Braillito Maps · Accessibility guides
The Accessible Canada Act: who it applies to, accessibility plans and progress reports
The Accessible Canada Act is Canada’s federal accessibility law, assented to on June 21, 2019. Its purpose is a Canada without barriers on or before January 1, 2040, in the areas under the legislative authority of Parliament (Accessible Canada Act, section 5). It applies to the Government of Canada, Crown corporations, the Canadian Forces and the businesses under federal jurisdiction (Accessible Canada Act, section 7), which Accessibility Standards Canada illustrates with banks, the federal transportation network, and broadcasting and telecommunications (Accessibility Standards Canada, About us). Each of those organizations publishes an accessibility plan, sets up a process to receive feedback and publishes progress reports on its plan (Accessible Canada Act, sections 69 to 71). This guide explains who has to do what and by when, what Accessibility Standards Canada does, how the Act is enforced, and how it differs from Ontario’s AODA.
This guide summarizes the sources it cites; it is not legal advice. The official texts are the reference.
What the Accessible Canada Act is
Its long title is An Act to ensure a barrier-free Canada (Accessible Canada Act). It sets out to make Canada barrier-free on or before January 1, 2040, by identifying and removing barriers and preventing new ones in seven areas: employment; the built environment; information and communication technologies; communication other than information and communication technologies; the procurement of goods, services and facilities; the design and delivery of programs and services; and transportation. Regulations can designate further areas (Accessible Canada Act, section 5).
A barrier is anything physical, architectural, technological or attitudinal, anything based on information or communications, or anything that results from a policy or a practice, that hinders the full and equal participation in society of persons with an impairment. A disability is any impairment, including a physical, mental, intellectual, cognitive, learning, communication or sensory impairment, or a functional limitation, whether permanent, temporary or episodic, evident or not, that in interaction with a barrier hinders a person’s full and equal participation in society (Accessible Canada Act, section 2).
The Act recognizes American Sign Language, Quebec Sign Language and Indigenous sign languages as the primary languages for communication by deaf persons in Canada (Accessible Canada Act, section 5.1(2)). The 2040 date is not a reason to wait: nothing in the Act requires or authorizes any delay in removing barriers as soon as is reasonably possible (Accessible Canada Act, section 5.2), and nothing in it limits a regulated entity’s duty to accommodate under any other Act of Parliament (Accessible Canada Act, section 121.1).
The Act is to be carried out in accordance with seven principles (Accessible Canada Act, section 6):
- all persons must be treated with dignity regardless of their disabilities;
- all persons must have the same opportunity to make for themselves the lives that they are able and wish to have;
- all persons must have barrier-free access to full and equal participation in society;
- all persons must have meaningful options and be free to make their own choices, with support if they desire;
- laws, policies, programs, services and structures must take into account the disabilities of persons, the different ways that persons interact with their environments and the multiple and intersecting forms of marginalization and discrimination they face;
- persons with disabilities must be involved in the development and design of laws, policies, programs, services and structures;
- accessibility standards and regulations must be developed with the objective of achieving the highest level of accessibility for persons with disabilities.
Who the Act applies to
The Act calls the organizations it covers regulated entities. They are (Accessible Canada Act, section 7(1)):
- the departments and other entities named in Schedules I to V to the Financial Administration Act, and the Crown corporations;
- the portions of the federal public administration designated by order, and the Canadian Forces;
- any person, partnership or unincorporated organization that operates a work or carries on an undertaking or business within the legislative authority of Parliament, except one of a local or private nature in Yukon, the Northwest Territories or Nunavut;
- anyone who acts in the name of, or for the benefit of, such a business.
Parliament itself is covered by a separate part: the Senate, the House of Commons, the Library of Parliament, the Parliamentary Protective Service and the offices of the Senate Ethics Officer, the Conflict of Interest and Ethics Commissioner and the Parliamentary Budget Officer (Accessible Canada Act, sections 7(2) and 134). The Act does not apply to the governments of Yukon, the Northwest Territories or Nunavut (Accessible Canada Act, section 8).
Accessibility Standards Canada explains that an organization under federal rule is one governed by the Canada Labour Code, and lists the federal transportation network, the broadcasting and telecommunications sectors and the banking sector among the private sector bodies. Schools, hospitals, shopping centres, restaurants and sporting facilities, by contrast, come under provincial and territorial laws (Accessibility Standards Canada, About us).
Small private-sector organizations are exempt from the planning and reporting duties. A regulated entity in the private sector with an average of fewer than 10 employees does not have to publish an accessibility plan, a feedback process or progress reports; the exemption ends in any year in which its average reaches 10 employees or more (Accessible Canada Regulations, section 3). The other duties of the Act and its regulations still apply.
Four streams: the CRTC, the Canadian Transportation Agency and the Accessibility Commissioner
Part 4 of the Act sets the same three duties, an accessibility plan, a feedback process and progress reports, in four streams. What changes is who makes the detailed rules and who is notified when a plan is published.
| Regulated entity | Who is notified | Source |
|---|---|---|
| carries on a broadcasting undertaking | the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) | Accessible Canada Act, sections 42 to 50 |
| Canadian carrier or telecommunications service provider | the CRTC | Accessible Canada Act, sections 51 to 59 |
| subject to regulations under section 170(1) of the Canada Transportation Act | the Canadian Transportation Agency | Accessible Canada Act, sections 60 to 68 |
| every other regulated entity, including federal departments and banks | the Accessibility Commissioner | Accessible Canada Act, sections 69 to 72 |
The rest of this guide follows the fourth stream, sections 69 to 71 of the Act and the Accessible Canada Regulations, which also fix the dates for the other three (Accessible Canada Regulations, section 4(1)).
Accessibility plans
A regulated entity prepares and publishes an accessibility plan on its policies, programs, practices and services for identifying and removing barriers and preventing new ones in the areas of the Act, and on the regulations that apply to it. It consults persons with disabilities while preparing the plan, says in the plan how it consulted them, takes the principles of the Act into account, and notifies the Accessibility Commissioner of every version it publishes (Accessible Canada Act, section 69).
The first plan is due before one year has passed from a day fixed in the regulations, which depends on the kind of entity (Accessible Canada Act, section 69(1); Accessible Canada Regulations, section 4(1)):
| Regulated entity | Fixed day | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Government of Canada entities, Crown corporations, designated portions of the federal public administration and the Canadian Forces | December 31, 2021 | Accessible Canada Regulations, section 4(1)(a) |
| private sector, with an average of 100 employees or more | June 1, 2022 | Accessible Canada Regulations, section 4(1)(b) |
| private sector, with an average of 10 to 99 employees | June 1, 2023 | Accessible Canada Regulations, section 4(1)(c) |
With one year from each day, the first plans fell due by the end of 2022, by June 1, 2023 and by June 1, 2024. An entity established or brought under the Act later has June 1 of the following year as its fixed day (Accessible Canada Regulations, section 4(2)). An updated plan is due within 36 months of the date by which the previous one was required (Accessible Canada Regulations, section 4(4)).
The plan is written in simple, clear and concise language, with the headings “General”, one heading for each area and “Consultations”. Under “General” it gives the position title of the person designated to receive feedback and how to reach the entity: the mailing address of its publicly accessible businesses, a telephone number and an email address (Accessible Canada Regulations, section 5). It is published in a format that meets WCAG Level AA, on the entity’s main digital platform, on the homepage or one link away from it; an entity without a public digital platform displays a printed copy in the reception area or entrance of each place of business (Accessible Canada Regulations, section 6). The Accessibility Commissioner is notified within 48 hours, by email or other electronic means (Accessible Canada Regulations, section 7).
Anyone can ask for the plan in print, large print, Braille, audio format or an electronic format compatible with adaptive technology, by mail, telephone, email or any other means the entity uses with the public. Braille and audio are due within 45 days; other formats within 15 days for federal government entities and private sector entities with 100 or more employees, and within 20 days for those with 99 or fewer (Accessible Canada Regulations, section 8). Each version stays on the platform for seven years (Accessible Canada Regulations, section 18).
The feedback process
Every regulated entity sets up a process for receiving and dealing with feedback on how it is implementing its plan and on the barriers met by its employees and by other people who deal with it, publishes a description of the process and notifies the Accessibility Commissioner (Accessible Canada Act, section 70).
The entity designates a person to receive feedback and publishes that person’s position title. The process accepts feedback by mail, telephone, email and any other means the entity uses with the public, allows people to give feedback anonymously, and acknowledges receipt by the same means unless the feedback was anonymous (Accessible Canada Regulations, section 9). The description is published with the first accessibility plan (Accessible Canada Regulations, section 10), and the feedback received is kept for seven years (Accessible Canada Regulations, section 19).
Progress reports
A regulated entity publishes progress reports on how it is implementing its plan. It consults persons with disabilities for each report, says how it consulted them, and sets out the feedback it received and how that feedback was taken into consideration (Accessible Canada Act, section 71).
A progress report is due by the anniversary of the date by which the plan was last required, in each year in which no plan is due (Accessible Canada Regulations, section 13). With a new plan every three years, the cycle is a plan in the first year and a progress report in each of the next two. The report has the headings “General”, one heading for each area, “Consultations” and “Feedback” (Accessible Canada Regulations, section 14); it is published, notified within 48 hours and made available in other formats on the same terms as the plan (Accessible Canada Regulations, sections 15 to 17).
Accessibility Standards Canada, the Accessibility Commissioner and the Chief Accessibility Officer
Accessibility Standards Canada names three key players under the Act (Accessibility Standards Canada, About us):
| Body | What it does | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Accessibility Standards Canada | develops and revises accessibility standards, recommends them to the Minister, and promotes research and shares information on removing barriers | Accessible Canada Act, sections 17 and 18 |
| Accessibility Commissioner | a member of the Canadian Human Rights Commission who inspects, orders compliance, issues penalties and hears complaints, and reports every year on that work | Accessible Canada Act, sections 2, 39, 73 to 94 |
| Chief Accessibility Officer | a special adviser to the Minister, appointed for up to five years, who reports every year by December 31 on the outcomes achieved by the Act and on systemic or emerging accessibility issues | Accessible Canada Act, sections 111 and 116 |
What Accessibility Standards Canada does
In the Act it is the Canadian Accessibility Standards Development Organization (Accessible Canada Act, section 17). Its mandate is to contribute to a Canada without barriers by 2040 through the development and revision of accessibility standards, their recommendation to the Minister, information, products and services about them, research into identifying and removing barriers, and the dissemination of best practices (Accessible Canada Act, section 18). As far as possible, a majority of its directors are persons with disabilities (Accessible Canada Act, section 23(2)), and it makes public every standard it recommends to the Minister (Accessible Canada Act, section 34).
Its standards are voluntary. The Governor in Council can make regulations establishing standards (Accessible Canada Act, section 117(1)(c)), and Accessibility Standards Canada explains that a standard becomes mandatory, and can be enforced, only if it is adopted in a regulation. Each standard is written by a technical committee in which at least 30% of the members are persons with disabilities, and the public can comment on it before it is final (Accessibility Standards Canada, About us).
Its work program lists, among the standards in development, CAN-ASC-2.4 Wayfinding and Signage, which was open to public comment from January 29 to March 30, 2026 and has a publication target of fall 2027, and CAN-ASC-2.1 Outdoor Spaces, with a target of winter 2027 (Accessibility Standards Canada, work program).
The first standard to be turned into rules is on digital accessibility. Amendments registered as SOR/2025-255, which the consolidated Regulations list as not yet in force, add a part on information and communication technologies: federal public sector entities, and private sector entities with an average of 100 or more employees, make their new or updated web pages conform, to the extent feasible, to the standard CAN/ASC - EN 301 549 published by Accessibility Standards Canada, with further rules for mobile applications and downloadable documents from 500 employees (Accessible Canada Regulations, amendments not in force, SOR/2025-255).
Inspections, orders and penalties
For the entities in the fourth stream, the Accessibility Commissioner can carry out inspections, order the production of documents, order an entity to stop a contravention and take measures to comply, and issue notices of violation with a warning or a penalty (Accessible Canada Act, sections 73 to 79). The purpose of a penalty is to promote compliance, not to punish (Accessible Canada Act, section 78). A violation that continues on more than one day is a separate violation for each day, and due diligence is not a defence (Accessible Canada Act, sections 85 and 88). The maximum penalty is $250,000 for each violation (Accessible Canada Act, section 91(2)), and the Commissioner may make public the names of those who committed violations (Accessible Canada Act, section 93).
The Regulations classify each violation as minor, serious or very serious; not publishing an accessibility plan, a feedback process or a progress report is a minor violation, and obstructing an inspector is a very serious one (Accessible Canada Regulations, section 24 and Schedule 1). The range grows with the second, third and fourth violation, counting the violations of the previous five years (Accessible Canada Regulations, section 25):
| Classification | Small business: first violation, fourth or later | Other regulated entity: first violation, fourth or later |
|---|---|---|
| minor | $500 to $5,000; $25,000 to $37,500 | $1,000 to $10,000; $50,000 to $75,000 |
| serious | $5,000 to $12,500; $50,000 to $75,000 | $10,000 to $25,000; $100,000 to $150,000 |
| very serious | $12,500 to $25,000; $75,000 to $125,000 | $25,000 to $50,000; $150,000 to $250,000 |
The definition of a small business and the ranges are in the Regulations (Accessible Canada Regulations, section 23 and Schedule 2). An entity that pays within 15 days after the notice is served can pay 90% of the penalty (Accessible Canada Regulations, section 27).
Complaints to the Accessibility Commissioner
Any individual who has suffered physical or psychological harm, property damage or economic loss, or has otherwise been adversely affected, because a regulated entity contravened a provision of the regulations made under the Act, may file a complaint with the Accessibility Commissioner (Accessible Canada Act, section 94(1)). The Commissioner may refuse to deal with a complaint about events the complainant knew of more than one year before filing it (Accessible Canada Act, section 95).
If the complaint is substantiated, the Commissioner can order the entity to take corrective measures, give the complainant the rights, opportunities or privileges denied, and pay compensation for lost wages, expenses and the extra cost of alternatives. Compensation for pain and suffering, and a further amount when the contravention was wilful or reckless, are each capped at $20,000 for the year the provision came into force, adjusted every year after that by the Consumer Price Index (Accessible Canada Act, section 102). The complainant or the entity can appeal to the Canadian Human Rights Tribunal within 30 days (Accessible Canada Act, section 104).
The Accessible Canada Act and Ontario’s AODA
The federal Act covers what is under the authority of Parliament; the provinces have their own laws. Ontario’s, the AODA, applies to every person or organization in the public and private sectors of the province (AODA, 2005, section 4). The two side by side:
| Topic | Accessible Canada Act | AODA |
|---|---|---|
| target date | January 1, 2040 (Accessible Canada Act, section 5) | January 1, 2025 (AODA, 2005, section 1) |
| who | federal government entities and businesses under federal jurisdiction (Accessible Canada Act, section 7) | every person or organization in the public and private sectors of Ontario (AODA, 2005, section 4) |
| what businesses publish | an accessibility plan every three years and progress reports in between, from 10 employees (Accessible Canada Regulations, sections 3, 4 and 13) | an accessibility compliance report every three years, from 20 employees (ontario.ca: compliance report) |
| standards | voluntary until adopted in a regulation (Accessibility Standards Canada, About us) | made as regulations (AODA, 2005, section 6), in the Integrated Accessibility Standards (O. Reg. 191/11, section 1) |
The AODA’s five standards, the training it requires and its compliance report are explained in the AODA guide; the laws of the UK, Australia, the EU and the United States are compared in accessibility laws by country.
Where to read the official texts
- The Act: Accessible Canada Act.
- The dates, the form of plans and progress reports, the feedback process and the penalties: Accessible Canada Regulations.
- What Accessibility Standards Canada does and how its standards are made: Accessibility Standards Canada, About us.
- The standards in development: Accessibility Standards Canada, work program.
- Ontario’s own law: the AODA guide.
- How Canada sits next to other countries: accessibility laws by country.
The Accessible Canada Act on Braillito Maps
An accessibility plan says what an organization will change; the people who visit it want to know what is already there. Braillito Maps is a community map that answers ten questions about each place: step-free entrance or ramp, wide doorway, accessible washroom, accessible parking, tactile paving, braille signage, braille menu, audible signals, guide dogs welcome and a quiet environment.
Several of them belong to the areas of the Act: the entrance, the doorway, the washroom, the parking and the tactile paving to the built environment; the braille signage and the braille menu to communication. Each question is answered yes or no, or stays without data until someone knows, and the score of a place is the number of yes answers out of ten, always shown with its number, never by colour alone.
If you run a bank branch, an airport counter or any other place in Canada, add it with its answers, so that people with disabilities find it before they set off. If what a place says is wrong, it can be reported. Meet Braillito Maps.
Frequently asked questions
What is the Accessible Canada Act?
Canada’s federal accessibility law, assented to on June 21, 2019. Its purpose is a Canada without barriers on or before January 1, 2040, in the areas under the authority of Parliament (Accessible Canada Act, section 5).
Who does the Accessible Canada Act apply to?
To the Government of Canada and its entities, Crown corporations, the Canadian Forces, Parliament, and the businesses within the legislative authority of Parliament (Accessible Canada Act, sections 7 and 134), such as banks, the federal transportation network, and broadcasting and telecommunications (Accessibility Standards Canada, About us).
What is an accessibility plan under the Accessible Canada Act?
A public document on the organization’s policies, programs, practices and services for identifying, removing and preventing barriers, prepared in consultation with persons with disabilities and updated at least every three years (Accessible Canada Act, section 69; Accessible Canada Regulations, section 4(4)).
When are Accessible Canada Act progress reports due?
By the anniversary of the date by which the accessibility plan was last required, in each year in which no plan is due (Accessible Canada Regulations, section 13).
Do small businesses need an accessibility plan?
Not if they are private sector entities with an average of fewer than 10 employees; the exemption ends in any year the average reaches 10 or more (Accessible Canada Regulations, section 3).
What does Accessibility Standards Canada do?
It develops and revises accessibility standards, recommends them to the Minister, supports research and shares information on removing barriers (Accessible Canada Act, section 18). Its standards are voluntary unless adopted in a regulation (Accessibility Standards Canada, About us).
What are the penalties under the Accessible Canada Act?
Up to $250,000 for each violation (Accessible Canada Act, section 91(2)); the Regulations set ranges by classification, by number of violations and by size of the entity (Accessible Canada Regulations, Schedule 2).
Is the Accessible Canada Act the same as the AODA?
No. The Accessible Canada Act is federal and covers federal government entities and federally regulated businesses (Accessible Canada Act, section 7); the AODA is Ontario’s law and applies to every person or organization in the public and private sectors of Ontario (AODA, 2005, section 4).
More accessibility guides
- AODA: Ontario’s accessibility law: who must comply, the five standards, the training it requires, websites and the compliance report due December 31, 2026.
- Accessibility laws by country: the ADA, the UK Equality Act, the Accessible Canada Act, Australia’s DDA and the EU rules, and what each covers.
- Universal design: the seven principles, with an example from a building for each.
- Accessibility symbols: what the wheelchair symbol means, where it is required and the other access symbols.
- Braille signage: which signs need braille under the ADA, how high they go, on which side of the door, and the size of the dots.
- Guide dogs: how they work, where they can go under the ADA, and how to act around one.
- Accessible travel: your rights on flights in the US and the EU, accessible hotel rooms, and what to ask before you book.
- All accessibility guides
Sources
Every figure in this guide comes from one of these official texts, which we read in October 2026.
- Accessible Canada Act (S.C. 2019, c. 10). Parliament of Canada, on the Justice Laws Website, assented to June 21, 2019; consolidated text current to September 30, 2026 (last amended April 27, 2023); read October 2026.
- About us. Accessibility Standards Canada, modified April 23, 2025; read October 2026.
- Accessible Canada Regulations (SOR/2021-241). Governor in Council (P.C. 2021-999), on the Justice Laws Website, registered December 13, 2021; consolidated text current to September 30, 2026; read October 2026.
- Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (S.O. 2005, c. 11). Legislative Assembly of Ontario, on e-Laws (ontario.ca/laws), consolidated text current from April 19, 2016; read October 2026.
- Accessibility Standards Canada: Standards work program. Accessibility Standards Canada, modified October 4, 2026; read October 2026.
- Completing your accessibility compliance report. Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility, on ontario.ca, updated February 19, 2026; read October 2026.
- O. Reg. 191/11: Integrated Accessibility Standards. Government of Ontario, on e-Laws (ontario.ca/laws), consolidated text current from March 30, 2026 (last amendment O. Reg. 69/26); read October 2026.
Braillito Maps
Find places with ramps, accessible toilets or tactile paving near you in Braillito Maps
In Braillito Maps, every place answers ten questions: step-free entrance or ramp, wide doorway, accessible restroom, accessible parking, tactile paving, braille signage, braille menu, audible signals, guide dogs welcome and a quiet environment. It is built by the people who need it, and every place gets a score out of ten.
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