Image Source: https://www.aurora.ca/en/town-services/accessibility.aspx
In a previous post, we looked at the Accessible Canada Act and the goals it aims to achieve around accessibility for Canadians with disabilities. In this post, we will provide an overview of the various Canadian provinces that have specific accessibility legislation as well as note important information about the application of built environment requirements within the context of the legislation.
Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA)
The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act or AODA was enacted in 2005 with the goal of creating a barrier-free Ontario by the year 2025. The current standards under the AODA cover the following areas:
- Information and Communications,
- Employment,
- Transportation,
- Built Environment (Design of Public Spaces Standard), and
- Customer Service.
Note that additional standards are currently under development for healthcare and education.
Accessible built environment design criteria are found in the Design of Public Spaces Standard (DOPS). The intent of the standard is to remove barriers in public spaces and building elements. The scope of the standard is summarized into the following categories:
- Recreational trails/beach access
- Outdoor public eating areas
- Outdoor play spaces
- Outdoor paths of travel
- Accessible parking
- Services-related elements
- Maintenance and restoration of public spaces
With the exception of service-related elements (i.e. service counters, fixed queuing lines, and waiting areas), the scope of the DOPS does not apply to buildings but rather applies to the areas outside of the building that are not within the scope of the Ontario Building Code (OBC).
More information about the AODA can be found here.
The Accessibility for Manitobans Act (AMA)
In 2013, the Accessibility for Manitobans Act was enacted with the goal of making Manitoba more inclusive by the year 2023. Like the AODA there are five (5) key initial standards. The standards under the Act include:
- Customer Service,
- Employment,
- Information and Communications,
- Built Environment, and
- Transportation.
The built environment standard is currently under development and is expected to include design criteria for, “…areas outside the jurisdiction of The Manitoba Building Code, such as sidewalks, pathways, parks and other aspects of the environment that we design and construct.” (http://www.accessibilitymb.ca/accessibility-standards.html)
More information about the AMA can be found here.
“Ensuring that all Canadians can participate in all areas of daily life is important for building an inclusive society where everyone feels valued.”
Nova Scotia Accessibility Act
The third province to enact accessibility legislation was Nova Scotia. The Nova Scotia Accessibility Act became law in 2017 with the goal of achieving full accessibility by the year 2030. The standards under the Act include:
- Goods and Service,
- Information and Communication,
- Transportation,
- Employment,
- Built Environment, and
- Education.
In August 2020, the first phase of recommendations for the built environment standard was submitted to the Minister of Justice. The recommendations focused on the following areas:
- Exteriors,
- Interiors,
- Emergency Systems,
- Site Selection,
- Housing and Residences,
- Wayfinding and Signage, and
- Parks and recreation.
The full report of recommendations can be found here.
In April 2020, the Nova Scotia Accessibility Directorate released the Interim Accessibility Guidelines for Indoor and Outdoor Spaces in order to help organizations, identify and remove accessibility barriers. The guide provides accessibility audit worksheets based on best practices from current guidelines like the CSA B651 Accessible Design for the Built Environment Standard and The Rick Hansen Foundation Accessibility Certification (RHFAC) Ratings Professional Handbook.
The interim guidelines can be found here.
Accessible British Columbia Act (Bill-6)
This year British Columbia joined the previously mentioned provinces with the proposal of Bill-6 or the Accessible British Columbia Act. Several standards are proposed under the act, including:
- Employment,
- Delivery of Services,
- The Built Environment,
- Information and Communications,
- Transportation,
- Health,
- Education, and
- Procurement.
More information about Bill 6 – 2021: Accessible British Columbia Act can be found here.
Conclusion
The passing of the Accessible Canada Act and various provincial accessibility acts signify Canada’s ongoing commitment to accessibility for Canadians with disabilities. Ensuring that all Canadians can participate in all areas of daily life is important for building an inclusive society where everyone feels valued.
Want to Dive Deeper?
As Will reference in a previous post, The Federal Disability Reference Guide from the Government of Canada explains that, “Disability is a complex phenomenon, reflecting an interaction between features of a person’s body and mind and features of the society in which they live. A disability can occur at any time in a person’s life; some people are born with a disability, while others develop a disability later in life. It can be permanent, temporary, or episodic. Disability can steadily worsen, remain the same, or improve. It can be very mild to very severe. It can be the cause, as well as the result, of disease, illness, injury or substance abuse.”
If you are interested in learning more about the issue, you can check out Wills previous posts:
Kilo’s Notes
Here at Kilo Lima, we are very passionate about accessible, inclusive and universal design. We are also passionate about collaboration so that everyone rises together. #communityovercompetition
Reading this post, I can’t help but to wonder how much further ahead we would be as a country if provinces worked more together. Some provinces have a lot of resources to dedicate to policy and standard development, while others do not. The end result of this, is that some provinces are not as accessible and inclusive…which just negatively impacts people.
I’m not just raising the issue and complaining, I’m also working on solutions. As the horrific old saying goes “Don’t give me a dead cat, bring me a dead cat and a shovel”. Please note I absolutely love cats, and I don’t like the saying. I just think it is very effective in illustrating that unless you are willing to take action, you should not sit and complain.
If you are like Will, and know the Building Code and any additional accessibility standards or the Rick Hansen Foundation rating system, please connect with me. I’m working on a database that will make it easy peasy to see best practice for design along side minimum Building Code requirements…. but I’m not the expert in accessibility, so am going to need to find them!
Lastly, here are a few of my previous Beyond the Codes posts that explain my ‘why’ and how I think we can do it!
Beyond the Codes: Accessibility and Inclusivity
Beyond the Codes: What’s Possible with Collaboration
Thanks for being part of our community,
KL
