YORKTON — A major accessibility upgrade is coming to Western Canada’s sole remaining brick flour mill this summer.
The Yorkton Brick Mill Heritage Society has secured a $40,000 grant to install a commercial wheelchair lift. This funding comes through the RBC Barrier Buster Grants Program, an initiative managed by the Rick Hansen Foundation. The new lift will link the modern interpretive centre directly to the first floor of the historic milling facility.
The upcoming installation will open up previously inaccessible spaces to the public. Visitors with limited mobility will soon be able to view the historic flour mill machinery and archival photo displays firsthand. Project organizers expect the lift to be operational by mid-summer.
Society president Larry Pearen stated that the funding allows the organization to build a more inclusive environment where all community members can participate. Pearen expressed gratitude for the local support that has helped drive the heritage site's long-term expansion.
The grant program was launched to coincide with the 40th anniversary of Rick Hansen’s historic Man In Motion World Tour. It targets retrofits in schools, municipalities and community spaces across Canada. According to foundation data, approximately 64 per cent of Canadians either live with a disability or provide care for someone who does — a statistic that continues to rise alongside an aging population.
Foundation founder Rick Hansen praised the Yorkton initiative, noting that true accessibility goes beyond physical infrastructure to create genuine, lasting community change. The broader grant program is sustained through corporate partnerships with the RBC Foundation, McDonald's, the Permobil Foundation, and Toyota Canada.
