Staff Report #6 – 2026-2030 Accessibility Plan

Staff Report #6

November 17, 2025

To All Commissioners

Re: 2026-2030 Accessibility Plan

Recommendation

That the Commission:

  1. APPROVE the 2026-2030 Accessibility Plan as set out in Enclosure I; and
  2. DIRECT Administration to post the 2026-2030 Accessibility Plan on the Commission website

Background

Consistent with the requirements of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) regulations, the Commission’s Accessibility Plan is scheduled for update. There are a number of specific requirements set out in the AODA regulations regarding Accessibility Plans, those which apply to the Commission are set out below.

Excerpts from Regulation 191 – Integrated Accessibility Regulation

Accessibility plans

4. (1) The Government of Ontario, Legislative Assembly, designated public sector organizations and large organizations shall,

(a) establish, implement, maintain and document a multi-year accessibility plan, which outlines the organization’s strategy to prevent and remove barriers and meet its requirements under this Regulation;

(b) post the accessibility plan on their website, if any, and provide the plan in an accessible format upon request; and

(c) review and update the accessibility plan at least once every five years. O. Reg. 191/11, s. 4 (1).

(2) The Government of Ontario, Legislative Assembly and designated public sector organizations shall establish, review and update their accessibility plans in consultation with persons with disabilities and if they have established an accessibility advisory committee, they shall consult with the committee. O. Reg. 191/11, s. 4 (2).

(3) The Government of Ontario, Legislative Assembly and designated public sector organizations shall,

(a) prepare an annual status report on the progress of measures taken to implement the strategy referenced in clause (1) (a), including steps taken to comply with this Regulation; and

(b) post the status report on their website, if any, and provide the report in an accessible format upon request. O. Reg. 191/11, s. 4 (3); O. Reg. 413/12, s. 3 (1).

(3.1) An upper-tier municipality and any lower-tier municipalities that form part of it for municipal purposes may prepare a joint accessibility plan and a joint annual status report. O. Reg. 413/12, s. 3 (2).

(3.2) A joint accessibility plan and a joint annual status report prepared in accordance with subsection (3.1) are deemed to be the accessibility plan and annual status report of each municipality to which they apply and subsections (2) and (3) apply, with necessary modifications, where municipalities prepare a joint accessibility plan and a joint annual status report. O. Reg. 413/12, s. 3 (2).

Accessibility plans, conventional transportation services

41. (1) In addition to the accessibility plan requirements set out in section 4, in their accessibility plan, conventional transportation service providers shall identify the process for managing, evaluating and taking action on customer feedback. O. Reg. 191/11, s. 41 (1).

(2) Every conventional transportation service provider shall annually hold at least one public meeting involving persons with disabilities to ensure that they have an opportunity to participate in a review of the accessibility plan and that they are given the opportunity to provide feedback on the accessibility plan. O. Reg. 191/11, s. 41 (2).

(3) If the provider of conventional transportation services also provides specialized transportation services, the transportation service provider shall address both types of transportation services in its accessibility plan. O. Reg. 191/11, s. 41 (3).

Accessibility plans, specialized transportation services

42. (1) Specialized transportation service providers shall, in their accessibility plans,

(a) identify the process for estimating the demand for specialized transportation services; and

(b) develop steps to reduce wait times for specialized transportation services. O. Reg. 191/11, s. 42 (1).

Accessibility plans, conventional and specialized transportation services

43. (1) Conventional transportation service providers and specialized transportation service providers shall, in their accessibility plans, describe their procedures for dealing with accessibility equipment failures on their respective types of vehicles. O. Reg. 191/11, s. 43 (1).

A review of the initiatives included in the previous plan is the first step in the creation of the next plan, noting that any initiatives that were deferred or not completed will be carried forward into the next plan. In addition to the review of the previous Plan, stakeholder engagement sessions for the 2024-2027 Business Plan included discussion around the accessibility of the conventional and specialized services, and a number of recommendations for initiatives for the next Accessibility Plan were identified. Additionally, the public was asked to provide feedback through drop-in sessions on November 6 and an online survey. A summary of the feedback gathered during public consultation and survey is set out in the following table.

Summary of Feedback from Public Consultation

Standard Section % Satisfied Recommendations from Respondents
General 78%
  • enhanced training for employees
  • communication of expectations for priority seating area
  • better snow clearing at bus stops
Information & Communication 77%
  • consider methods of communication for those without access to technology
  • increased communication options for riders (e.g. direct email)
Customer Service 74%
  • enhanced training for employees
  • clarity around transport of service animals on lifts
  • Increased access to information regarding service interruptions
Employment 88%
  • None provided
Transportation 84%
  • None provided
Conventional Transit 78%
  • increase service levels to alleviate crowding
  • snow clearing at bus stops
Specialized Transit 85%
  • assess booking window
  • review policies on bags and assistance with same
Public Spaces 88%
  • accessible sidewalks at bus stops

The recommendations that were included through the survey and drop in sessions have been incorporated into the recommended initiatives included in the 2026-2030 Accessibility Plan where applicable. In addition to feedback directly relating to each of the areas of the AODA Standards, respondents were asked to identify the draft initiatives that were their highest priority. This feedback was utilized to schedule the various initiatives over the five year horizon of the Plan. This plan was shared with the Accessible Public Transit Service Advisory Committee at their November 11, 2025 meeting for discussion. As set out in Communication #1, dated November 17, 2025, the only recommendation stemming from this discussion was the Committee’s support of the initiative to assess additional methods of communication with registrants of the specialized service which is scheduled to occur in 2026.

As set out in the report recommendation, subsequent to Commission approval of the 2026-2030 Accessibility Plan, it will be posted on the Commission website in compliance with the AODA requirements.

Enclosure

I – 2026-2030 Accessibility Plan

Recommended by:

Katie Burns, Director of Planning

Shawn Wilson, Director of Operations

David Butler, Manager of Operations Administration

Craig Morneau, Director of Fleet & Facilities

Joanne Galloway, Director of Human Resources

Caroline Roy, Manager of Corporate Communications

Mike Gregor, Director of Finance

Concurred in by:

Kelly S. Paleczny, General Manager