Food Banks Canada’s Multi-Year Accessibility Plan (2026-2031)
Statement of Commitment & Context
Food Banks Canada is committed to maintaining accessibility compliance and continuing to meet the needs of people with disabilities. This Multi-Year Accessibility Plan outlines how the organization will sustain existing accessibility practices, monitor compliance, and make routine updates where needed from 2026 through 2031. The organization will maintain its accessibility policies, training, and practices, and will continue to remove barriers where identified. This plan focuses on sustaining compliance, reviewing current practices, and responding to accessibility needs in a timely manner. The plan supports ongoing alignment with applicable accessibility requirements, including the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA) and the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation (IASR).
General Requirements: Training & Policies
Current Status: Our written policies are fully compliant and all current staff have completed mandatory accessibility training.
Maintenance & Prevention Strategy (2026–2031):
- Onboarding: We will maintain our Human Resources workflow to ensure all new hires complete mandatory accessibility training within their first 30 days of employment.
- Policy Audits: Our Human Resources team will review internal policies, including our accessibility policies, annually to ensure they remain current, compliant align with the latest provincial updates.
Target Date: Ongoing; evaluated annually.
Customer Service
Current Status: Food Banks Canada’s policy outlines that we will communicate with people in ways that take their disability into account, welcome the use of assistive devices, support persons, and service animals where applicable, and provide notice of temporary disruptions that may affect access to services or resources.
Maintenance & Prevention Strategy (2026–2031):
- Policy Audits: Our Human Resources team will review our accessibility policies and practices annually to ensure they remain current, compliant align with the latest provincial updates.
Target Date: Ongoing; evaluated annually.
Information and Communications Standards
Current Status: Our public website fully conforms to Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 Level AA standards.
Maintenance & Prevention Strategy (2026–2031):
- Automated Web Scanning: To ensure new blog posts, software updates, or landing pages do not introduce new digital barriers, we will run automated accessibility compliance scans on our website quarterly.
- Accessible Document Design: We will maintain our standard operating procedure requiring all public-facing documents to be formatted with clear heading structures, high color contrast, and continue work towards ensuring all images include descriptive alternative text (Alt-Text).
- Communication Channels: We will ensure our primary feedback forms remain permanently accessible and monitored for any alternative format requests (e.g., requests for plain-text or audio transcripts) [AODA].
Target Date: Reviewed annually.
Employment Standards
Current Status: Our recruitment and performance processes are fully accessible and can support accommodations as required.
Maintenance & Prevention Strategy (2026–2031):
- Job Posting Enforcement: We will maintain explicit, mandatory language on 100% of our external job boards stating that virtual accommodations (such as live captioning for interviews or extended assessment times) are available upon request.
- Virtual Workplace Tools: We will ensure that our primary cloud communication tools remain configured to allow automated live captioning, keyboard-only navigation, and screen-reader compatibility for all internal team meetings.
- Accommodation Hardware/Software: We will maintain a budget to provide remote employees with specialized assistive technologies upon a formal accommodation request.
- Individualized Remote Emergency Plans: We will review individualized safety protocols with remote employees who have disclosed disabilities to ensure they have adequate personal evacuation or emergency backup plans in their residential workspaces.
Target Date: Reviewed annually or as new and/or updated accommodations are disclosed.
Design of Public Spaces (Physical Built Environment)
Current Status: Food Banks Canadadoes not occupy physical offices or face-to-face service counters.
- Maintenance & Prevention Strategy (2026–2031):
- Off-Site & Co-Working Events: If our remote team occasionally gathers for optional in-person strategy sessions, retreats, or co-working days, our event coordinators will ensure that third-party venues provide verified step-free building access, accessible restrooms, and clear physical pathways.
Target Date: Enforced for all physical corporate gatherings.
Contact, Feedback, & Document Requests
We actively welcome feedback on our accessibility plan. If you have questions about this plan, wish to report a concern, or require this document in an alternative accessible format (such as large print, audio recording, or a clean HTML file), please reach out to us:
- Email Address: info@foodbankscanada.ca
- Mailing Address: Food Banks Canada, 77 City Centre Dr. Suite 501, Mississauga, ON L5B 1M5
Monitoring, Reporting, and Review
Food Banks Canada will monitor this plan through periodic review of policies, training records, accessibility feedback, accessible format requests, and public-facing content. Updates will be made as needed to maintain compliance and support consistent accessibility practices. This plan will be reviewed at least once every five years and may be revised earlier if legal or operational changes require it.
Approved by leadership : April 2026
Next Scheduled review date: April 2031
