Multi-Year Accessibility Plan

This Multi-Year Accessibility Plan outlines the policies and actions that Niagara River Trading Company has implemented to ensure compliance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA). This current plan was last updated in April 2023 and will be reviewed and updated at least once every 5 years.

Our Commitment

Niagara River Trading Company always strives to provide its goods and services in a way that respects the dignity and independence of people with disabilities. We are fully committed to providing people with disabilities with the same opportunities to access goods and services. Niagara River Trading Company aims to ensure that people with disabilities benefit from the same services, while complying with existing regulations, AODA, and its existing timelines. Niagara River Trading Company is fully committed to fostering an inclusive, equitable, and accessible environment where all employees can feel valued, respected and, most of all, supported. We strongly believe in integration and equal opportunities. We work hard to meet the needs of all people with disabilities in a timely manner and do so by preventing and removing barriers to accessibility and meeting accessibility requirements under Ontario's accessibility laws. Our organization will continue to fulfill its requirements under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) to have an accessible Ontario by 2025.

Accessibility Initiatives and Strategies

The following is a summary of the accessibility initiatives and strategies that we have implemented to prevent and/or remove barriers and to meet AODA requirements. As part of our comment to making Ontario a more accessible province for Ontarians, Niagara River Trading Company implements, monitors and reviews its accessibility plan to comply with accessibility laws.

Information & Communication

At Niagara River Trading Company, service is provided in a way that allows persons with disabilities to maintain self-respect and the respect of other people. Niagara River Trading Company always communicates with an employee or customer with a disability in a manner that takes into consideration their disability.

Achievements:

Requests for an alternative format can be made through the same methods as our Feedback process. When an alternative format is requested, we will work with the person with a disability to understand the specific need and make all reasonable efforts to provide the agreed-upon format.
Niagara River Trading Company is committed to ensuring that all websites and working programs avoid small print size, low colour contrast between text and background, and the use of language that isn't clear or easy to understand, which in some cases can cause problems for people with disabilities.
Niagara River Trading Company provides elevated housekeeping practices to ensure that clutter is cleared from its facilities to make sure that people with disabilities can circulate safely and with ease.
Emergency procedures, plans, and information are posted on our information bulletin board and can also be made available in accessible format and include communication support, upon request.
Niagara River Trading will work directly with its internal and external web developers to ensure they meet the WCAG 2.0 Level AA standards on websites.

Actions planned:

All reportable emergency evacuations are reviewed by the appropriate departments for potential improvements to procedures.

Recruitment & Employment

Even prior to being hired, Niagara River Trading recruiters offer accommodation to help applicants with a disability to be successful during the interview process. Once hired, employees receive training, if necessary, in a manner that considers the new hire's disability. Employees with disabilities who have shared their disability with a management representative will be provided with individualized workplace emergency response information as necessary and an individual accommodation plan, following the existing procedure.

Achievements:

Hired internal Human Resources personnel who are trained and knowledgeable on accessibility needs, accommodation, and applicable human rights laws.
On all job postings, we state, “Niagara River Trading Company is an equal opportunity employer that embraces diversity in the workplace and encourages applications from qualified women, men, visible minorities, aboriginal peoples, and persons with disabilities. We are committed to providing accommodation throughout the interview and employment process for needs that are made known.”
During our phone screening process, we inform applicants that accommodation is available.
If an applicant with a disability is successfully hired, Niagara River Trading Company will develop an individual accommodation plan that takes into consideration their disability, as needed.
We have in place a process that takes into consideration an employee's disability and their individual accommodation plan prior to managing performance, career development or redeployment.

Actions planned:

Our existing accommodation policies will be reviewed on a regular basis and procedures may be updated to facilitate the process, as needed.

Emergency & Preventative Maintenance

Niagara River Trading Company provides accessible elements for persons with disabilities in their establishments, such as the wide emergency exits and accessible washrooms. These elements are maintained as per our existing policy.

Achievements:

Regular preventative maintenance is performed, including accessible parking spaces.
Should new accessible elements be added, we will update our Emergency and Preventative Maintenance Procedures.
To ensure all future developments meet the design of public spaces, ownership and managers will be required to inform the Niagara River Trading Company Human Resources team of all upcoming redevelopments, to facilitate internal audits.

Customer Service

Niagara River Trading Company is committed to complying with all requirements under the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service. Niagara River Trading Company strives to meet and surpass customer expectations while ensuring members with disabilities have the same opportunity to benefit from our goods and services.

All customer and employee feedback pertaining to accessibility is reviewed by the Human Resources team for potential improvements.

Training

Here at Niagara River Trading Company, service is provided in a way that allows persons with disabilities to benefit from the same services in the same or similar way as other customers, unless an alternative measure is necessary to enable those persons to access goods or services. We ensure that our employees are trained to respect and allow persons with disabilities to do things on their own without unnecessary help or interference from others.

Achievements:

Training on the AODA Standards has been provided. The training consists of the following:
- Information and communication standards
- How to interact and communicate with persons with various types of disability
- How to interact with persons with disabilities who use an assistive device or require the assistance of a service animal or a support person
All documents can be made available in an accessible format and communication support provided, in a timely manner, upon request.

Actions planned:

Whenever an amendment is made or a deadline is approaching, the policies, forms and training will be reviewed and updated, as needed.

Compliance

To remain compliant with the AODA, Niagara River Trading Company will continue to provide goods and services in a way that respects the dignity and independence of people with disabilities. We will ensure that people with disabilities can benefit from the same goods and services, while complying with existing regulations, the Accessibility Standard Regulation, and established timelines. We will do so by preventing and removing barriers to accessibility and meeting accessibility requirements under Ontario's accessibility laws.

Achievements:

Niagara River Trading Company completed the last compliance report in December 2023
This Multi-Year Accessibility Plan was last updated in April 2023

Actions planned:

Niagara River Trading will complete the next compliance report in December 2024