The
start of the new year brought with it new compliance standards under the Integrated
Accessibility Standards Requlation of the Accessibility
for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (“AODA”). As of January 1, 2017, small
organizations will have to ensure that they comply with the applicable
provisions of the Accessible Employment Standards, which focus on the
recruitment and ongoing support of employees with disabilities.
Reporting Obligations
Small organizations need not
file an accessibility report with respect to these compliance requirements.
Small organizations with between twenty (20) and fifty (50) employees will
still need to file accessibility compliance reports with respect to their
obligations under the Customer Service Standards.
Penalties for Non-Compliance
An AODA Director may levy
penalties against organizations of any size that fail to comply with their
obligations under the AODA, including the Accessible Employment Standard.
Penalties range from $200 – $2,000 for individuals and unincorporated
organizations. Corporations may be assessed penalties between $500 and $15,000.
A major contravention of AODA obligations may attract a daily penalty of
$100,000 for corporations and $50,000 for individuals and unincorporated
organizations where there the entity has a prior history of major
contraventions.
What are some
unique issues that small organization have to deal with in terms of
accessibility?
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 orsandra_broekhof@sympatico.ca
No comments:
Post a Comment