Out for more than treats this Halloween, a group of Saint Andrews residents seeking to raise awareness about the importance of accessibility on Water Street organized a midday treasure hunt and prize raffle for locals using wheelchairs and walkers on loan from Passamaquoddy Lodge, the local seniors’ and nursing care home.
Coordinated with AbilityNB, mandated “to empower the independence and full community participation of persons throughout New Brunswick who have a mobility disability,” and the Dragonfly Centre for Autism, “a registered charity serving the needs of children and families living in Charlotte County who are affected by Autism and other intellectual disabilities,” the event began at Wesley United Church, “an inclusive, creative, compassionate, and spiritual community located in beautiful St Andrews-by-the-Sea.”
The event was spearheaded by Dalma French in response to a petition signed by more than 300 Saint Andrews residents between fall 2025 and spring 2026. The petition was presented at a regular council meeting on Aug. 4.
“Many people have never thought about [getting around on wheels],” French said. “But when you see the difficulty, people wake up and say, ‘Yeah, we should fix that.’ That was the idea.”
Caroline Davies, chair of the Age-Friendly Community Committee, described the event as a good opportunity to see life from a different perspective, and suggested that all members of Council should navigate Water Street on wheels.
Charlotte County businessman David McKinstry said the experience left him feeling very glad he’s not disabled, and ashamed that we are not further ahead with disability.
“One chair could barely get in a doorway that was supposed to be accessible,” McKinstry said.
There was broad community support for the initiative, with raffle prizes for participants donated by The Algonquin Resort, The Clam Digger, Drewhaven Cafe, Honeybeans Coffee, Tea & Treats, King Street Pizza, Keffer Pottery, Keith’s Building Supplies, Kent Building Supplies, Kit & Kaboodle, LH Boutique, McGuire’s Chocolate Company, The Saint Andrews Civic Trust, Saint Andrews Community Players, and Serenity by the Sea Salon and Spa.
Six students from the New Brunswick Community College (NBCC) School of Health and Wellness, led by instructor Piper Scalabrin, helped able-bodied participants navigate on wheels.
“If you’ve ever been on a skateboard, [you know that] a pebble can take you out,” Taylor Fournier, who is a student at NBCC, said. “It’s the same thing with a wheelchair: you hit a bump at the wrong angle — changes your wheels, changes your direction — and you’re going right off the sidewalk.”
Toby Hill of Fredericton, a friend of French, who has been doing this since he was born, describes the hurdles in Saint Andrews as very real.
“I can see why we’re here and why we’re talking about it,” Hill said. “If Taylor wasn’t able to maneuver himself, stand up, or get out of the chair, he would have probably toppled over a couple times, to be honest.”
Passamaquoddy Lodge resident Sharon Branscombe explained that, in stumbling over a step or two on Water Street without a handrail, she almost went head first.
“It scared me,” Branscombe said. “Now I don’t go out as much. I just stay in.”
Fellow Lodge resident Beth Darke, whose right leg was amputated after an allergic reaction to the metal of a replacement knee, said that when sidewalks aren’t smooth enough, “you’re wobbling every which way,” adding that “landings should be level with ramps.”
Roy MacLennan, a Lodge resident who became dependent on wheels to get around after a fall in nearby St. George, said he has only visited Water Street once in three years.
“A little more upgrades on wheelchair accessible [sic] is one that should be done,” MacLennan said. “What about people that want to go out and have a treat and can’t get in to get it?”
The event wasn’t all talk.
On Nov. 4, accessibility assessments were provided on Water Street by AbilityNB to inform the design, construction, and installation of custom ramps and handrails, created from donated construction materials prepared by local students and carpenters, for willing businesses and non-profits.
One of several Water Street businesses whose entrances were assessed was McGuire’s Chocolate Company.
“If you’re not accessible, you’re closing your doors to people,” owner Mark McGuire said. “Even a couple of steps can prevent someone from joining their friends and family inside. We believe everyone deserves the dignity of access.”
Scott Jennings, store manager of Kent Building Supplies in St. Stephen, a wholly-owned retail division of J.D. Irving, Limited, says he’s willing to step up to the plate.
“I think you gotta be part of the community to enhance your image, number one,” he said. “Number two, I enjoy it. I like helping people. Anything I can do within the community—whether it’s a barbeque, donating product, or even building playgrounds—I’ve been doing it for most of my career.”
Event organizer Stacey Narrowmore said that many community members are committed to improving accessibility.
“We have an opportunity to bridge all this energy and this passion to make this change together. Not ten years from now, not when five more committees get together, now. This month. This year. Early next fiscal. Let’s get ‘er done.”
When asked why she led the event, French said, “Because of the United Nations’ Universal Declaration of Human Rights initiated in 1946,” her birth year.
The Preamble of that Declaration begins “…whereas recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world …”.
Article One continues “…all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.”
“I’m one of the first baby boomers,” French said of the generation comprising 20 per cent of the national population and which holds 50 per cent of the country’s wealth.
“In my generation, the idea was: work hard, go to school, get a good job, get a pension,” she said. “So I did. So did many, many, many people of my generation. And where do they like to travel? They like to travel to Saint Andrews because it’s beautiful, and historic, and charming, and there’s [sic] lots of lovely, beautiful places to spend money. That’s why Saint Andrews is so successful. But Boomers are aging. They require walkers and canes and wheelchairs to get around. And if they can’t come to Saint Andrews with their walkers and canes and wheelchairs, they’re going to go somewhere else.”
