Accessibility plan at Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC)

Summary

The federal government is committed to removing barriers to accessibility and inclusion to ensure greater opportunities for success for all Canadians. This is particularly important for more than 6 million Canadians over 15 years old who have a disability.

The overarching goal of the Accessible Canada Act (ACA) is to realize a barrier-free Canada by 2040 with every federal department identifying the actions they will take to remove and prevent barriers. The legislation benefits all Canadians, especially persons with disabilities, through the proactive identification, removal, and prevention of barriers to accessibility in 8 priority areas:

To achieve this, ECCC developed its first Accessibility Plan, consistent with the ACA and the Accessible Canada Regulations, to be published in December 2022. This plan will be updated every 3 years, and between formal updates there will be progress reports to describe the results of our actions.

In developing the plan for our Department, we have added a ninth priority area, culture, to honour our standing promise to create a culture of care and a workplace that is inclusive, accessible, and safe for all. In such a culture, we must be attentive to the well-being of others and discuss issues in a respectful manner to resolve them collaboratively.

General

This Accessibility Plan is created for: Environment and Climate Change Canada
Designated Person for the purpose of receiving feedback on barriers and on the ECCC Accessibility Plan: Kate Beauchamp, Director, Wellness Programs

Persons in Canada dealing with Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) can formulate feedback on the way ECCC is implementing its Accessibility Plan and reporting on its progress. They can also report barriers encountered when dealing with ECCC. Persons in Canada can request a copy of the Accessibility Plan, Progress Report and Feedback Process documents in an alternate format from the Designated Person.

The Designated Person for the purpose of receiving feedback on barriers and on the ECCC Accessibility Plan and Progress Report and of providing these documents in an alternate format is the Director, Wellness Programs.

Persons can provide feedback in the following ways:
By mail:
351 Saint-Joseph Blvd., Gatineau, QC, K1A 0H3
Designated Person to receive feedback on barriers and on the ECCC Accessibility Plan: Director, Wellness Programs, Human Resources Branch
By Phone: 1-844-690-8366
By Email: RetroactionAccessibilite-FeedbackAccessibility@ec.gc.ca
By electronic online form: Accessibility feedback form
Anonymously: by mail, by phone, by electronic form

An acknowledgement of receipt of feedback on accessibility will be provided in the same manner as it was communicated, except for anonymous feedback.

The feedback will be shared and coordinated by the Designated Person for the purpose of receiving feedback.

Accessibility Statement

As of the date of publication, this document has been verified for accessibility.

If you have any issues with this document, please contact us at RetroactionAccessibilite-FeedbackAccessibility@ec.gc.ca.

Message from the Deputy Ministers

We are pleased to introduce the first ECCC Accessibility Plan, as mandated by the Accessible Canada Act (ACA) and the Accessible Canada Regulations (ACR). The ACA aims to create a Canada without barriers on or before January 1, 2040. This work calls on federally regulated entities to identify and remove all existing barriers to accessibility and prevent new ones through the development of accessibility plans and progress reports, which will be published in cycles.

In 2019, the ACA and the Public Service of Canada strategy “Nothing without us” inspired ECCC to create its own Accessibility Strategy. The strategy enabled ECCC to support a culture of care, improve awareness about disabilities, visible or not, open the conversation to create employment opportunities for persons with disabilities, and much more; it is the foundation for this first Accessibility Plan.

Developed in collaboration with ECCC’s branches and employees with disabilities, our first Accessibility Plan organizes the activities under 9 priority areas, including the pillar of culture, as we recognize that a culture of care is fundamental to creating an inclusive, diversified, accessible, and safe environment.

In March 2021, ECCC employees with and without disabilities completed the ECCC Accessibility Survey to provide direct feedback on accessibility and barriers in the workplace. Through that survey, we learned that close to half of all respondents felt that ECCC’s efforts to remove and prevent barriers are improving. We also heard that just over one in three respondents reported that people with disabilities at ECCC have difficulty changing jobs or advancing within the Department. This feedback is what we need to further improve our organization for all employees and will continue to be critical as the Accessibility Plan evolves and we report on our progress.

As part of the implementation, we will work to improve the accessibility of ECCC’s programs and services for all Canadians. We will also begin to consult with people across Canada on their accessibility experiences and needs, and better address those needs in the next Plan. We are confident that ECCC will be fully accessible before 2040, thanks to the collaboration of all branches and the valuable contributions of people with disabilities.
We give our wholehearted appreciation to everyone who worked to create this first ECCC Accessibility Plan, which sets the foundation for an inclusive and accessible ECCC, for now and into the future.

T. Christine Hogan
Deputy Minister

Paul Halucha
Associate Deputy Minister

Lawrence Hanson
Associate Deputy Minister

Message from the Disability and Accessibility Co-champions and the Employee Accessibility Network

Since the adoption of the Accessible Canada Act by the Parliament, ECCC has been hard at work to develop and implement its Accessibility Strategy. Over the past 3 years, the Department has demonstrated its ongoing commitment to changing mindsets and behaviors in order to provide an accessible workplace for all employees by promoting new initiatives and sharing tools and resources, as well as training and learning opportunities. We have been listening to our employee network to focus our attention on the issues and concerns that affect people the most. Responses from employees to the ECCC Accessibility Survey provided us with essential information that helped us to determine what we need to do to further raise awareness and improve accessibility in the workplace. All these efforts support ECCC’s objective of proactively identifying and removing existing barriers, preventing the creation of new ones, and facilitating the full participation of persons with disabilities. We were able to target areas of importance and guide the next steps in the implementation of the ECCC Accessibility Plan.

ECCC is mindful that the work has just begun, and we must maintain the momentum to bring about meaningful change to accessibility in the workplace. Culture change does not happen overnight and this work is founded on conversations, sharing of information and providing the tools needed for everyone. As champions we hold a strong commitment to making ECCC accessible and inclusive for all.

Accessibility is everyone’s business! Together, we can create a culture of care that is inclusive and accessible for both employees and Canadians.

Nicole Cote and Daniel Desfossés, Disability and Accessibility Champions

And

The Employee Accessibility Network

Introduction

The Accessible Canada Act

The Accessible Canada Act is part of Canada’s vision to be a diverse and inclusive world leader. The new legislation builds upon the strength of existing legislation such as the:

In 2016, the Government of Canada began consultations with Canadians with the purpose of developing new federal accessibility legislation as part of Canada’s commitment to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

The Accessible Canada Act (ACA) was legislated by Parliament in July 11, 2019 with the purpose of “realiz[ing] a Canada without barriers” by 2040, “particularly by the identification and removal of barriers, and the prevention of new barriers” in specific areas.

This legislation not only acknowledges publicly the value of persons with disabilities, but even more importantly, requires the establishment of standards in order to measure the progress when it comes to providing accessible services, removing existing barriers and preventing new barriers.

The following definitions are included in the ACA and apply to this Plan:

The purpose of the ACA is to benefit all persons, especially persons with disabilities, through the realization, within the purview of matters coming within the legislative authority of Parliament, of a Canada without barriers, on or before January 1, 2040, particularly by the identification and removal of barriers, and the prevention of new barriers, in the following areas:

In the Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) Accessibility Plan and subsequent progress reports, actions are identified and progress will be reported under each priority area (or pillar). In the spirit of the culture of care which is a foundational component to the ECCC organization, this has been added as a distinct pillar within the Departmental Accessibility Plan. This reinforces the need for ongoing awareness of accessibility to support the realization of our collective plan and actions within the remaining pillars.

The ACA establishes a schedule of reporting on the priority areas following a three-calendar year cycle method, starting at the time an organization has first published their Accessibility Plan, as follows:

Accessibility development and governance

ECCC will contribute to and participate in the broader governance structure developed under the ACA.

The Treasury Board of Canada Secretariat (TBS) provides advice and makes recommendations to the Treasury Board committee of ministers on how the government spends money on programs and services, how it regulates and how it is managed. The Office of Public Service Accessibility (OPSA), an organization of TBS, supports the Government of Canada in meeting the requirements of the Accessible Canada Act. The intent is to design a strategy and implementation plan to establish the public service of Canada as the gold standard of an accessible and inclusive workplace.

OPSA sets a new standard for the public service, with the guiding principle “Nothing without us”, so that persons with disabilities are involved in the design and implementation of all accessibility strategies. This principle is reflected in a variety of actions across Public Service departments, such as governance through the Accessibility Champions (persons with disabilities or allies) and the creation of an active community of practice.

Accessibility structure at ECCC

Accountability

As a department, we embarked, over the past few years, on a transformational journey by adopting a “Culture of Care” model. A culture that is based on the principles of empathy, inclusivity, and respectfulness in order to support the creation and implementation of a barrier-free workplace.

Even before developing the first departmental Accessibility Plan, we developed and promoted an internal Accessibility Strategy. We recognize there are common working areas within existing internal programs such as: Diversity, Inclusion and Employment Equity, the Respect Bureau, and the Wellness Centre (Mental Health). It is through the adoption of a culture of care that everyone can develop the empathy and compassion to analyse their work through different lenses, including the lens of persons with disabilities, and make a positive difference.

To become an inclusive workplace requires both the collective and personal responsibilities of each employee and manager. We will succeed and meet our goal through everyone’s commitment to continuous learning, open conversations, supportive processes, and communication.

Guiding principles of the ECCC Accessibility Strategy

Our priority areas (for example “key pillars”), based on the Accessible Canada Act, are:

The implementation of the specific actions within the ECCC Accessibility Plan will be led by each branch, as the Department offers a variety of services that require specific approaches and may be needed to meet other regulations.

Building on our strengths

ECCC informs Canadians about protecting and conserving our natural heritage, and ensures a clean, safe, and sustainable environment for present and future generations.

At ECCC, we recognize that the environment is vital to the identity and well-being of Canadians. We value the contribution of the natural and social sciences in making responsible decisions about the environment. We are committed to demonstrating integrity, trust and mutual respect in our working relationships. We value the dedication and teamwork of our people and strive to provide high-quality service to the public. We act on these values by:

The workplace in the Public Service has changed considerably over the past several years. Due to legislation like the ACA, gaps in resourcing have been identified in areas such as Diversity, Inclusion and Employment Equity (DIEE). In addition, since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, the nuances and complexities of our personal and work lives have changed dramatically, presenting great opportunities of the learning and development for the future Public Service. In the context of the ACA, the accessibility, accommodations and support to persons with disabilities accelerated change at ECCC in various ways.

ECCC Retrospective of 2019 to 2022

In 2019, prior to the development of an ECCC Accessibility Plan, the Human Resources Branch (HRB), put in place an Accessibility Secretariat and launched an internal Accessibility Strategy. These supported ECCC’s commitment to implement the Accessible Canada Act. The Accessibility Secretariat oversees the corporate program on accessibility and works with partners and stakeholders to develop and implement a multi-year departmental Accessibility Plan that meets or surpasses the legislative requirements. HRB fosters an environment of learning, collaboration and development between the Co‑Champions, branch heads, and employee networks in order to achieve a barrier-free workplace.

The Accessibility Strategy builds upon a broader departmental goal to create an organization with a Culture of Care using an empathetic, inclusive, and respectful approach. Here is a list of achievements that have resulted from this initial Strategy:

Priority areas and expected results

Looking toward our journey to achieving a fully accessible Canada by 2040, ECCC is committed to providing accessible services by default to all of ECCC’s employees and the Canadians we serve.

ECCC will achieve these goals by planning and consulting with all stakeholders and implementing the Accessible Canada Regulations 3-year cycles comprising one Accessible Plan and 2 progress reports.

The first ECCC Accessibility Plan’s goal is to establish formal accessibility mechanisms, including but not limited to: responsibilities, processes, data collection sources, work plan and priorities for each branch, including interconnections with other programs, using as a framework the ACA priority areas and tools available through the OPSA.

For this first 3-year cycle, 2022 to 2024, ECCC will develop plans to focus on the overall Department as well as branch specific actions. At an overall ECCC level, the focus will be to align the departmental approaches to the Public Service standards, as they become available.

In addition to the above-noted elements, we will use the feedback and data from the annual Public Service Employee Survey, the Employment Equity Gap Reports and the internal periodic ECCC Accessibility Survey. This information will help us adapt plans, include new areas for focus as needed, and validate priority actions.

All these elements will help us measure progress against our goals, meet standards, identify new objectives, and deliver meaningful yearly progress reports (in 2023 and 2024) as per the ACA.

The Accessibility Secretariat will be responsible for preparing, consulting, receiving feedback and publishing both the ECCC accessibility plans and progress reports. ECCC branches will be responsible to consult persons with disabilities on the following priority areas:

Culture

ECCC’s Culture of Care is an approach to creating empathic, compassionate and respectful conversations between managers and employees. ECCC will show accessibility leadership through our actions, planning, caring and support for our employees, clients and partners.

ECCC is responsible for the following: 

Employment

Improve recruitment, retention, and promotion of persons with disabilities (evident or not).

ECCC is responsible for the following: 

Built environment

Enhance the accessibility of the built environment within ECCC facilities.

ECCC is responsible for the following: 

Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)

Continue to make information and communication technologies usable by all.

ECCC is responsible for the following:

Communication, other than Information and Communication Technologies

Make information and communication accessible to all.

ECCC is responsible for the following: 

Procurement of goods, services, and facilities

Ensuring goods, services and facilities are accessible by design and by default. Improving the accessibility of tendering and procurement procedures.

ECCC is responsible for the following: 

Design and Delivery of Programs and Services

Equip employees to design and deliver accessible programs and services, including policies.

ECCC is responsible for the following: 

Transportation

While ECCC does not offer transportation services to Canadians, various transportation vehicles are utilized at various sites, and public transportation is used by employees for business purposes.

ECCC is responsible for the following: 

Broadcasting

The Meteorological Service of Canada (MSC) leads the development of weather and related environmental programs, prediction models and information dissemination to meet the needs of Canadians, economic sectors, other federal departments, and external clients. This includes the provision of weather, ice and other environmental prediction information to support Canadian aviation, navigation and military operations. It manages the delivery of our information using a variety of mechanisms (web, radio, etc.) and improves the delivery of our services through systematic collection of customer feedback, assessment of client needs and strategic partnerships.

ECCC is the Authoritative Source of Weather Alerts 24/7.

ECCC is responsible for the following:

Consultations

Under the ACA, the regulated entity must consult persons with disabilities in the preparation of its accessibility plan, and every updated version of its accessibility plan, as well as its progress reports. The accessibility plan must set out the manner in which the regulated entity consulted persons with disabilities in the preparation of the plan.

Consultations results

Barriers to accessibility – What we heard

As we welcomed in the Accessible Canada Act, ECCC consulted persons with disabilities by launching the Accessibility Survey in 2021. We delved deeper into the 2020 Public Service Employee Survey, into the exit questionnaires and into different surveys conducted throughout the pandemic (check-in surveys), where respondents were able to self-identify as a person with a disability.

ECCC Accessibility survey 2021

On March 30, 2021, a message from the Disability and Accessibility Co-Champions was sent to all ECCC staff inviting them to complete ECCC’s Accessibility Survey. A total of 748 employees completed the survey between March 30 and April 21 resulting in a response rate of 10% based on 7 539 active employees. More than 1 in 3 (35%) respondents consider themselves as having a disability based on the definition provided. Some of the highlights from the survey include:

Public Service Employee Survey (PSES)

(2020 PSES results, compared with 2018 PSES and 2019 PSES results.)

In the 2020 Public Service Employee Survey, ECCC results comparing persons with a disability and persons without a disability reveal the following:

Exit questionnaires

Between April 1, 2020 and July 5, 2022, 517 employees completed the exit questionnaire when they left the Department. Out of those, 58 respondents self-identified as a person with a disability.

Employee check-in surveys

Surveys with employees about the departmental response to the pandemic, regarding the evolution of the way we work and reintegration to the workplace, included the following:

The following findings were from employees who self-identified as having a disability who responded to the check-in surveys:

Summary of the consultations results

Considering the above consultations results, ECCC has identified the actions described in the “Priority Areas and Expected Results” section.

Consultations plan

ECCC’s consultations on the first Departmental Accessibility Plan 2022 to 2024:

The information collected from the consultations on accessibility, including information to identify, eliminate and prevent barriers, will be shared, and coordinated through ECCC branches.

Feedback process

Persons in Canada dealing with Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) can formulate feedback on the way ECCC is implementing its Accessibility Plan and reporting on its progress. They can also report barriers encountered when dealing with ECCC. Persons in Canada can request the Accessibility Plan, Progress Report and Feedback Progress documents in an alternate format to the Designated Person.

The Designated Person for the purpose of receiving feedback on barriers and on the ECCC Accessibility Plan and Progress Report and of providing these documents in an alternate format is the Director, Wellness Programs.

Persons can provide feedback in the following ways:
By mail:
351 Saint-Joseph Blvd., Gatineau, QC, K1A 0H3
By Phone: 1-844-690-8366
By Email: RetroactionAccessibilite-FeedbackAccessibility@ec.gc.ca
By electronic online form: Accessibility feedback form
Anonymously: by mail, by phone, by electronic form
To the Person Designated to receive feedback on barriers and on the ECCC Accessibility Plan: Director, Wellness Programs

An acknowledgement of receipt of feedback on accessibility will be provided in the same manner as it was communicated, except for anonymous feedback.

The feedback will be shared and coordinated by the Designated Person for the purpose of receiving feedback. 

Glossary

Accessibility: The combination of aspects that influence a person’s ability to function within an environment.

Accessible: Referring to a place that is easily reached, an environment that is easily navigated or a program or service that can easily be obtained.

Accommodation: The personalized adaptation of a workplace to overcome the barriers faced by persons with disabilities.

Barrier: A physical, architectural, technological, or attitudinal obstacle, based on information or communications or resulting from a policy or a practice, that hinders the full and equal participation of persons with disabilities in society.

Disability: A physical, mental, intellectual, cognitive, learning, communication or sensory impairment, or a functional limitation, whether permanent, temporary, or episodic in nature, or evident or not, that, in interaction with a barrier, hinders a person’s full and equal participation in society.

Inclusion: The act of recognizing, valuing, and building on differences in identity, abilities, backgrounds, cultures, skills, experiences, and perspectives while respecting human rights.

Nothing without us: A guiding principle used across the Government of Canada to communicate the message that no policy should be decided by a representative without the full and direct participation of the members of the group affected by that policy.

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