Accessibility Policy
Metrie Canada Ltd. Multi – Year Accessibility Plan
Statement of commitment
At Metrie our strength is our people. We are built on and embody our values of passion, respect, integrity, collaboration and excellence in everything that we do. Our values are our constant in a dynamic business environment and serve to guide our behavior and decisions. Metrie strives to meet the needs of its employees and customers with disabilities and is working hard to remove and prevent barriers to accessibility.
Metrie is committed to fulfilling our requirements under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). This accessibility plan outlines the steps Metrie is taking to meet those requirements and to improve opportunities for people with disabilities.
Past Achievements to Remove and Prevent Barriers
This section includes a summary of the accessibility initiatives Metrie has completed.
Customer Service
Metrie’s Customer Service policy applies to all employees who communicate with the public, all management and staff who develop policies and procedures, all volunteers and any third parties the Employer may contract with. Our intent is to ensure all persons with disabilities receive customer service in a manner that takes into consideration their disability and offers excellence in customer service.
Customer Service Achievements:
Metrie has achieved the following requirements of the Customer Service Standard of the AODA:
Status: Complete
Metrie has created and put in place a customer service plan that:
Considers a person’s disability when communicating with them
Allows assistive devices in the workplace, like wheelchairs, walkers and oxygen tanks
Allows service animals
Welcomes support persons
Let’s customers know when accessible services aren’t available
Invites customers to provide feedback
Status: Complete
Metrie has trained staff on accessible customer service and has created an ongoing process to train new staff with regards to the customer service standard.
Information and Communications
Status: Complete
To comply with the AODA Customer Service Standard, Metrie has put into place an accessible feedback process to receive and respond to feedback from customers and members of the public who have a disability.
Customers who wish to provide feedback may do so by contacting Regional Director – Ontario. Customers that provide formal feedback will receive acknowledgement of their feedback, along with any resulting action within 10 business days.
Information about the feedback process will be readily available to all customers and notice of the process will be made available by visiting any Ontario location.
Status: Complete
Metrie has taken the following steps to ensure existing feedback processes are accessible to employees with disabilities upon request:
Create a feedback process to receive and respond to feedback from our employees.
Make the feedback process accessible in multiple formats, such as telephone, email, mail, and in-person.
Status: Complete
Metrie has taken the following steps to ensure all publicly available information is made accessible upon request:
Let the public know that we will make information accessible upon request.
Consult with people who request accessible information to figure out how to meet their needs, as soon as possible.
Status: Complete
Metrie is committed to meeting the communication needs of people with disabilities. We will consult with people with disabilities to determine their information and communication needs.
Metrie has taken the following steps to make all new websites and content on those sites conform with WCAG 2.0, Level A:
Provide text alternatives for any non-text content so that it can be changed into other forms people need, such as large print, Braille, speech, symbols or simpler language, upon request.
Make all functionality available from a keyboard.
For any moving, blinking or scrolling information that (1) starts automatically, (2) lasts more than five seconds, and (3) is presented in parallel with other content, provide a mechanism for the user to pause, stop, or hide it unless the movement, blinking, or scrolling is part of an activity where it is essential; and
For any auto-updating information that (1) starts automatically and (2) is presented in parallel with other content, provide a mechanism for the user to pause, stop, or hide it or to control the frequency of the update unless the auto-updating is part of an activity where it is essential.
Employment
Recruitment
Status: Complete
Metrie is committed to fair and accessible employment practices. We have taken the following steps to notify the public and staff that, when requested, Metrie will accommodate people with disabilities during the recruitment and assessment processes and when people are hired.
Let job applicants know that we will accommodate disabilities during the selection process.
If a job applicant requests accommodation, consult with them and make adjustments that best suit their needs.
Notify successful applicants of our policies for accommodating employees with disabilities.
Information for Employees
Status: Complete
Metrie has taken the following steps to ensure employees know about our organization’s policies for supporting employees with disabilities:
Ensures our staff know about our organization’s policies for supporting employees with disabilities.
Informs our employees about these policies when:
this requirement comes into effect for Metrie, and;
when we hire new employees.
when we change the policies.
Processes to Accommodate Employees
Status: Complete
Metrie has taken the following steps to develop and put in place a process for developing individual accommodation plans and return-to-work policies for employees that have been absent due to a disability:
Develop individual accommodation plans and return-to-work policies for employees that have been absent due to a disability.
Outline the steps we will take to help our employees return to work when they:
have been absent because of a disability, and
need some form of disability-related accommodation to return to work.
Strategies and Actions
This section includes a summary of Metrie’s ongoing accessibility initiatives
Customer Service
Status: Complete/ongoing
Metrie is committed to providing accessible customer service to people with disabilities. This means that we will provide goods and services to people with disabilities with the same high quality and timeliness as others.
Metrie has reported our progress online by filing an accessibility report with the Minister of Community and Social Services. Metrie will comply with the customer service standard by filing an accessibility report, as required.
Information and Communications
Metrie is committed to making our information and communications accessible to people with disabilities.
Status: Ongoing
We will take the following steps to ensure the accessibility needs of employees with disabilities are considered, By January 1, 2022, we will:
Make everyday documents, like signs and menus, easy to read by making sure that the print is legible for most people.
Provide descriptions or alt tags for pictures for people with vision loss, upon request
Include captions for videos. When this is not possible, provide a text transcription of the video.
When working with employees who have vision loss or low hearing, we will develop a template for slide decks using large fonts, high contrast colours and clean layout, and Provide a visual description of the slides when making a presentation.
Employment
Metrie is committed to fair and accessible employment practices.
Status: Ongoing
We will take the following steps to ensure the accessibility needs of employees with disabilities are considered, Metrie is using performance management & career development processes. By January 1, 2022, we will:
Make performance management accessible by:
Reviewing our employees’ accommodation plans to understand their needs and see whether we need to make adjustments to help them succeed
Making performance management documents, such as performance plans, available in accessible formats, such as large print, if requested, and
Providing feedback to employees in a way that is accessible to them, such as using plain language for an employee who has a learning disability.
When we provide career development opportunities, we will consider what accommodations our employees with disabilities may need to:
learn new skills, or;
take on more responsibilities in their current position;
consider what we could do to help our employees with disabilities succeed in other positions in our organization when they change jobs.
Training
Status: Complete/Ongoing
Metrie is committed to providing training in the requirements of Ontario’s accessibility laws and the Ontario Human Rights Code as it applies to people with disabilities.
Metrie provides training to employees, volunteers and other staff members on Ontario’s accessibility laws and on the Ontario Human Rights Code as it relates to people with disabilities.
Training will be provided in a way that best suits the duties of employees, and other staff members. Metrie takes the following steps to ensure employees are provided with the training needed to meet Ontario’s accessible laws:
Metrie Provides training to:
all employees and volunteers, including paid and unpaid positions;
anyone who is involved in developing our organization’s policies, including managers, senior leaders, directors and owners.
Design of Public Spaces
Status: Ongoing/Complete
Metrie will meet accessibility laws when building or making major changes to public spaces.
Metrie will put procedures in place to prevent service disruptions to the accessible parts of our public spaces.
Other
Status: Ongoing/Complete
Metrie will take steps to prevent and remove any other accessibility barriers as identified by the public and employees, as required and requested.
For more information, please contact:
Metrie’s People & Culture Team
Email: HR@metrie.com
Phone: +1 800-268-0110
Accessible formats of this document are available from the People & Culture Team, upon request.
