Many separate accessibility standards development processes exist in Canada. For example, Ontario, Manitoba, and Nova Scotia all have laws that mandate creation of provincial accessibility standards. In addition, the Accessible Canada Act mandates accessibility standards that apply to organizations under federal jurisdiction. However, the government of Canada intends to coordinate federal and provincial accessibility laws. Moreover, the third review of the AODA recommends that the Ontario government should support this aim by aligning its accessibility law, the AODA, with the laws of other provinces and the country. If the governments work together to make these laws more similar, the AODA standards development process may change to align with laws in other places across the country. In this article, we will explore the option of implementing federal standards for accessible housing in Ontario.
Implementing Federal Standards for Accessible Housing in Ontario
The AODA does not yet include standards governing the housing sector. However, the Third Review of the AODA recommends new standards in various sectors, and suggests guidelines for future housing standards. In addition, the review recommends that future AODA standards should align with existing standards in other parts of the country.
For instance, Accessibility Standards Canada (ASC) and the Canadian Standards Association (CSA Group) have developed federal standards for accessible housing. Moreover, these standards include guidelines and technical requirements to make many elements of housing accessible. For example, these elements include:
- Placement of accessible units in multi-unit housing, such as:
- Apartments
- Condominiums
- Townhouses
- Row houses
- Boarding houses
- Communal housing, such as hotels, dormitories, and long-term care homes
- Entrances to accessible housing
- Paths of travel within dwellings
- Floors and carpets
- Home controls, such as:
- Door handles
- Locks
- Doorbells and intercoms
- Home security systems
- Window controls
- Light switches
- Electrical outlets
- Faucets on sinks, tubs, or showers
- Thermostats
- Appliances
- Kitchens
- Bathrooms
- Bedrooms
- Laundry rooms
- Closets
- Service rooms, such as rooms in multi-unit housing that contain:
- Garbage disposal
- Mail boxes
- Mechanical or electrical equipment, such as furnaces, humidifiers, and hot water heaters
- Parking
Therefore, future AODA housing standards may include some of these guidelines and requirements to make people’s homes more accessible. Alternatively, the AODA may simply require implementation of all these federal standards for accessible housing in Ontario.