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ARTICLE · 04 MARCH 2009

Ontario’s New Disability Standards Affect Employers

Borden Ladner Gervais LLP
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Employers who provide goods or services to the public and who have at least 20 employees in Ontario must prepare a document describing its training policy and program, and must keep a record of the implementation of its training program.

CanadaEmployment and HR
Kate Zavitz
Kate Zavitz
Louis Vouloukos
Louis Vouloukos
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In 2005 the Ontario government passed landmark legislation, the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (the "AODA"). The purpose of the AODA is to develop, implement and enforce accessibility standards in order to achieve accessibility for Ontarians with disabilities on or before January 1, 2025 (the "Standards). The government will establish the Standards by making regulations that apply to a "person or organization" that:

  1. provides goods, services or facilities;
  2. employs persons in Ontario;
  3. offers accommodation;
  4. owns or occupies a building, structure or premises; or
  5. is prescribed by regulation.

To date, the government has passed the first regulation that establishes a standard for providing goods, services or facilities to persons with disabilities (the "Customer Service Standard"), which includes new requirements for employee training. A second regulation, the Accessible Information and Communication Standard (the "Communications

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