centers of excellence. Her focus is to overcome barriers, identify systemic gaps, and problems-solve solutions for people by invoking change at the municipal, regional, and provincial levels.

  Tasia has worked at the Developmental Disabilities Association for 30 years and has been an Assistant Director for adult services for 20 years. She has been a member of the City of Vancouver Persons with Disabilities Advisory Committee since 2004 and a member of the Accessibility Task Force since 2018.