A man in a wheelchair going to see a film at the Fleur de Lys cinema in Trois-Rivières was never able to enter the room.
This is on the second floor and has not been accessible to people with mobility issues for months. The elevator has been out of order the whole time: the part to be replaced is no longer available.
Still, François Dubois, who is in a wheelchair, was furious when he went there. He was never informed that the room was not accessible and the website said nothing about it.
“Today in 2023 there are other technologies or other means or devices that can replace all the equipment when the famous part is no longer available,” he explains in an interview with TVA Nouvelles.
He regrets that nothing is safe for people with reduced mobility.
“Things we’ve acquired with pickaxes and shovels over the years that we lose in the blink of an eye. It’s like we have to fight more,” he laments.
Bail Mauricie, a local organization that has campaigned for many years to make several businesses in the area accessible, says it has received dozens of complaints and testimonials from people denouncing other places where access for people with reduced mobility is immensely difficult.
The organization writes an information letter that is sent to the Fleur de Lys cinema.