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Personal Attendant for Leisure Card

Who is eligible for a PAL Card? You are eligible if you are 4 years of age or older and you meet the following 2 (Statistics Canada) requirements for disability:

  1. You are a person with a disability and your disability restricts you from performing activities within the range considered normal and,

  2. Your disability can not be eliminated by the use of a technical aid like eyeglasses.

If you have a disability but it’s not permanent, you can still apply! Approval will be based on whether you meet the two requirements listed above.

If you just had surgery and will need assistance only for a little while you will be issued a “Temporary” PAL Card, as long as you meet the above criteria.

Who can Act as My Attendant? Your attendant can be anyone in your life. Perhaps a friend, relative, support worker, Special Services at Home worker, or anyone else who can attend to your needs. And, it doesn’t have to be the same person every time!

Please note the following situations that the PAL card is not accepted or certain criteria that may apply to its use:

  • New: The PAL card is not accepted for ticketed events held at municipal facilities that are operated by external organizations, businesses or promoters. For example: Tickets purchased for events, concerts or Kitchener Ranger hockey games offered at the Kitchener Memorial Auditorium Complex are not eligible for the PAL card program.

  • Pal card partners that participate in the PAL card program develop their own criteria for accepting the PAL card at their programs and facilities. Where possible we will outline the criteria for PAL card partner programs on the insert included.

Where will the PAL Card be recognized?

City Municipal Programs and Facilities PAL Card Partners
City of Cambridge
  • Aquatics
  • Direct Leisure Programs
  • Arenas
  • Arts, Culture and Special Events
  • YMCA of Cambridge
  • Wedges N’ Woods Golf Academy
  • I Bowl
  • Butterfly Conservatory
  • Cambridge Ice Centre

City of Kitchener

and

City of Waterloo
  • Aquatics
  • Kitchener Direct Leisure Programs (Breithaupt, Rockway, Victoria School)
  • Waterloo Direct Leisure Programs
    (Adult Recreation Centre, Albert McCormick Community Centre, RIM Park, Wing 404,Bechtel Park, Mose Springer Community Centre)
  • Arenas
  • Arts, Culture and Special Events
  • Bingemans
  • Waterloo Regional Museum
  • Chicopee Ski Club
  • Kiwanis Park
  • Majestic Mud Pottery Studio
  • The Museum
  • Golf Courses - Doon, Rockway and Grey Silo
  • Games on Tap
  • Funvilla
City of Guelph
  • Aquatics
  • Arenas
  • Direct Leisure Programs (Evergreen Seniors Centre, Delhi Community Centre)
  • Arts, Culture, Special Events
  • Guelph Transit
  • YMCA- YWCA of Guelph
Township of Woolwich
  • Woolwich Memorial Centre
  
Township of Wilmot
  • Wilmont Recreation Complex – swimming and skating
  

City of Cambridge Pal Card Application

Complete the following information. All information pertaining to this application is confidential.

To determine eligibility requirements, please answer the following questions:

Is the disability:
 
Is the disability eliminated by the use of technical aid (e.g. eyeglasses?)
 

What is a PAL Card? For some people with disabilities, it is impossible to go places without
someone’s help. A PAL (Personal Attendant for Leisure) Card allows people with disabilities to be accompanied by an attendant – free of charge.

The PAL Card:

  1. Identifies that the person named on the card requires the assistance of an accompanying personal attendant. All regular program fees/registration fees apply.

  2. Authorizes that the accompanying personal attendant will not be charged Registration or Admission.

References: Please notify references of your application.
Only list places of business (personal home phone numbers are not acceptable).

At present, the City of Cambridge Equity, Diversity, Inclusion and Accessibility Services, does not require a medical certificate for PAL Card eligibility. However, it is necessary to have verification that the applicant has a disability. Therefore, references are required. The references must professionally work directly with the applicant and can verify the applicants disability. Acceptable References include: physicians, therapeutic recreationist, occupation therapists or physiotherapists, speech language pathologists, teachers, clergy, etc. All references will be contacted by City of Cambridge, Corporate Services Department staff before the PAL Card application is approved. If you wish you may submit written verification along with your application from any of the acceptable references listed above.

The statements made above are, to the best of my knowledge, complete and accurate. I understand that the City of Cambridge Corporate Services Department will contact the references and that approval of this application depends upon verification that the applicant is a person with a disability who would require an attendant.

Personal information in relation to this process is collected under the authority outlined in the Municipal Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act. This information will be used only for the purpose for which it is intended. If you have any questions regarding this collection of personal information, you can contact the Freedom of Information and Privacy Coordinator, who can be reached through the Clerk’s Office at (519) 740-4680. Ext 4583.