Town launching new accessibility service May 21

The Town of Gravenhurst is getting ready to launch a new technical service that will help people with vision loss navigate the public areas at the municipal office (3-5 Pineridge Gate).

The public is invited to a demonstration of the service at 1 p.m. on Thursday, May 21. 

“We’re asking people to meet us in the lobby of the municipal office so that we can talk a bit about the new service, explain how it works, and then walk people through using the technology. We want people to have a meaningful firsthand experience,” Deputy Clerk Jonathan Gilston said. 

Spearheaded by the town’s Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC), the service involves using the free BlindSquare app, which provides real-time navigation for users through audio cues.

The service uses beacons placed around the inside of the municipal office, which communicate via Bluetooth with a user’s phone to indicate their location in the building and provide navigational cues to the office’s service desks.

“We are really excited to be rolling out this technology here in Gravenhurst,” AAC Chair Barbara McNeice-Stallard said. “We think this will be a helpful tool for people living with vision loss.”

The new service is a pilot project. Based on its success, the town will consider rolling out the service at other municipal facilities in the years ahead. 

The Accessibility Advisory Committee started working on the project last year. 

The committee received advice from the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB), which recommended the BlindSquare app. 

“We are grateful for all the guidance from CNIB throughout this process. They have been extremely helpful to us,” McNeice-Stallard said. 

Gravenhurst council authorized moving forward with the approximately $12,000 project in August 2025. 

“Council takes accessibility seriously, and we are grateful to our committee for all of the terrific work it does each year in our community,” Mayor Heidi Lorenz said. 

Additional resources

Review the Accessibility Advisory Committee 2026 Work Plan.

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For more information, contact:  

Mike Gennings
Manager of Communications and Engagement
mike.gennings@gravenhurst.ca
705-687-3412, ext. 2239