Disability rights advocates welcome national legislation

By Laurie Monsebraaten, Social Justice Reporter, The Star, June 21, 2018
Disability rights advocates welcome long-awaited national accessibility legislation, tabled in Ottawa Wednesday, but say the law needs significant strengthening to meet its goals. The Accessible Canada Act, which covers federally regulated sectors such as banking, inter-provincial and international transportation, telecommunications and government-run services such as Canada Post, aims to “identify, remove and prevent” barriers for an estimated 4 million Canadians with a physical, sensory, mental, intellectual, learning, communication or other disabilities. The government has earmarked $290 million over six years to implement the legislation, which includes fines of up to $250,000 for violations.