Controversy erupts over use of mobility aids in Olds, Alta. [Video]

An Olds, Alta., woman with accessibility issues is speaking out against the town after local bylaw officers informed her she would receive a $5,000 fine if she was caught using her mobility scooter on any street, sidewalk or pathway in town.

Jennifer Clarke, 48, was born with cerebral palsy and for the past six years she has been using her Gio All-Season Enclosed Mobility Scooter to get around town to complete day-to-day tasks.

On June 6, that all changed when she was operating her scooter in a nearby park.

“I was stopped and given a warning that I’d be fined $5,000 or that my mobility scooter would be towed if I used it on a public pathway,” Clarke said.

“I don’t think people realize how important accessibility is,” she said. “This is my independence that enables me to go to the grocery store or to the hospital for bloodwork.

“It …