PCL is committed to providing a barrier-free environment for our clients/customers, employees and other stakeholders who enter our premises or access our information. As an organization, we respect and uphold the requirements set forth under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (2005) and the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation.

Our organization has made a commitment to being increasingly accessible not only because it is a legal obligation, but also because it aligns with our values and Diversity, Equity and Inclusion priorities. We believe we have an important responsibility for ensuring a safe, dignified, and welcoming environment for everyone.

We are committed to ensuring our organization’s compliance with accessibility legislation by incorporating policies, procedures, and training for employees. Specifically, we are committed to:

• Ensuring that employees who develop policies, hire/manage staff and/or provide goods and services to customers are aware of the Human Rights Code and the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005.
• Ensuring that our employment practices including (but not limited to) recruitment, candidate evaluation, and selection provide accommodation as needed and that employees and applicants are aware that accommodation is available.
• Ensuring that we can provide accessible communication supports and information formats (both digital and non-digital) when required.
• Ensuring that our emergency response plan includes accommodations for any employee requiring it, and that these plans are available upon request.
• Ensuring that individual workplace accommodation plans are developed and implemented as required.
• Ensuring our compliance with the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation, including the development and implementation of a multi-year plan addressing how our company intends to continually improve in terms of accessibility for all.

PCL strives to meet the needs of its employees and customers with disabilities and is working hard to remove and prevent barriers to accessibility. Our company is committed to fulfilling its requirements under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act. This multi-year accessibility plan outlines the specific steps PCL is taking to improve opportunities for persons with disabilities and comply with the phased-in requirements of the AODA Regulations. PCL will review and update this accessibility plan at least every five years.

PCL has three offices in Ontario (Toronto, Ottawa, and Sudbury) and this plan covers all locations unless otherwise stated.

SECTION 1: PAST ACHIEVEMENTS TO REMOVE AND PREVENT BARRIERS

This section includes a summary of the accessibility initiatives PCL has implemented on or before January 1, 2024. 

1.     Customer Service

Provide accessible customer service

PCL has established policies, procedures and practices for providing goods and services to persons with disabilities, and posting these on its website.

PCL has provided training to all staff that interact, or may interact, with persons with disabilities on behalf of the company.

2.     Information and Communications

PCL has completed an assessment to identify barriers to its information and communications. PCL is committed to removing any barriers for people with disabilities when accessing our information and communications and will provide any information in an alternate format as needed.  Our feedback process will be used to help in identifying barriers going forward.  When an alternate accessible format and communication support is requested, the person with a disability will be consulted.

Provide accessible emergency and public safety information

Upon request, when a person requests information in an accessible format, PCL provides or arrange for the provision of accessible formats and communication supports to persons with disabilities in a timely manner, taking into account the person’s accessibility needs.

Provide accessible emergency information to staff

PCL’s emergency plans have been reviewed and revised to ensure accessibility requirements for employees with disabilities are addressed. Individual accommodation plans are developed for employees with disabilities as soon as practicable after becoming aware of the need for accommodation.

Create accessibility policies and a multi-year plan

The company has assessed its current policies, practices and procedures, premises, access to services, and information and communication systems to identify barriers for persons with disabilities. PCL has established, implemented and maintained this Multi-Year Accessibility Plan that outlines our strategy to prevent and remove barriers for persons with disabilities that are employed by, or engaged in any way with, our business. 

The Multi-Year Accessibility Plan will be reviewed at least once every five years.   We provide the plan in an accessible format upon request and it is posted on our organization’s website, pcl.com. 

Make websites accessible

PCL’s websites, both internal and external, conform to World Wide Web Consortium Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0 Level AA (except for live captions and pre-recorded audio descriptions)..

Make it easy for people with disabilities to provide feedback

Customers and employees are able to provide feedback in a variety of ways such as email, on-line, phone and by mail. We are committed to responding promptly and fully to remove barriers for any customer or employees with a disability that prevents him/her from accessing our services.

Make your public information accessible when asked

Upon request, PCL provides or arranges for provision of accessible formats and communication supports to persons with disability in a timely manner, considering the person’s accessibility needs.

3.     Employment

PCL supports the expansion of its labour pool and is committed to ensuring that hiring practices allow applicants with disabilities to apply for any jobs for which they are qualified. Job postings explicitly notify any potential applicant that accommodation during the application and interview process are available.

Make your employment practices accessible

Recruitment

PCL has assessed its recruitment policies, practices and procedures, methods and attitudes to identify and remove barriers to employment of people with disabilities. To meet compliance and to remove barriers to persons with disabilities in recruitment, PCL has:

• implemented the practice of advising applicants that accommodation is available;
• consulted with any applicant that requests it to arrange for the provision of a suitable accommodation in a manner that takes into account the applicant’s accessibility needs;
• ensured that Hiring Managers are aware of the rights of applicants with disabilities under the Human Rights Code; and
• provided unconscious bias training for hiring managers and HRPD professionals.

Support Information for Employees

PCL ensures that information provided to employees is accessible and considers any individual’s specific needs. To meet compliance and to remove barriers to persons with disabilities, PCL has:

• kept employees up to date on changes to policies;
• provided accessible formats and communication supports to any employee upon request; and
• consulted with the  employee to provide an accessible format and communication support for information that is needed in order to perform the employee's job and information that is generally available to employees in the workplace.

Individualized Plans for Employees

PCL is committed to the development and implementation of individualized plans (e.g., Accommodation Plan, Return to Work Plan) to accommodate a disability of any type and duration. To meet compliance and remove barriers to persons with disabilities PCL works with a third-party provider that:

• allows the employee requesting accommodation to participate in the development of the plan;
• includes in the process the means by which the employee is assessed on an individual basis;
• provides an individualized accommodation plan in writing to any employee with a disability;
• provides an individualized Return to Work Plan in writing for any employee who has been absent from work due to a disability and requires disability related accommodations to return to work;
• takes steps to protect the privacy of the employee's personal information;
• outlines the frequency in which individual accommodation plans will be reviewed and updated and the manner in which it will be done;
• provides the employee with the reasons for the denial if the individual accommodation plan is denied; and
• provides any individualized workplace emergency response information.

Performance Assessment, Career Development & Advancement, and Redeployment

PCL has incorporated new accessibility requirements under the employment standard to ensure that any barriers to fair practices in performance assessment, career development and career advancement are eliminated. PCL has taken the accessibility needs of employees with disabilities and their individualized accommodation plans into account when assessing performance and managing career development.

4.     Procurement

Not required for the public sector.

5.     Self-service Kiosks

Consider accessibility when purchasing or designing self-service kiosks

PCL does not utilize self-service kiosks at this time.  If it does so in the future, accessibility features will be taken into account.

6.     Training

Train your staff on Ontario’s accessibility laws

PCL provides training on the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities to all employees who interact with actual and potential customers including training on the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation and the Human Rights Code as it pertains to persons with disabilities. PCL has also posted a memo to all staff on our intranet, communicating the requirements of the IASR and welcomes questions.  A record of the dates when training is provided and the number of individuals to whom it was provided has been maintained.

As part of PCL’s organizational ethics program, training on the Human Rights Code is provided to employees every 3 years. Human Resource staff have been trained on the requirements of the AODA and IASR standards s, along with all AODA related training provided to any employees, is recorded and tracked.

7.     Compliance Reports

File an Accessibility Compliance Report

PCL filed accessibility compliance reports by the deadlines of December 31, 2014 and December 31, 2017. See the next section for future compliance report deadlines.

8.     Public Spaces

Make new or redeveloped public spaces accessible

PCL always takes a proactive approach to ensure a good safety culture. We will continue to work with our Health and Safety Committee to make sure our physical environment is inspected so that it is safe for all employees including those with disabilities. PCL has limited public spaces within its control.

Should other service counters, waiting areas or other public spaces within PCL’s control be constructed or significantly renovated, the requirements of the IASR will be followed. As PCL’s public spaces currently, only capture reception desks and waiting areas, any preventative or emergency maintenance is not expected to be for any significant length of time. Should preventative or emergency maintenance of the accessible elements in PCL’s public spaces be required, depending on the severity, signs directing people to an appropriate secondary area will be placed. Similarly, should any accessible elements be disrupted temporarily, appropriate signage will be placed. PCL’s front-line staff (e.g., the receptionist and office manager) has been advised of this requirement.

SECTION 2: STRATEGIES AND ACTIONS

The majority of the requirements under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act have been met at this time. Next steps include:

1.     Customer Service

Assess PCL’s policies, practices and procedures on an ongoing basis at least as often as this Multi Year Accessibility Plan is updated to ensure that they remain compliant.

2.     Information and Communications

Continue providing information in accessible formats upon request and ensure all websites and web content conforms to WCAG 2.0 Level AA other than success criteria 1 .2.4 Captions (Live) and success criteria 1 .2.5 Audio Descriptions (Pre-recorded).

3.     Employment

To continue its support of the expansion of its labour pool and its commitment to ensuring that hiring practices allow applicants with disabilities to apply for any jobs for which they are qualified, PCL will review its hiring practices at least as often as this Multi Year Accessibility Plan is updated and is committed to ensuring that hiring practices allow applicants with disabilities to apply for any jobs for which they are qualified.  PCL will continue to ensure that information provided to employees is accessible and takes into account any individual’s specific needs, including providing individualized plans (e.g., return to work, performance assessment, career development and advancement etc.).

4.     Procurement

Not required for private sector.

5.     Self-service Kiosks

PCL does not utilize self-service kiosks at this time.  If it does so in the future, accessibility features will be taken into account.

6.     Training

Training will re-occur when there are changes to the accessibility policies. PCL will review its training at least as often as this Multi Year Accessibility Plan is updated in order to identify if there is a need for any updates with regards to additional information pertaining to disabilities.

7.     Compliance Reports

Future compliance reports are due by December 31, 2023.

8.     Public Spaces

PCL always takes a proactive approach to ensure a good safety culture. We will continue to work with our Health and Safety Committee to make sure our physical environment is inspected so that it is safe for all employees including those with disabilities. At the present time, PCL does not plan on developing or redeveloping any of its public, as defined in the Integrated Accessibility Standards.  However, should PCL move forward with any initiatives, this policy and plan will be revised to include the requirements hereunder and how we will achieve compliance.