Gravenhurst Mayor to consider adding the new wayfinding pilot project in the 2026 Capital Budget

The project will assist vision impaired people navigate public spaces

Gravenhurst Mayor agreed to consider adding the Town’s new wayfinding pilot project in the 2026 Capital Budget.

According to the staff report, the goal of the project is “aimed at assisting individuals who are blind or have low vision in navigating the publicly accessible areas of Town Hall.”

Last December staff approached Council to consider making improvements to the Town’s accessibility features, and were directed to investigate options such as brail, QR codes, tactile maps, and a smart phone app to relay sign information and support building navigation, and to determine what’s best suited to the Town.

Council was informed that upon investigation into suitable accessibility features by the Town’s Accessibility Advisory Committee (AAC), they were able to create a pilot called Accessible Wayfinding Pilot Project that uses technology through a smartphone application called the BlindSquare application.

The pilot is a temporary measure allowing the Town to monitor the functionality and user experience of the application before committing to expanding implementation to its other public facilities and areas.

Last month Council directed staff to provide further details, including funding options, and report back this month.

According to the staff report, “BlindSquare provides real-time navigation for users to traverse outdoors, signaling with audio cues where they are.”

It adds that implementation and annual service fee costs are “cost-effective” compared to other similar navigation options.

Estimated costs for the project are $6,423 for deployment, $570 annual fee for beacon usage and support, $6,500 for design, and $165/hour for consulting fees, to be taken from the Town’s Accessibility Reserve.

The report adds, “The estimated cost of the pilot project falls within the current balance of the Reserve ($14,371).” However, ongoing costs would require an alternative source for funding.

Councillors previously agreed that the project may act as a provincial “role model for municipalities.”

Gilson advised that there aren’t many communities with the application. He said, “No one in Muskoka has it, [so] it would be a trailblazer in this case.”

If the pilot project is approved in the budget and implemented successfully a review will be conducted by the AAC for potential expansion to other areas in Town.

Mayor, Heidi Lorenz, expressed enthusiasm about the project. She said, “It’s a really exciting new project.”