NAV CANADA is pleased to share its first annual Progress Report with our stakeholders and with the public. In June 2023, we published our first accessibility plan under the Accessible Canada Act (Accessibility Plan). In developing our Accessibility Plan, we consulted with people with disabilities, gathered information about existing barriers at our organization through staff interviews and a survey, and consulted with accessibility professionals with lived experience with disability to determine ways we could make NAV CANADA more accessible. We then used this information to set 25 specific goals to improve accessibility across our operations, with timelines for achieving these goals set between June 2023 and May 2026. These goals fell into six areas:
For the past year, we have been working hard to make progress on our goals. We broke each big goal into smaller projects or initiatives, and we decided the best way to tackle each one, considering the best resources and personnel. We created a detailed internal list that helped us track our timelines and our progress on each accessibility goal. Throughout the year we have remained in contact with a team of trusted accessibility professionals. We have been asking them questions and relying on their feedback to ensure we remain on track to complete all our accessibility goals by May 31, 2026.
In the spring of 2024, we sent a voluntary and anonymous survey to all our employees so they could share their feedback on our progress. We received 28 responses to this survey. These responses contained important feedback and perspectives that will help shape our accessibility work going forward.
As of June 2024, we have completed four out of our twenty-five accessibility goals. We have also made meaningful progress on another 15 goals. This Progress Report details our accomplishments toward these goals over the past year, as well as the work we have yet to do. It also sets out what we have learned through our consultations with our employees and through other feedback from our stakeholders.
NAV CANADA is dedicated to being accessible for everyone, including employees, customers, partners, and members of the public who have disabilities. Our commitment to accessibility is driven by our commitment to diversity and inclusion overall. At NAV CANADA, we believe that a culture of innovation and excellence is created by the mix of backgrounds, ideas and perspectives that can be found in a diverse and inclusive workforce. We cannot have diversity in our organization without accessibility. This is why we are committed to improving accessibility in our business.
We recognize that people with disabilities are the experts in their own experiences as well as in accessibility. We want to build a culture of accessibility by developing relationships with people who have disabilities. Consulting with people with disabilities and learning from their experiences will be an important step as we carry out the goals in our Accessibility Plan and as we assess our progress. We will also work to remove barriers as we become aware of them, even if they are not a part of our plan. This Progress Report shows the steps we have taken to make NAV CANADA more accessible. We are proud of the work we have accomplished so far, and we also know we have more to do. We commit to making accessibility a priority in everything we do.
NAV CANADA plays a unique and critical role managing the 18 million square kilometres of Canadian civil airspace and the North Atlantic oceanic airspace under Canada’s control.
Air transportation is an essential industry that connects Canada to the world. It plays a vital role in our economy and in our communities from coast to coast to coast. Our critical role within the aviation ecosystem is to help guide aircraft safely and efficiently through our airspace.
We oversee air traffic through a sophisticated network of area control centres, air traffic control towers, flight service stations, maintenance centres, flight information centres and navigation aids across the country. Our customers include airlines, business aviation and air cargo operators, air charters and air taxis, helicopter operators and general aviation pilots and owners. In short, we oversee safety in the sky by connecting with aviation professionals from across Canada.
NAV CANADA has approximately 5300 employees and over 100 staffed sites.
Much of the work at NAV CANADA is physically and mentally challenging. Safety is a top priority in our operations. Air travel and air navigation is a highly regulated industry. NAV CANADA is committed to finding ways to balance the demands of the industry with the needs of employees and customers with disabilities. The NAV CANADA Accessibility Plan is a step towards achieving that balance. This Progress Report is evidence of our commitment to meaningfully fulfilling our Accessibility Plan.
NAV CANADA welcomes feedback from our employees, customers, and members of the public about our Accessibility Plan, this Progress Report, and accessibility in general at NAV CANADA.
What feedback can I provide about?
Feedback can be provided anonymously. You will receive an acknowledgment of receipt unless you submitted the feedback anonymously.
How will my feedback be used?
How can I provide feedback?
If you would like to share your feedback with us, you can contact us in the following ways:
Mail:
Manager Legislated Programs
151 Slater Street, Suite 120
Ottawa, Ontario
K1P 5H3
Email: accessibility-accessibilite@navcanada.ca
Telephone:
1-800-876-4693
8:00 to 18:00 ET, Monday to Friday
You can request alternative formats of the NAV CANADA Accessibility Plan, this Progress Report, or the description of our feedback process. To request this Progress Report, the Plan, or the feedback process in an alternative format please contact us:
Mail:
Manager Legislated Programs
151 Slater Street, Suite 120
Ottawa, Ontario
K1P 5H3
Email: accessibility-accessibilite@navcanada.ca
Telephone:
1-800-876-4693
8:00 to 18:00 ET, Monday to Friday
We will respond to requests for other formats as soon as we can. For each alternative format, NAV CANADA commits to providing them within a certain number of days:
The following definitions apply throughout this Progress Report:
Disability: Any impairment, or difference in physical, mental, intellectual, cognitive, learning, or communication ability. Disabilities can be permanent, temporary, or can change over time.
Barrier: Anything that might hinder people with disabilities full and equal participation. Barriers can be architectural, technological, attitudinal, based on information or communications, or can be the result of a policy or procedure.
Accessibility: The design of products, devices, services, environments, technologies, policies, and rules in a way that allows all people, including people with a variety of disabilities, to access them.
We set two goals in our Accessibility Plan that aim to improve accessibility across our entire organization. We want to improve the knowledge the NAV CANADA community has about accessibility and disability. We also want to build relationships with our employees and other stakeholders who have disabilities. Our organization-wide goals are:
3.1.1 By June 2025, NAV CANADA will develop a strategy around ongoing engagement and consultations with people who have disabilities.
Status: In progress
This is a longer-term goal for us. We want the relationships we build with employees and stakeholders with disabilities to be meaningful and ongoing. Consulting employees with disabilities about our Plan and this Progress Report is a first step towards this goal. We expect to meet our timeline of June 2025.
3.1.2 By June 2026, NAV CANADA will source and implement training on disability and accessibility awareness for all employees.
Status: In progress
This is another long-term goal for us. We want this training to be relevant to our work, meaningful to our employees with disabilities, and to involve people with disabilities. We have begun the process of sourcing this accessibility training by talking to accessibility professionals who have lived experience with disability. We expect to meet our timeline of June 2026.
We operate many staffed sites across Canada, so it is important for us to make sure that these sites are as accessible as possible. We know that barriers exist at some of these sites, so we set six goals for our organization that relate to the built environment. They are:
3.2.1 Effective immediately, when renovating or replacing features of the Technical Systems Centre (TSC), we will consult people with disabilities as well as architects and engineers who are knowledgeable about accessibility. We will incorporate accessibility into the design of any renovations from the beginning.
Status: In progress
This goal is both in progress and ongoing. It applies to current and planned work being done on the Technical Systems Centre (TSC), as well as any future work that may arise. We have made some progress toward this goal, but we have also run into barriers to completing it. One important step that has been taken towards meeting this goal is that NAV CANADA’s Technology Senior Leadership team has approved adding an accessibility consultant as part of the TSC renovation design.
A barrier to completing this goal is that the overall TSC improvement project has been delayed. Therefore, accessibility improvements have likewise been delayed. This is partly because we are waiting for a space study to be completed. The space study will inform the renovation design, as it assesses how the space should be laid out given personnel workflow requirements.
3.2.2 By June 2025, NAV CANADA will revise emergency evacuation plans to take into account employees or visitors with disabilities who may need support in evacuating the building.
Status: Not yet started
We will be starting the project of revising our emergency evacuation plans during the 2025 fiscal year. Incorporating the needs of people with disabilities into our revised emergency evacuation plans remains a top priority. We expect to have these completed by our timeline of June 2025.
3.2.3 By June 2025, we will explore the feasibility of installing emergency alarms that include both auditory and visual warning cues for people with sensory disabilities. We will work to install them where feasible. We will provide step-free access to all ground level emergency exits or to an accessible area of evacuation.
Status: In progress
Recent versions of the National Building Code of Canada (NBCC) require both auditory and visual warning cues for fire alarms. We have directed our facilities to conduct audits to bring our sites up to these latest NBCC requirements. As part of these audits, we will also review our emergency exits and procedures to make sure they are as accessible as possible, including that they are step-free. We are on track to complete this goal by our timeline of June 2025.
3.2.4 By June 2025, NAV CANADA will ensure that emergency evacuation information is in large print and available in various formats (tactile, Braille) and in a place that is clear of obstacles. We will include information about locations of accessible exit routes and refuge areas.
Status: In progress
Our Facilities team is working together with our Environmental and Occupational Safety and Health (EOSH) team to review this requirement. They will determine the best ways to make emergency evacuation information available in these accessible formats at all our staffed sites. We expect to have this goal completed by our timeline of June 2025.
3.2.5 By June 2025, NAV CANADA will install and maintain automatic door openers in buildings that we own. Where spaces are leased, we will work with landlords to have them installed and maintained.
Status: In progress
We have planned to audit all our sites to assess where automatic door openers are currently installed and where they are needed. Once these audits have been completed, we will work to install and maintain the door openers, including working with landlords where required. We are on track to complete this goal by June 2025.
3.2.6 By June 2026, we will review our recently completed built environment sampling audit and conduct a thorough accessibility audit of unaudited offices and facilities. We will implement the high priority changes and lower cost changes that have been identified through various audits. We will also develop a plan for addressing the more challenging and costly office changes that have been identified.
Status: In progress
This is a long-term goal for our organization, as it involves a lot of work. We are proud to have completed around 50% of our Building Condition Assessments (BCAs). The remaining BCAs will be completed within the next two years. We have started to review the results from the completed BCAs. We are also working on plans to address the barriers that have been identified. We expect to complete this goal by our timeline of May 31, 2026, and we look forward to providing further updates next year. We anticipate carrying this work forward with new and further goals in our next Accessibility Plan, to be published in June 2026.
We have set the most goals in our Accessibility Plan relating to employment. NAV CANADA is proud to have thousands of employees at sites across Canada. We want to eliminate barriers at our organization for our current and future employees who have disabilities. The seven goals that we set in the area of employment are:
3.3.1 By June 2024, in order to reduce meeting overload and increase meeting effectiveness NAV CANADA will communicate best practices, such as sharing meeting information, agendas and/or materials ahead of time.
Status: Completed
This goal was completed in March 2024. We have created guidelines about how to make meetings more effective and how to share important information about meetings ahead of time. They have been reviewed by our Accessibility Working Group. We have added them to our Workday human resources system so that all our managers and employees are aware of them. We have also added them to our digital newsletter, NAV CANADA Now. The guidelines are available in both English and French.
3.3.2 By June 2025, we will review the accommodations process, to look for barriers and ways to simplify the process.
Status: In progress
Previously, we had no formal Disability Accommodation Policy (accommodation policy) although we followed Canadian Human Rights legislation. We have now written and released a new policy regarding Disability accommodations. The policy will apply consistently and fairly to all our employees and candidates across the country. It gives managers the flexibility to address accommodation requests from employees in the workplace that are expected to last less than 90 days, with the support of their local human resources departments. We expect that this will help employees to receive accommodations efficiently and that it will prevent delays. More information about this part of the policy is shared in update 3.3.3 below.
We held information sessions for all managers about the policy in November 2023. We are designing a new computer-based training for the policy, and we hope to release it in November 2024. Finally, we will roll out the training by our timeline of June 2025.
3.3.3 By June 2025, we will implement changes to accommodations systems based on the results of review. Goals for these changes will be the following:
Status: Completed
We completed this goal in November 2023. As part of developing our Disability accommodation policy, we created a process for the three levels of accommodations that an employee at work might seek. These levels are based on how long the accommodation is expected to last.
3.3.4 By June 2025, we will establish an internal committee or dedicated support person to help employees navigate through the accommodations process.
Status: Completed
This goal was completed in November 2023. We have established a committee that includes representatives from several different departments and areas of our organization. These include management, Labour Relations, Disability Management, and a bargaining agent. In addition to helping employees navigate the accommodations process, another role of this committee is to help come up with possible accommodations for employees when accommodations have not already been identified.
3.3.5 By June 2025, NAV CANADA will ensure that all managers and employees involved in the accommodation process get training about the reasons for accommodation and the legal duty to accommodate employees.
Status: In progress
We are working on computer-based training for all our employees to explain our accommodation policy and process. This will be released as part of our Annual Recurrent Training Program in the 2025 fiscal year, specifically November 2024. It will also be released separately to all our employees during the same period. We expect this goal to be complete by March 2025.
3.3.6 By June 2025, NAV CANADA will review hiring practices and make a plan to address short-term and long-term barriers in the hiring process. We will offer accommodations to all candidates at each step of the recruitment process.
Status: In progress
We have clarified our hiring practices to be clearer that accommodations are available to all candidates. We include a statement about our commitment to accessibility in every job posting, and it includes information about how to request accommodations. We also follow up by offering accommodations at every step of the recruitment process.
We will continue the process of reviewing our hiring practices to identify potential barriers. We expect to have a plan in place to address these barriers by our timeline of June 2025.
3.3.7 By June 2026, NAV CANADA will develop a targeted recruitment strategy specific to people with disabilities. We will also incorporate statements on job postings welcoming applicants with disabilities.
Status: In progress
We have added a statement to each job posting that tells candidates about our commitment to accessibility and inclusion, and that we welcome applicants with disabilities. We have also begun attending career fairs that are aimed at people with disabilities.
We will continue to work on our strategy to recruit more people with disabilities. We are on track to formalize our strategy by our target date of June 2026.
We set four goals relating to the ICT systems we use at NAV CANADA. We rely on technology for many reasons, like managing our human resources, posting on social media, and controlling Canada’s air spaces. We need to make sure that the digital tools and systems we use at our organization are as accessible as possible to everyone who interacts with them. The goals that we set for our ICT systems are:
3.4.1 Starting immediately, NAV CANADA will fix existing barriers to our corporate website.
Status: In progress
In March 2023, our Communications and Technology teams reviewed all the accessibility issues relating to our website that were identified in the accessibility audit and report completed to support our Accessibility Plan. Issues have been classified into 16 categories and ranked by priority.
Ten categories require external development work to complete. Of these, three have been completed and are now implemented on the website and an additional four are in development and will be implemented this year. Issues addressed within these four categories include focus borders, background videos, list items in lists, and image links that do not have link text. The remaining three categories have not yet been started, but we plan to start them by June 2025.
Four categories are related to content. They can be changed by our Communications team and are being prioritized. These include a problem with our logo link and a problem with the way our Flight Information Centre phone numbers are written.
Two categories that were identified are part of the core design of our website. We will not be able to address them at this time.
3.4.2 By June 2025, we will add information about Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 best practices to our internal guidelines for developing web content.
Status: Not yet started
We plan to start work on this project in September 2024 and to continue it throughout the 2025 fiscal year. As WCAG standards evolve, we will work to update our internal guidelines accordingly. We are on track to meet are timeline of June 2025.
3.4.3 By June 2026, NAV CANADA will source and deliver digital accessibility training for key information technology (IT) staff.
Status: In progress
We have started to explore options for sourcing this training. We are in communication with accessibility professionals who have lived experience with disability. Liaising with them, their digital accessibility specialists, and people with disabilities will help us determine what this training should look like. We are on track with our plan for this project and expect to meet our timeline of June 2026.
3.4.4 By June 2026, we will include prompts to consider accessibility when creating new systems and when updating older systems. These prompts will help us determine how these systems can be more accessible and when they should be more accessible. We will implement accessibility features accordingly, keeping in mind safety and functionality.
Status: Not yet started
We will be adding accessibility requirements to our Portfolio Delivery Group (PDG) framework. These will be included when we are updating, replacing, or buying new systems. We plan to meet this goal by June 2026.
NAV CANADA is committed to making our communications as accessible as possible. We communicate with our stakeholders and with the public about many things, such as career opportunities, weather notices, and information about our work. We set three goals to improve the accessibility of our communications. These are:
3.5.1 By the end of 2023, NAV CANADA will create and adopt a social media standard to ensure that all posts are accessible, with consistent use of alternative text.
Status: Completed
We developed an accessibility standard for NAV CANADA’s social media in 2023 and have started applying it on all our posts. In summer 2024, we are communicating best practices for using alternative text to our wider organization.
3.5.2 By June 2024, we will communicate best practices and encourage defaulting to electronic formats of any documents and communications. NAV CANADA will provide information on the website for requesting alternative formats of communications (e.g. electronic, Braille, or large text).
Status: In progress
We plan to communicate accessibility best practices and the new default to electronic documents for our organization in May 2024. Electronic documents offer the greatest flexibility and capacity to be made accessible for people with disabilities. We will also be adding information to our website for requesting alternative formats of communications during this same period. We are on track to complete these steps by June 2024.
3.5.3 By June 2025, we will develop guidelines for plain language, detailing best practices to be applied when developing communication material. including plain language targets and how they can be verified. This information will be shared with all employees.
Status: In progress
We have created a work plan for how we will complete this project. The guidelines that we will develop will be included in our broader inclusive language guidelines. We will track the development of Accessibility Standards Canada’s standard on Plain Language and use it to inform our inclusive language guidelines. CAN-ASC 3.1 Plain Language: Public review draft - Accessibility Standards Canada Currently this standard exists in draft form and is subject to change. However, it is a useful starting place for our plain language framework. We are on track to complete this project by June 2025.
NAV CANADA buys (procures) many good and services as part of our work. In the past, we have not always considered accessibility in our procurement. We want to learn about when we should include accessibility as a factor in our procurement processes, and how we should consider it. We set one goal that will help us to make our procurement more accessible:
3.6.1 By June 2024, NAV CANADA will review procurement-related policies and documents and where relevant we will include considerations for accessibility as part of the procurement process.
Status: In progress
We have provided training to our Supply Chain Team on how they can address accessibility requirements in procurement. We are working on updating our sourcing and procurement policy to include accessibility requirements and considerations. We are in the process of implementing a new Sourcing Tool. As the implementation continues, we will discuss additional accessibility considerations to make sure that any relevant templates address them. We are on track to meet this goal by the end of June 2024.
At NAV CANADA, we have many stakeholders who rely on our air navigation services. We work with airlines, pilots, helicopter operators, and others who use airspace. We provide services like directing air traffic, sharing important information, and designing new technology. We know it is important for the services we deliver to be as accessible as possible. We set two goals to help us reduce barriers in our service delivery. These are:
3.7.1 By June 2025, we will develop accessibility guidelines for event planning, including offering attendees information on what accessibility measures are already in place and how to request accommodations.
Status: Not yet started
This goal has not yet been started. We still plan to complete this project by June 2025, and we look forward to updating our progress towards this goal in our 2025 Progress Report.
3.7.2 By June 2026, we will review our programs and services and consider when and how accessibility should be prioritized. When creating new service offerings or updating guidelines and procedures with respect to current offerings, we will include accessibility as part of the procedure where relevant.
Status: Not yet started
This is another longer-term goal for us. It will involve work from many people and departments at NAV CANADA. We expect to complete it for our June 2026 timeline. We look forward to providing updates on the development of this goal in future Progress Reports.
We have not set accessibility goals for our organization that fall under the area of transportation. We do not offer services related to transporting people. We therefore have no updates about progress on transportation goals.
NAV CANADA consulted with our employees with disabilities in the preparation of this Progress Report.
To do this, we developed an anonymous online survey, and we sent it to all our employees. The survey was voluntary, and employees could choose to complete it in English or French. The survey was open between April 2 and April 15, 2024. We asked questions about how employees view NAV CANADA’s Accessibility Plan, their opinions on our progress in meeting our accessibility goals, whether they had participated in any of our accessibility initiatives, and whether they had any other ideas for how we can make NAV CANADA more accessible.
We received 28 responses to our employee survey. They were thoughtful and provided helpful feedback. Below is a brief summary of what we learned through these responses:
We are grateful for the feedback provided through these survey responses. We will consider this feedback as we work toward our remaining accessibility goals.
NAV CANADA values feedback from employees, customers, and members of the public who have disabilities. Hearing diverse perspectives helps us to improve accessibility throughout our organization.
In 2023, we received the following feedback and responded in the following ways:
We continue to invite employees, customers, and members of the public to submit feedback on our Accessibility Plan and on our Progress Report. Information about how to submit feedback is found in section 2.3 of this report.
Accessibility is a priority for NAV CANADA. We are committed to making all aspects of our operations inclusive for people with disabilities. We have made a great deal of progress over the past year in achieving our accessibility goals, and we are proud of our hard work. We also know that we still have much work to do to make NAV CANADA as accessible as possible. We will continue to work diligently toward our accessibility goals over the next year, and we look forward to sharing our next update.