Ontario accessibility in ‘crisis,’ says report quietly released by Ford government | CBC News

With a year left until Ontario is supposed to be fully accessible, the state of accessibility in the province is in “crisis,” a new report finds.

The declaration, along with over 23 recommendations on how to get the province back on track, was made in a critical report by Rich Donovan, the fourth person appointed to review the province’s progress implementing the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA).

Enacted in 2005, AODA was intended to make the province accessible by 2025. 

“The implications of getting accessibility right — and the continually rising costs of failing to do so — are why the Ontario government must care. Must prioritize. Must act,” wrote Donovan, who was appointed in 2022. 

“Any further delays are an unacceptable risk to the province.”

The Ontario government quietly released the report last Thursday, months after receiving it in June. A CBC Toronto request for the report through a freedom of information request last month was denied on the grounds that it would reveal cabinet deliberations, which are confidential, and that it was expected to be tabled in the Ontario legislature in the “near future.”

Building on his interim report released in March, Donovan finds that:

• AODA outcomes are poor and are failing people with disabilities.
• Enforcement of the legislation does “not exist.”
• The lack of data and research on people with disabilities was the “single biggest missed opportunity” since the AODA was enacted in 2005.
• There is a “lack of urgency” on the file from both current and previous Ontario governments.
• There is a “lack of accountability” for implementing the AODA both in the public and private sector.

However, the scathing review “is not intended to be an indictment of the Ontario Government,” Donavon wrote.

“While the identification of gaps is necessary, the emphasis of the recommendations report is how to move forward.”

Donovan was appointed chair of the province’s Accessibility Standards Advisory Council by the former Liberal government and is the CEO of The Return on Disability Group. His review included consultations and talks with hundreds of people, including AODA stakeholders, members of the public and business leaders.

Recommendations include getting help from the feds

Donovan makes 23 recommendations under the categories: crisis, strategic and tactical.

Crisis recommendations must be resolved within 180 days, he said, and are intended to address immediate threats to public safety. His report says they will lay the “necessary groundwork for a successful accessible regime that has been absent for 17 years.”

This includes the creation of emergency response protocols in provincial buildings and creating a new agency dedicated to all things AODA.

Meanwhile, strategic recommendations are geared toward shifting accessibility regulation to the federal government from the private sector — something Donovan says can help get rid of duplication and boost enforcement now that Canada is working on crafting a federal counterpart of the AODA, the Accessible Canada Act.

Critical recommendations focus on “immediate tangible improvements,” such as building a team to collect, analyze and publish disability research as a public asset. 

Advocates mixed on report, critics take aim at province

In a news release Monday, AODA Alliance, a consumer watchdog group, welcomed some, but not all of Donovan’s recommendations.

The Alliance says it supports the formation of a crisis committee, the creation of an action plan for achieving accessibility and the forming of a new provincial agency to take primary responsibility for AODA implementation and enforcement.

However, in the release, the Alliance says it does not support Ontario transferring the regulation of accessibility in the private sector to the federal government. Among other things, it also doesn’t support imposing accessibility surcharges on some government services, or Donovan’s view that there is an “overreliance” on accessibility standards at the expense of the lived experience of people with disabilities.

Regardless, AODA Alliance chair David Lepofsky said there was no good reason to keep the report hidden from the public for this long.

“The report found that Ontario is far behind schedule and has no effective action plan to lead this province to become accessible by 2025 or by any time in the future,” Lepofsky said in the release.

“Instead of using the past six months to follow this wise recommendation, Premier Ford squandered those months by keeping Donovan’s report secret.”

In a separate release Monday, the NDP says it’s calling for “urgent action” after the Progressive Conservatives tried the “bury” the report.

“It speaks volumes that the Conservative government sat on this report for six months instead of taking immediate action to address this crisis,” said MPP Monique Taylor, the critic for Children, Community, and Social Services.

“It’s clear they are not taking it seriously. We need urgent action to address this serious challenge, especially if we want to have any hope of getting anywhere near AODA standards by 2025.” 

CBC Toronto has reached out to the Ministry of Seniors and Accessibility for comment, but did not immediately received a response.