If your business has 20 or more employees in Ontario, you have a legal filing deadline at the end of this year. Many business owners have never heard of it.
By December 31, 2026, businesses and non-profits with 20 or more employees must file an accessibility compliance report under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (AODA).
What is the report?
The report confirms that your organization meets its current accessibility requirements under the AODA. You file it online through the province’s Accessibility Compliance Reporting Portal. Businesses and non-profits file every three years, so if you missed the last cycle, or didn’t know the requirement existed, now is the time to get on track.
Why it matters
Filing isn’t optional. Organizations that don’t file can face enforcement, including financial penalties. Penalties under the AODA can reach $100,000 per day for corporations and $50,000 per day for individual directors and officers. Those are maximums, but the risk is real, and filing on time avoids it.
The catch: you have to be compliant to say you’re compliant
The report is more than paperwork, because you’re confirming that you have met your obligations. Before you file, check the following:
- Staff training. Every Ontario organization with even one employee must train its employees, volunteers and anyone acting on its behalf on the AODA and the Human Rights Code as they relate to people with disabilities. Train people as soon as reasonably possible, ideally during onboarding, and again whenever your policies change.
- Written policies and plans (50+ employees). Larger organizations need written accessibility policies, a public multi-year accessibility plan reviewed at least every five years, and training records.
- The standards that apply to you. The AODA sets standards for customer service, employment, information and communications, transportation, and the design of public spaces.
Smaller businesses aren’t off the hook
If you have fewer than 20 employees, you don’t have to file the report, but the AODA still applies to you, including the training requirement. A basic written accessibility policy is good practice too. It’s the simplest way to show you’ve done the work.
Your checklist before December 31
- Confirm your headcount.
- Make sure training is complete and documented.
- Review your policies and accessibility plan.
- Address any gaps before you file.
- File through the portal early. Don’t leave it to the last week of December.
Not sure where you stand? SpringLaw can review your AODA compliance before you file, so you can confirm it with confidence.
This blog provides general information, not legal advice.
