How the AODA Relates to Federal and Other Provincial Accessibility Laws in Canada

Updated

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) is one of several accessibility laws in Canada, not the only one. Ontario, Manitoba, Nova Scotia, British Columbia, and Newfoundland all have laws that mandate the creation of provincial accessibility standards, while the Accessible Canada Act sets standards for organizations under federal jurisdiction. The Government of Canada intends to coordinate federal and provincial accessibility laws, and the third review of the AODA recommends that Ontario align its law with other provinces and the federal government. If that coordination moves forward, the AODA's standards development process may change to match laws elsewhere in the country.

Canada's accessibility laws are not a single system

Canada has multiple, separate accessibility standards development processes running in parallel. According to the AODA website, provincial laws requiring accessibility standards exist in:

  • Ontario
  • Manitoba
  • Nova Scotia
  • British Columbia
  • Newfoundland

Alongside these provincial regimes, the Accessible Canada Act mandates accessibility standards that apply to organizations under federal jurisdiction. That means whether a given organization falls under the AODA or the federal law depends on which level of government has jurisdiction over it — a distinction that matters for compliance planning.

Why coordination is on the table

The Government of Canada intends to coordinate federal and provincial accessibility laws. The third review of the AODA recommends that the Ontario government support this aim by aligning the AODA with the laws of other provinces and the country.

The stated rationale is practical: if governments work together to make these laws more similar, the AODA standards development process may change to align with laws in other places across the country. For organizations operating in more than one province, or in both provincial and federally regulated areas, closer alignment would reduce the number of different rule sets they need to track.

What alignment could mean for AODA standards

The AODA already has requirements for web accessibility, as well as requirements for the procurement of self-service kiosks. The third review recommends that future AODA standards align with existing standards elsewhere in the country.

One concrete example the site gives: Accessibility Standards Canada (ASC) has adopted European standards for accessibility in information and communication technology (ICT). Future AODA standards may include some or all of these guidelines and requirements to make ICT products and services more accessible.

The AODA site's "Latest Headlines" section illustrates the direction this could take, with articles exploring federal standards in areas such as:

  • Accessibility in information and technology
  • Accessible relay services and emergency services
  • Accessible documentation
  • Accessible software
  • Accessible webpages and documents

These are exploratory articles about federal standards, not current AODA requirements. They indicate where AODA standards could move if alignment proceeds, not what Ontario organizations must do today.

What this means if you're trying to comply

  • If you are Ontario-regulated, the AODA as it currently stands — including its web accessibility and self-service kiosk procurement requirements — is your governing framework. Alignment is a recommendation under review, not a change already in force.
  • If you operate in multiple provinces or under federal jurisdiction, expect to work with more than one accessibility regime. The AODA site's framing suggests these regimes may become more similar over time, but they are separate today.
  • If you build ICT products, software, or documents, the federal direction toward European ICT standards is worth watching, since the third review recommends future AODA standards align with existing standards in other parts of the country.

For the current state of requirements, the AODA itself and its existing standards remain the reference point; the federal alignment discussion is a forward-looking proposal described in the third review.