Let's Talk Legal (2026 Edition): The Cross-Canada Accessibility Checkup

By the Hey Nova team

Quick note: We are not lawyers. This is a plain language guide based on public sources.

Why we’re still talking about this in 2026

Accessibility is about people being able to do everyday things online. Paying a bill. Booking an appointment. Applying for help. Donating. Learning. Working.

And the web still has a long way to go. In the WebAIM Million 2025 report, WebAIM scanned 1,000,000 home pages and found 94.8% had detectable issues that match WCAG failures, with low contrast text on 79.1% of home pages. (WebAIM)

Laws and standards do not create empathy, but they do create deadlines. So let’s make the landscape easier to follow, province by province and territory by territory.

A few terms you’ll see

WCAG

WCAG stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. It is the most common guideline used to check websites and apps. WCAG has “levels” (A, AA, AAA). Most rules and contracts aim for Level AA. If you want the official overview, start here: WCAG overview (W3C). (W3C)

WCAG 2.0 vs 2.1 vs 2.2

These are versions of the same guideline.

• WCAG 2.0: the older baseline. A lot of Canadian requirements still reference it.
• WCAG 2.1: everything in 2.0, plus more coverage for mobile and touch use.
• WCAG 2.2: adds more support for things like forms and navigation. It builds on 2.1.

Simple habit that saves headaches: when someone says “WCAG compliant,” ask which version and which level.

Canada is not one rulebook

Canada wide rules (federal)

The Accessible Canada Act (Accessible Canada Act) is the federal accessibility law. It applies to the federal government and federally regulated organizations, including sectors like banking, telecom, and transportation. A good overview is here: About the Accessible Canada Act (Canadian Human Rights Commission). (CHRC)

The practical “what you have to publish” details live in the Accessible Canada Regulations, which explain planning and reporting requirements like accessibility plans, a feedback process, and progress reports. Start here: Summary of the Accessible Canada Regulations. (Government of Canada)

Timeline

• Federal compliance is ongoing and program-based, with regular plan and reporting cycles set out in the regulations. Exact dates depend on whether you are a regulated organization and when you became subject to the rules. If you are unsure, treat your timeline as “now” and confirm your specific obligations using the regulations summary. (Government of Canada)

What this means

• If you are federally regulated, accessibility is not only a website issue. It touches policies, procurement, communications, and how people can give feedback and get help.

Now, let’s do the coast to coast tour.

Province by province (2026)

British Columbia

BC has the Accessible British Columbia Act. The province also has the Accessible B.C. Regulation, which lists covered public sector organizations. (BC Government)

Timeline

• Public sector bodies listed in regulation have accessibility planning obligations.
• For private businesses and many nonprofits, province-wide timelines are still less clearly defined in one simple “WCAG by date” rule. Timeline is best treated as TBD unless your contracts or clients set one.

What this means

• If you sell into BC’s public sector, expect more accessibility questions in RFPs and vendor reviews.
• If you are not public sector, you may still be asked for WCAG alignment by clients, funders, and procurement teams.

Alberta

Alberta does not have a province wide accessibility act yet. Helpful summaries:

• Alberta legislation overview (Accessibility Services Canada)
• Promoting inclusion in Alberta through an Accessibility Act (Calgary Chamber) (Accessibility Services Canada)

Timeline

• Province-wide accessibility act timelines are undetermined or TBD.
• In practice, timelines often come from clients, contracts, and cross-province operations.

What this means

• If you only operate in Alberta, requirements may feel less spelled out.
• If you operate across Canada, you will still run into WCAG requirements through contracts, clients, and other provinces’ rules.

Saskatchewan

Saskatchewan’s Accessible Saskatchewan Act is in force, and the plan timelines are in the Accessible Saskatchewan Regulations. (AccessibleSK)

Timeline

• Government of Saskatchewan accessibility plan by December 3, 2024.
• Other prescribed public sector bodies first plan by December 3, 2025.
• Plans must be reviewed and updated at least once every 3 years. (AccessibleSK)

What this means

• If you work with Saskatchewan public sector organizations, you should expect accessibility planning to show up in vendor conversations.
• If you are not public sector, timelines may be driven by who you serve and what you sell.

Manitoba

Manitoba’s key document is the Accessible Information and Communication Standard Regulation. Manitoba also publishes a plain language fact sheet: Accessible Information and Communication Standard fact sheet. (Manitoba Laws)

Timeline

Manitoba’s fact sheet lists a clear compliance date for many organizations:

• Private sector, nonprofit organizations, and small municipalities: May 1, 2025. (AccessibilityMB)

What this means

• This standard is about how people access information and communicate with your organization. Think digital content, documents, how requests are handled, and how staff support the public.

Ontario

Ontario’s How to make websites accessible page is one of the clearest “here’s what you must do” resources in Canada. Ontario’s main law is the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act), often shortened to AODA. (Ontario.ca)

Timeline

Ontario states that your public website and web content posted after January 1, 2012 must meet WCAG 2.0 Level AA, with limited exceptions listed on the page. (Ontario.ca)

What this means

• Ontario still drives a lot of Canada’s accessibility expectations.
• If you operate in Ontario or sell into Ontario, you will keep seeing WCAG 2.0 AA in procurement language and vendor checklists.

Quebec

Quebec’s government publishes its web accessibility standard here: Standard sur l’accessibilité des sites Web (SGQRI 008). (Quebec.ca)

Timeline

• Quebec’s government standard applies to Quebec government websites and digital services.
• For private businesses and many nonprofits, province-wide digital timelines are not captured in one simple “WCAG by date” rule here. Timeline is often TBD unless you are contracting with the public sector or have a client-set requirement.

What this means

• If you work with Quebec government websites or digital services, you may see SGQRI requirements referenced directly, not only WCAG.
• If you are outside the public sector, you may still be asked for WCAG alignment through contracts and procurement.

New Brunswick

New Brunswick passed an accessibility act in 2024. The text is here: Accessibility Act, SNB 2024, c 27 (CanLII). A summary page is here: New Brunswick Accessibility (Accessibility Services Canada). (CanLII)

Timeline

• The act sets a long-term goal (commonly referenced as accessibility by 2040), with standards and timelines expected to develop over time. (Accessibility Services Canada)
• Specific digital compliance dates for businesses and nonprofits are TBD as standards roll out.

What this means

• New Brunswick is in a “framework first” phase, but the direction is clear.
• If you serve the public, keep an eye on new standards and timelines as they are published.

Nova Scotia

Nova Scotia’s Accessibility Act sets the goal of an accessible Nova Scotia by 2030. Nova Scotia’s standards roadmap is published across topic pages, including the information and communication track: Information and Communication Accessibility. (NS Legislature)

Timeline

• Nova Scotia lists the Information and Communication Accessibility Standard as expected in 2028 to 2029. (Nova Scotia)
• Other standards follow their own timelines, so digital requirements will get clearer as those standards land.

What this means

• If you serve the public in Nova Scotia, especially through government, education, healthcare, or municipalities, accessibility expectations will keep becoming more defined.

Prince Edward Island

PEI does not have a province wide accessibility act at this time, based on public summaries. See: PEI legislation overview (Accessibility Services Canada). (Accessibility Services Canada)

Timeline

• Province-wide act timelines are TBD.
• Timelines often come from contracts, funding requirements, and cross-province work.

What this means

• Even without a single act, accessibility still shows up through procurement, partnerships, and expectations from funders and public sector clients.

Newfoundland and Labrador

Newfoundland and Labrador’s government page says the province’s Accessibility Act became law on December 3, 2021. (Government of NL)

Timeline

• The act sets the foundation for standards and long-term work.
• Specific digital compliance deadlines for businesses and nonprofits are not presented as a single province-wide “WCAG by date” rule on the main page. Treat timelines as TBD unless your sector guidance or contracts set one. (Government of NL)

What this means

• If you work with public sector organizations in the province, accessibility planning and supplier expectations tend to grow over time.
• For private organizations, client and procurement pressure may set expectations before formal deadlines are spelled out.

Territory by territory (2026)

Yukon

Yukon’s Digital Service Delivery Guide states the government’s accessibility standard is WCAG 2.2 Level AA: Accessibility (Yukon Digital Service Delivery Guide). (Yukon Government)

Timeline

• Yukon’s guide is operational and current. It is written as a present-tense standard for government digital services, not a future goal. (Yukon Government)

What this means

• If you build or manage public facing services for Yukon, WCAG expectations are built into how digital services are run.

Northwest Territories

The Government of the Northwest Territories has an accessibility page describing its efforts: Accessibility (GNWT). (GNWT)

Timeline

• A single territory-wide “act and deadline” timeline is not clearly defined on the main accessibility page. Treat timelines as TBD unless your specific program or contract sets them. (GNWT)

What this means

• Even without one big deadline, accessibility expectations can still show up through public service delivery, procurement, and human rights obligations.

Nunavut

A summary page here notes no territory-wide accessibility act: Nunavut legislation overview (Accessibility Services Canada). Nunavut does have a Human Rights Act (CanLII). (Accessibility Services Canada)

Timeline

• Territory-wide act timelines are TBD.
• Accessibility expectations may be driven through service delivery obligations and human rights protections. (CanLII)

What this means

• If you provide services to the public in Nunavut, accessibility still matters, especially for essential services, forms, and information people rely on.

Quick market expansion notes (US and Europe)

This post is Canada focused, but if you are expanding, it helps to know where the pressure is rising.

• United States: the US has a clear web and mobile accessibility rule for state and local governments. Start here: DOJ ADA Title II web rule.
• Europe: the European Accessibility Act summary (EUR Lex) outlines accessibility requirements for certain products and services offered in the EU market.

We’ll break these into dedicated blogs so each region gets the depth it deserves.

The real point

Accessibility is not just a legal checkbox. It is someone being able to participate.

Right now, most sites still make that harder than it should be. The WebAIM numbers are a reminder that this is widespread, and fixable. (WebAIM)

In the next posts, we’ll share:

• how to check where you stand today without getting overwhelmed
• what common issues look like in real sites and apps
• how to plan improvements in a way that sticks