Committee receives update on City’s accessibility plans

The Finance and Corporate Services Committee today received an update on the City’s provincial and federal accessibility plans and its commitment to ensuring the accessibility of all programs, services, goods and facilities. The City continues to be fully compliant with all applicable requirements under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, with two exceptions: accessible websites and web content under the Information and Communication Standard, and exterior paths of travel under the Design of Public Spaces Standard. More than 90 per cent of the City’s web pages are fully compliant with the Act and more than 80 per cent of its PDF files are fully accessible. The City has 69 public-facing web applications and websites, which are owned and maintained by various departments. Only 50 per cent of these are compliant. The City will continue to work with departments and third-party service providers to ensure these pages and applications are compliant with provincial regulations by December 31, 2025. In terms of the Design of Public Spaces Standard, there were 99 traffic control measures installed since 2016, including all-way stops, pedestrian crossovers and crossing guard programs, did not fully comply with the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation when implemented. All locations will be made compliant by 2029 with measures such as curb ramps, depressed curbs and tactile walking surface indicators. Since they were identified, 10 locations have been updated and 10 more are being updated in 2025. The Accessibility Office is continuing to work with other departments and Information Technology Services, responding to Council’s request to provide detailed information on the accessibility features of the City’s parks. All new or retrofitted park construction meets or exceeds current accessibility standards, including accessible routes, inclusive play areas, restroom facilities, seating, signage and parking. The City is looking to develop a searchable database of accessible park amenities to make it easier for residents to access the information. OC Transpo is continuing efforts to meet new federal Accessible Canada Act requirements. Measures include acquiring new accessible buses, improving Para Transpo services including booking options, and making bus stations and stops more accessible with better infrastructure and wayfinding signs. The Committee also received an overview of purchases greater than $25,000 made by the City in 2024. Most goods and services the City purchased supported the local economy, with 91 per cent of all competitively purchased goods and services being from local businesses and 99 per cent of contracts were awarded to suppliers with a Canadian address. Last year, the City spent $2.31 billion on purchasing goods and services, and nearly $1.99 billion of those were purchased using a competitive process. Last year, the City spent $2.31 billion on purchasing goods and services, and nearly $1.99 billion of those were purchased using a competitive process. The City has also integrated sustainability into its procurement decisions, with 99.7 per cent of purchases incorporating sustainability criteria. Overall, the City has been pleased with the services and goods received and 97 per cent of vendors evaluated under the vendor performance management program received satisfactory scores for performance. These items will rise to Council on Wednesday, May 14. Related topics

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