S.C. 2019, c. 10; Accessible Canada Regulations (SOR/2021-241)
For federally regulated organizations in Canada working out what the Accessible Canada Act expects in plans and published content. This page covers what you need to know and ways to avoid running into issues.
What we've seen reported
The Accessible Canada Act, S.C. 2019, c. 10, aims for a barrier-free Canada by January 1, 2040. With its regulations, it has federally regulated organizations prepare and publish accessibility plans, feedback process descriptions and progress reports.1,2
Last updated October 2026 · General information only, not legal advice. Sources.
What the rules cover
These are the publishing requirements the Accessible Canada Act and the Accessible Canada Regulations describe, according to ESDC's summary of the regulations, and where each is described as applying.2,3
| Requirement | Where it applies |
|---|---|
| Accessibility plan | Organizations: published every three years, prepared in consultation with persons with disabilities. |
| Required plan headings | "General", each priority area of the Act as needed, and "Consultations". |
| Feedback process description | Published, with mail, phone and email routes and the job position that receives feedback. |
| Progress reports | Due on the first and second anniversary of each plan deadline, with a "Feedback" heading. |
| Where the documents are published | Online, reached from the home page, directly or by hyperlink, and meeting WCAG level AA. |
| Alternate formats on request | Print, large print, Braille, audio and electronic, within 15 to 45 days. |
| Notice to the Accessibility Commissioner | Within 48 hours of publishing each plan, feedback description or report. |
| Organizations with fewer than 10 employees | Exempt from the planning, feedback and reporting rules. |
Where it goes wrong
One approved set of product information ends up in many channels, markets and languages. Along the way it gets shortened, translated and reworded, and some versions end up without the warnings or details these rules require.
Heldan Bank accessibility statement, with a link to the 2026 accessibility plan and the feedback contact
How Arbitr helps
Manually review everything? Or do what modern teams do and use AI to check that what you publish matches what you approved.
FAQ
Further than the accessibility page. ESDC's summary describes plans, feedback descriptions and progress reports reached from the home page,3 and we usually find links and contact details for them in:
Treat the link to the current plan and the feedback contact as approved wording that changes on a schedule. A new plan every three years, with reports in between, means old links survive in apps, PDFs and templates. When a new document is published, check every place the old one was linked, in English and French. More on checking at scale is on our content checks page.
Keep one record per document: the approved version, its publication date, where it's linked from, when the Accessibility Commissioner was notified, and any alternate-format requests and when they were answered. ESDC describes a seven-year keeping period for plans and reports,3 so that record stays useful for a long time.
How it applies to a specific plan is a question for your legal adviser. Where that plan appears across your markets and languages is a question Arbitr answers.
More than HR and facilities. Web, app, communications, customer service and branch teams all publish the plan link or feedback contact, and translators produce the French versions. Related rules are on our accessibility hub, including the European Accessibility Act for teams also selling in the EU.
By December 31, 2022 for federal government entities, June 1, 2023 for businesses with 100 or more employees, and June 1, 2024 for those with 10 to 99, according to ESDC's summary of the regulations.3
They're separate laws. The Accessible Canada Act covers organizations under federal responsibility, such as banks and airlines, according to ESDC.3 The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act is an Ontario law, listed on our accessibility hub.
Arbitr checks your content against the rules, claims and terms your team has approved, and reports where something doesn't match, by channel, market and language. It reports matches against your rules, not legal verdicts. What to do with each one stays with your team.
