source:  CBC News

The Canadian Human Rights Tribunal has found that stairs next to the U.S. embassy on Sussex Drive are discriminatory because they are not wheelchair-accessible.

The York Street Steps, a popular route between the Byward Market and Major's Hill Park, were reconstructed in the 1990s at a cost of $1.7 million by the National Capital Commission to accommodate the new American embassy.

Seven years ago, Bob Brown, a quadriplegic, filed a complaint against the NCC that the route connecting Sussex Drive and Mackenzie Avenue was not wheelchair accessible.

The NCC argued that a ramp could not be built beside the staircase because of the steep incline.

But Brown said that the steep cost of the staircase did not absolve the NCC from providing an accessible alternative.

"They created the obstacle in the first place," Brown said.

"It is the mandate of the National Capital Commission to beautify [the city] for everyone, not just for able-bodied people," he added.

In a 71-page decision, the tribunal ordered the NCC and Brown to work together to negotiate a solution.

One solution to make the route more accessible may be to install an elevator, which could cost the NCC about $400,000.

The NCC declined to comment on the ruling.

Read the complete Canadian Human Rights Tribunal decision.