Accessibility
Accessibility in the Township
The Township of Alnwick/Haldimand is dedicated to removing barriers and preventing new barriers that could potentially prohibit or prevent any individual from participating in community life.
The Province of Ontario has developed accessibility standards for all private, public, voluntary and not-for-profit organizations, including the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005.
2026-2031 Multi-Year Accessibility Plan
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The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2001 mandates that the Township must establish, implement, maintain and document a Multi-Year Accessibility Plan.
Public sector organizations are required to identify and remove barriers to provide pro-grams, services and facilities that are more accessible to people who have disabilities.
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In 2005, the Province of Ontario passed the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2001 (AODA). This legislation includes mandatory accessibility standards that iden-tify, remove, and prevent barriers for people with disabilities in nearly all aspects of civic engagement, with the goal of making Ontario fully accessible. These accessibility stand-ards make up the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation (IASR) and include:
Accessible Customer Service Standard
Information and Communications Standard
Transportation Standard
Employment Standard
Design of Public Spaces Standard
The Transportation Standard sets requirements for the provision of public transit to those with disabilities. This standard applies only to municipalities that provide public transportation. It is not included in this plan as the Township of Alnwick/Haldimand does not have public transportation.
The IASR also requires public sector organizations to prepare and maintain a multi-year accessibility plan. The plan must include an organization’s strategy to prevent and re-move barriers and meet the requirements in the standards. Each year the organization must report on the progress in implementing the plan.
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An accessibility plan must be updated at least once every five (5) years in consultation with people with disabilities.
The 2026–2031 Multi-Year Accessibility Plan was created through a clear and collaborative process. Its purpose is to help identify, prevent, and remove barriers for people with disabilities, and to improve access to Township programs, services, and facilities for residents and visitors.
To support the development of the Plan, Township staff completed walkthroughs of all Township-owned and operated buildings. The walkthroughs were conducted by the Chief Building Official, the Manager of Parks, Recreation and Facilities, and the Deputy Clerk. During these reviews, staff identified existing and potential barriers related to access, safety, and public use. Their findings were documented and used to prepare the Municipal Building and Facility Audit, included as Schedule B.
It should be noted that the AODA and Ontario Building Code do not require existing facilities to be retrofitted to meet current accessibility standards. However, all new construction and major renovation projects must comply with applicable accessibility requirements. Schedule ‘B’ has been included in this Plan to serve as a reference during annual budget planning and when considering future renovation projects.
The draft Plan was reviewed by the Northumberland County’s Accessibility Coordinator for additional input and comments. The result is a practical and forward-looking Multi-Year Accessibility Plan that reflects the Township’s ongoing commitment to accessibility, inclusion, and continuous improvement.
When building the Plan, The 2026–2031 Multi-Year Accessibility Plan was created through a clear and collabo-rative process. Its purpose is to help identify, prevent, and remove barriers for people with disabilities, and to improve access to Township programs, services, and facilities for residents and visitors.
To support the development of the Plan, Township staff completed walkthroughs of all Township-owned and operated buildings. The walkthroughs were conducted by the Chief Building Official, the Manager of Parks, Recreation and Facilities, and the Deputy Clerk. During these reviews, staff identified existing and potential barriers related to ac-cess, safety, and public use. Their findings were documented and used to prepare the Municipal Building and Facility Audit, included as Schedule B. It should be noted that the AODA and Ontario Building Code do not require existing facilities to be retrofitted to meet current accessibility standards. However, all new construction and major renova-tion projects must comply with applicable accessibility requirements. Schedule ‘B’ has been included in this Plan to serve as a reference during annual budget planning and when considering future renovation projects.
The draft Plan was reviewed by the Northumberland County’s Accessibility Coordinator for additional input and comments. The result is a practical and forward-looking Multi-Year Accessibility Plan that reflects the Township’s ongoing commitment to accessibil-ity, inclusion, and continuous improvement.
Community Engagement
Creating the Multi-Year Accessibility Plan requires many steps and involves input from Council and the public. Community input is key to developing a Multi-Year Accessibility Plan. In September 2025, staff started the project by bringing a report to Council outlin-ing the Project Charter and the community engagement process.
The Township does not have a population large enough to meet the requirement of a mandatory Accessibility Advisory Committee under the AODA. Township staff did how-ever engage in meaningful activities to gather resident and community input to help develop this 2026-2031 Accessibility Plan.
A public survey, virtual public open house, and discussions with the Township’s Park & Recreation Advisory Committee all occurred to gather public feedback and input on the 2026-2031 Accessibility Plan.
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Accessible Websites and Web Content
The Township strives to ensure that the official municipal website and web content conforms to the World Wide Consortium Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0, Level A, at a minimum, except where meeting this requirement is not practicable.
If you are having any issues accessing information on the website, please contact the Township office at 905-349-2822. We cannot guarantee the accessibility of third-party documents or websites.