The Transportation Standards under the AODA and the Transportation Standard under the Accessibility for Manitobans Act (AMA) both require organizations to make transportation accessible to people with disabilities. Moreover, both standards require many of the same processes and practices to ensure accessibility. However, there are many important differences between the standards. The third review of the AODA recommends that the Ontario government should coordinate with other provinces and the federal government to ensure that accessibility laws are consistent across Canada. Therefore, requirements in the AODA may one day change to align with mandates under the Accessibility for Manitobans Act. In this article, we will explore requirements for visitors using specialized transit in Ontario and Manitoba.
Visitors Using Specialized Transit in Ontario and Manitoba
The AODA’s Transportation Standards and the Accessible Transportation Standard of the Accessibility for Manitobans Act (AMA) both require specialized transit companies to make their services available to visitors. In other words, people living in one city or town can use another city or town’s specialized transit when they come to visit. People must apply to use a specialized transit service as a visitor. Moreover, people can only use a specialized transit service as a visitor if they:
- Use their home town or home city’s specialized transit service
- Qualify to use specialized transit in the town or city they are visiting
Differences
Specialized transit companies in Manitoba can limit visitors’ access to specialized transit services. For example, companies can limit visitors’ transit access to twenty-one (21) days per year. While companies do not need to limit services, they can choose to do so. Conversely, Ontario companies cannot choose to limit visitors’ transit access.
On the other hand, Ontario companies must create more guidelines to determine who qualifies as a visitor. In contrast, Manitoba companies do not need to create any more guidelines.