The Accessible Saskatchewan Act: What Employers Should Be Doing Now

Many Saskatchewan organizations have now completed and published their first accessibility plans under The Accessible Saskatchewan Act. In our previous Insight, we reviewed the planning requirements imposed by the legislation and the steps organizations needed to take to develop and publish accessibility plans.

With those plans now in place, attention should turn to implementation. Organizations should be actively working toward the commitments outlined in their plans, monitoring feedback, and documenting progress to prepare for the required three-year review cycle.

Moving from planning to implementation

The purpose of an accessibility plan is to identify, remove and prevent barriers for persons with disabilities. Publishing a plan is only the first step. Organizations are expected to begin implementing the commitments, goals and measures outlined in their plans.

Responsibility for implementation should be clearly assigned, timelines should be actively monitored and broader commitments should be translated into practical, measurable actions. The goal is to ensure accessibility planning results in meaningful improvements over time rather than remaining a paper exercise.

Organizations should take implementation seriously. The Act provides inspectors with broad powers to investigate and assess compliance. Where non-compliance is identified, inspectors may issue orders, administrative penalties may be imposed and certain contraventions can result in prosecution.

Maintaining accessibility and transparency

Organizations must ensure that their accessibility plan remains publicly available and easily accessible.

In addition, government and public sector bodies are required to maintain a process for receiving feedback regarding their accessibility plans and accessibility barriers.

Feedback should be monitored and reviewed on a regular basis. In many cases, comments received from employees and members of the public will identify practical barriers or accessibility concerns that were not apparent during the planning stage. Organizations should be prepared to consider and respond to that feedback as part of their implementation efforts.

Ongoing engagement and consultation

The Act requires government and public sector bodies to consult with persons with disabilities when developing and updating accessibility plans. While formal consultation requirements arise during the development and review process, organizations should consider engaging with persons with disabilities throughout the implementation cycle.

Regular engagement can help ensure accessibility measures remain effective, responsive and aligned with the realities of the workplace. It can also help organizations identify emerging barriers before the next review cycle.

Preparing for the three-year review

Accessibility plans must be reviewed at least once every three years. Although the review may seem distant for many organizations, preparation should begin well before the review date arrives.

Organizations should be documenting:

• Actions taken to implement their accessibility plan
• Barriers that have been identified, removed, or reduced
• Feedback received from employees and the public
• Outstanding accessibility concerns or barriers
• Additional measures that may be required in the future

Organizations approaching the midpoint of the first review cycle should also begin assessing whether their existing plans remain effective and whether updates may be required.

Employers that consistently track their progress throughout the cycle will be in a much stronger position to complete a meaningful review and demonstrate compliance with the Act.

What employers should be doing now

Organizations should consider:

• Reviewing their accessibility plan and identifying outstanding commitments
• assigning responsibility for implementation initiatives
• Ensuring their accessibility plan and feedback process remain publicly available
• Tracking accessibility initiatives and barriers that have been addressed
• Reviewing and responding to accessibility-related feedback
• Beginning to document information that will assist with the required three-year review

Key takeaways

Accessibility planning is an ongoing process rather than a one-time compliance exercise. Organizations that focus on implementation, engagement and documentation throughout the review cycle will be better positioned to meet their obligations under the Act and prepare for future plan updates.

The Labour and Employment team at MLT Aikins is available to assist with all aspects of compliance with the Act, including consulting with persons with disabilities and updating your accessibility plan.

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