How this site is built to be used by everyone.

We design and build this site so that the same operational specifics — coverage, rates, regulations, contact paths — reach every reader. That means making the markup assistive-technology friendly, keeping contrast strong, supporting keyboard navigation, and naming controls clearly. When we miss something, we want to know so we can fix it.

Our target standard for this site is WCAG 2.1 Level AA. That’s the level the Ontario Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) and the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation (O. Reg. 191/11) call for on public websites. AA is what we work toward across every page; we don’t claim AAA on this site, and where a page falls short of AA on a specific point, we treat that as a bug to fix.

The site is built to a set of working rules that come straight out of the WCAG criteria, applied at the component level so the same accessibility properties land on every page that composes them:

• Semantic HTML. Real headings, lists, landmarks, and form elements — no divs pretending to be buttons. Each page section carries an aria-label; each form field is paired with a real label.
• Keyboard navigation. Every interactive element — links, buttons, the top navigation, in-page tabs, the contact modal — is reachable and operable from the keyboard alone. Visible focus rings on every focusable control, including a brand-coloured outline that meets contrast on both light and dark surfaces.
• Contrast. Body text on the beige page surface and inverse text on the dark surface both clear the WCAG AA contrast threshold for normal-weight text, with extra margin on heavier headings.
• Alt text on imagery. Photographic and illustrative images carry descriptive alternative text. Decorative-only imagery is hidden from assistive technology so screen readers don’t read meaningless filenames.
• Data widgets and infographics. SVG-based gauges, charts, timelines, and the coverage map use real <text> elements (not flattened graphics) so labels and figures are selectable and announced by screen readers. Each widget carries an aria-label summarizing what it shows.
• Responsive layout. The page is built to reflow cleanly across screen sizes from mobile to desktop without horizontal scrolling and without text being cut off at the standard 200% zoom level.
• Reduced motion. Animations on hover affordances and transitions respect the prefers-reduced-motion media query and disable themselves when the visitor has asked for less motion at the OS level.
• Plain language. Regulatory and product detail is translated into the vocabulary the reader actually uses, with the spec citations in the source-attribution footer rather than packed into the body prose. The goal is a page that reads at a comfortable measure for any reader, not a wall of jargon.

The site is in active development. New pages and new section components ship regularly, and a section that has just landed may have an accessibility gap that the next pass will catch. We’d rather flag this honestly than claim conformance we haven’t verified.

We currently do not provide a published accessibility audit. If you need formal conformance documentation for procurement or compliance purposes, reach out and we’ll tell you the current state in writing.

If a page on the site is in the way of what you’re trying to do, we can give you the same information another way. Call dispatch and we’ll send the relevant page content by email, talk it through on the phone, or arrange a paper copy. We don’t charge a premium to deliver information in an accessible format.

If something on this site doesn’t work for you, please tell us. Specific reports help most — the page you were on, what you tried to do, what happened, and what assistive technology or device you were using. Use the contact form on this site and write “Accessibility” in the message, or call dispatch during the workday at 519 743 3669. We’ll acknowledge the report and tell you what we plan to do about it.

We review this statement as the site evolves. When the build picks up a new accessibility feature, or when we close a gap we’d previously flagged, the page is updated and the effective date at the top moves with it.