Manitoba customer service accessibility standard

The Manitoba Customer Service Accessibility Standard (CSAS) under the Accessibility for Manitobans Act (AMA) comes into effect November 1, 2015. The CSAS requires all of Manitoba’s public, private and non-profit organizations with one or more employees that provide goods or services directly to the public or to another organization in Manitoba, to establish and implement measures, policies and practices to remove barriers for access to the goods or services it provides.
There are different timelines for organizations to meet the standard:

• The Manitoba government to comply within one year: November 1, 2016
• The public sector to comply within two years: November 1, 2017
• Private and non-profit organizations to comply within three years: November 1, 2018

Accessible customer service standard “is provided when all persons who are reasonably expected to seek to obtain, use or benefit from a good or service have the same opportunity to obtain, use or benefit from the good or service. (source Customer Service Standard Regulations)”
These measures, policies and practices must also meet the requirements and obligations under the Manitoba Human Rights Code.

This is similar to Ontario’s Customer Service Standard, How can Ontario help in compliance?

If you are interested in learning more about Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) or how to make accessibility a natural part of your business through the application of Corporate Social Responsibility, please contact Sandra Broekhof @ 416-579-1035 or sandra_broekhof@sympatico.ca