Accessibility Statement

We target conformance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 at Level AA, published by the World Wide Web Consortium. WCAG is the international reference standard for digital accessibility and is organised around four principles: content must be perceivable, operable, understandable and robust.

We have chosen WCAG 2.1 Level AA deliberately. It is a more current version than the minimum required by Ontario law, and it adds criteria that matter in practice — particularly for mobile use, orientation, reflow at high zoom, and non-text contrast.

Section 14 of the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation (O. Reg. 191/11) under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) requires designated public sector organizations and private or non-profit organizations with 50 or more employees to make their public websites and web content conform to WCAG 2.0 Level AA. That obligation took full effect on January 1, 2021. Ontario has signalled a move to WCAG 2.2 by 2027.

The web content requirement is tied to organization size, and smaller organizations are not captured by it. We do not treat that threshold as a reason to do less. We apply the standard to this website regardless of headcount, and our WCAG 2.1 Level AA target already covers the current WCAG 2.0 Level AA requirement in full.

Separately, the AODA requires organizations to provide accessible formats and communication supports on request, and to have a process for receiving and responding to accessibility feedback. Both are described in sections 6 and 7 below.

Accessibility measures built into this website include:

• Semantic HTML structure, with landmarks and a logical heading hierarchy on every page, so assistive technology can navigate the content
• A "Skip to content" link as the first focusable element on every page
• Full keyboard operability — every interactive control can be reached and used without a mouse, and menus close with the Escape key
• A visible focus indicator on interactive elements, with a high-contrast focus ring
• Text and interface colour combinations chosen to meet the WCAG contrast ratios of at least 4.5:1 for body text and 3:1 for large text and interface components
• Descriptive alternative text on meaningful images, and empty alt attributes on decorative images so screen readers skip them
• Form fields with persistent visible labels, programmatically associated with their inputs, and errors identified in text rather than by colour alone
• Descriptive link text that makes sense when read out of context, and buttons labelled by their purpose
• A responsive layout that reflows without horizontal scrolling down to 320 pixels wide, and supports zoom to 200 per cent without loss of content or function
• Respect for the operating system's reduce-motion preference, which disables animation and smooth scrolling
• Touch targets sized to at least 44 by 44 pixels for primary actions
• A declared page language so screen readers use the correct pronunciation
• Text that is real text rather than images of text, so it can be resized, restyled and read aloud

This website is partially conformant with WCAG 2.1 Level AA. "Partially conformant" means most of the content meets the standard, but we are aware of some areas that do not yet fully conform, and there may be others we have not yet identified.

We state this openly rather than claiming full conformance. Accessibility is an ongoing process, and an honest statement is more useful to you than an optimistic one.

We are currently aware of the following limitations, and we are working on them:

Third-party content

Scheduling tools, maps, video players and similar embedded services are controlled by their providers, and we cannot guarantee their accessibility. Where we embed a third-party tool, we assess it first and provide an alternative way to complete the same task — you can always reach us by email or telephone instead.

Documents

Some PDF or other downloadable documents may not be fully tagged for accessibility. We are remediating existing documents and producing new ones in accessible formats. Contact us for an accessible version of any document.

Older content

Content published before our current standards were adopted may not meet them in full. We review and correct this as we encounter it.

If any information on this website is not accessible to you, we will provide it in an accessible format or with a communication support, on request and at no additional cost beyond what anyone else would pay.

We will consult with you about the format or support that works for you, and we will provide it in a timely manner. Options can include large print, plain text, an accessible electronic document, reading the information to you, or discussing it by telephone or video call.

We also make our accessibility policies available in an accessible format on request. To make a request, use the contact details on this page.

We welcome feedback on the accessibility of this website. If you encounter a barrier, please tell us. Reports from people who actually use assistive technology are the most valuable input we get.

It helps if you can include:

• The web address of the page where you encountered the problem
• What you were trying to do
• What happened, and what you expected to happen
• The browser, operating system and any assistive technology you were using, if you know them

You can send feedback by email, by telephone, or through our contact form, whichever is easiest for you. We acknowledge feedback in the same way it was received wherever possible, aim to respond within five business days, and will tell you what we intend to do and when. Feedback is accepted in accessible formats and with communication supports on request.

We assess accessibility through a combination of self-evaluation methods rather than relying on any single tool:

• Automated testing during development, which catches roughly a third of common issues
• Manual keyboard-only testing of every interactive component and page flow
• Screen reader testing, including tab order, landmark navigation and form error announcement
• Colour contrast verification of the design palette against WCAG ratios
• Zoom and reflow testing at 200 per cent and at narrow viewport widths
• Review of new content and components before publication

Automated tools alone cannot determine whether a website is accessible. Judgements about alternative text quality, reading order, link purpose and meaningful sequence require human review, so we do that work manually.

Accessibility is part of how we build rather than a task we complete. We review this website against our target standard as we make changes, we prepare for Ontario's expected move to WCAG 2.2, and we treat any barrier reported to us as a defect to be fixed rather than a request to be considered.

We apply the same approach to the websites, portals and applications we build for clients, and we can help your organization assess and remediate its own digital accessibility.

To report a barrier, request an accessible format or communication support, or ask a question about this statement, contact us using the details on this page. If you tell us which format works best for you, we will use it.