Accessibility Plan

 

This Accessibility Plan is made pursuant to section 69 (1) of the Accessible Canada Act and explains the Company’s policies, programs, practices and services in relation to the identification and removal of barriers, and the prevention of new barriers within our workplaces.

 

General

 

The Company is committed to identifying and removing existing physical and systemic barriers, and preventing the introduction of new barriers in the workplace. Feedback with respect to this Accessibility Plan may be submitted anonymously by email, mail or phone to:

 

James Gray

Health and Safety Manager

927 Rocky Lake Drive

Bedford, Nova Scotia B4A 3Z2

Tel. (902) 835-3381

accessibility@municipalgroup.ca

 

Employment

 

As part of the adoption of this initial Accessibility Plan, the Company has identified the following opportunities to address barriers for persons with disabilities, particularly in the area of recruitment, hiring, training and human resources:

 

• Electronic job postings and application processes.

• Ensuring job candidates are not prompted to disclose disabilities unless related to job requirements.

• Virtual meeting options for employees who benefit from mobility, visual or hearing accommodations.

• Closed-captioning, transcription and other assistive technologies for virtual meetings.

• Plain-language and inclusive written Company communications.

 

The Built Environment

 

As an industry leader in the transportation and logistics industry, the Company’s operations are supported by a vehicle and equipment fleet, warehouses, depots, maintenance facilities and other related infrastructure and assets. The Company’s operations are designed and managed to ensure safety and efficiency. As the Company strives to achieve a barrier-free built environment, consideration will be given to the identification and elimination of barriers in building access and configuration, as well as opportunities to incorporate assistive technologies.

 

Information and Communication Technologies

 

The Company is supported by an internal Information Technology (IT) department which will assist in identifying opportunities to incorporate assistive hardware and software technologies for employees with disabilities, such as screen readers, screen magnifiers, voice recognition and dictation and assisting with the procurement, installation, training and support for such technologies.

 

Communication, other than Information and Communication Technologies

 

The Company’s Joint Occupational Health and Safety Committees will help identify and bring forward other opportunities not identified and discussed above to improve communication with employees and stakeholders with disabilities.

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Procurement of Goods, Services and Facilities

 

In selecting vendors to supply goods, services and facilities through competitive procurement processes, the Company’s Purchasing Department will identify opportunities for accommodating participants with disabilities. Where feasible, prospective vendors may be given the opportunity to incorporate elements of their own accessibility plans into their proposal.

 

Transportation

 

The Company recognizes that many employees with disabilities rely on public transportation, ride sharing, and similar arrangements to access our workplaces. The Company will continue to evaluate the availability of these and other transportation options when making decisions about the location, design and configuration of future facilities and worksites. The Company will also explore opportunities to add driver assistance features on new Company vehicles such as audible or haptic alerts and warnings in fleet vehicles and equipment.

 

Consultation and Feedback

 

In conjunction with this Initial Accessibility Plan and future updates, the Company is engaged in ongoing consultation with persons with disabilities to support our identification of barriers in our workplaces. This consultation process includes an opportunity for those who self-identify as a person with a disability to provide input in verbally, in writing, or through other means if preferred. The Company is also exploring opportunities to engage with external organizations. Feedback received after the publication of this initial Accessibility Plan will be promptly acknowledged in the same manner in which it was received, and any resulting changes to the Company’s policies, programs, practices and services will be incorporated into the next Progress Report and/or future revisions of this Accessibility Plan.

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November 2024