Advocates accuse Ontario for failing to meet accessibility deadline

On the first day of the new year, the government of Premier Doug Ford is being accused of failing millions of people in the province.

The provincial government had set today as its goal to make Ontario fully accessible for people with disabilities, but disability advocates say that hasn’t happened. January 1st, 2025, is the government’s own deadline, but advocates for people with disabilities say the province is a long way from meeting its goal.

Whether it’s wheelchair accessibility, information accessibility through captions, or accessibility for people with vision issues, across a whole range of issues, advocates for the disabled say the government is nowhere near its goal.

The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act was passed in 2005 to develop, implement, and enforce accessibility standards in goods, services, facilities, accommodation, employment, buildings, and more “on or before January 1, 2025.

The legislation came under the Liberal governments of Dalton McGuinty and Kathleen Wynne, and now under Conservative Premier Doug Ford.

Advocates say none of them did what needed to be done to meet the goal. They say the government’s thinking has to change.  It hasn’t updated or enforced accessibility standards, and things have gotten worse.

They say the lack of accessibility affects more than three million people with disabilities—and possibly more in a world where anyone can face a disability at any time.

They’re calling on the government to talk to people with disabilities to get their input on what should be done and benefit from their experiences. They suggest setting a new deadline for full accessibility, although even another five years may not be enough.

CHCH News reached out to the province Wednesday for their response but didn’t hear back.