Notifying regulatory and enforcement authorities

From: Employment and Social Development Canada

Under the Accessible Canada Act (ACA), all organizations must notify the Accessibility Commissioner within 48 hours after they publish a progress report.

Some organizations may fall under additional regulations made by the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission (CRTC) or the Canadian Transportation Agency (CTA). This means that some organizations may also have to notify the CRTC or the CTA when they publish a progress report. They may also have different deadlines by which they must do so.

• For organizations that must notify both the Accessibility Commissioner and the CRTC:
  • organizations that carry on broadcasting undertakings: read sections 42 to 50 of the ACA
  • organizations that are Canadian carriers or telecommunications service providers: read sections 51 to 59 of the ACA
  • read the Canadian Radio-television and Telecommunications Commission Accessibility Reporting Regulations
  • read the Accessible Canada Regulations
• For organizations that must notify both the Accessibility Commissioner and the CTA:
  • organizations that are part of the federal transportation network: read sections 60 to 68 of the ACA
  • read the Accessible Transportation Planning and Reporting Regulations
  • read the Accessible Canada Regulations
• For all other organizations, that must notify only the Accessibility Commissioner:
  • read sections 69 to 72 of the ACA
  • read the Accessible Canada Regulations

Note: Organizations notifying both the Accessibility Commissioner and either the CRTC or the CTA do not have to prepare and publish a separate report for each. They may wish to prepare and publish a single report that meets the requirements set by all authorities. The benefits of publishing a single progress report include:

• consuming less time and resources to prepare and publish progress reports
• ensuring consistency in the way different parts of the organization measure progress, regardless of which authorities they must notify
• ensuring consistency in how all parts of the organization identify, remove, and prevent barriers
• making it easier for employees, clients, persons with disabilities at large, and others to find and read the organization’s progress report