Lady York Foods

Intent

This multi-year accessibility plan outlines the strategy of Lady York Foods to prevent and remove barriers for people with disabilities and comply with the requirements of the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005.

Statement of Commitment

Lady York Foods is committed to providing an accessible environment for all clients, employees, job applicants, suppliers, and visitors who may enter our premises, access our information, or use our services. As an organization, we respect and comply with the requirements of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005, and its associated regulations. We strive to provide an accessible and welcoming environment for everyone by identifying and removing barriers in our workplace and ensuring that new barriers are not created. The company ensures that persons with disabilities are provided with equal opportunities. We are committed to meeting the needs of individuals with disabilities in a timely and integrative manner that respects their dignity and independence.

Multi-year Accessibility Plan

This plan is in effect from 2024 to 2029.

New and Ongoing Initiatives

Lady York Foods plans to take or is in the process of completing the following initiatives to prevent and remove barriers and comply with the Integrated Accessibility Standards Regulation:

Accessible Employment Practices

Lady York Foods is committed to fair and accessible employment practices that attract and retain employees with disabilities. The following are initiatives the company plans to take or is in process of completing:

• We will create a specific Emergency Plan for those employees with disabilities and inform those individuals of specific emergency response information when necessary.

• We will instruct managers to inform potential applicants about our modified hiring process, which accommodates disabilities.
• We will create a return-to-work process and plan for employees who have been absent from work due to a disability.

• We will create specific documentation to accommodate each individual employee and their disability.

• We will review performance management and redeployment processes and will amend them as required to ensure that the accessibility needs of employees with disabilities are taken into account where possible.

Timeframe for completion: December 31, 2024

Information and Communication Standards

Lady York Foods is committed to providing accessible formats and communication support for persons with disabilities, upon request and upon consultation with the person making the request to determine the suitability of the support. Lady York Foods is also committed to informing the public and its employees that it will make written information and other forms of communication accessible, upon request. The following are initiatives the company plans to take or is in process of completing:

• Currently, we will ensure accessibility policies and plans are available in alternate formats for employees, customers, and visitors with disabilities. Timeframe for completion: December 31, 2024.

• Lady York Foods is committed to ensuring our website and web content conform with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) – Level A and Level AA. Timeframe for completion: December 31, 2029.

Design of Public Spaces Standards (Accessibility Standards for the Built Environment)

Lady York Foods is committed to ensuring accessible public spaces in accordance with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, and its regulation(s), where applicable. Lady York Foods will meet accessibility laws when building or making major changes to its public spaces. The following barriers were identified for the built environment through an assessment:

• Some aisles are too narrow for people in wheelchairs due to the number of product displays on the floor.
• Products on the top shelves may be too high for people using wheelchairs to access.
• There is only one cash register that allows for wheelchair passage.
• The secondary doors at the south entrance of our store are not automated for persons with disabilities.
• The asphalt entrance outside the south doors is not level, making it difficult for cane and wheelchair access.
• The stairwell to the basement/lunchroom is too narrow and has only one handrail, making it difficult for employees with disabilities to navigate.
• When overstocked products are piled too high in the basement, employees with disabilities have difficulty retrieving them.
• The nature of the work at Lady York Foods often requires standing for long hours, which may be challenging for employees with disabilities.

Timeframe for completion: December 31, 2029.

Customer Service Standards

Lady York Foods is committed to providing training pursuant to the requirements of Ontario’s accessibility laws, and the Ontario Human Rights Code, as it applies to people with disabilities. The following are initiatives the company plans to take or is in process of completing:

• Re-design new employee orientation program that covers any accessibility requirements that apply to Lady York Foods specifically, the purpose of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, an overview of the requirements of the customer service standards, review of AODA policies.

Timeframe for completion: December 31, 2024.

Multi-Year Accessibility Plan Updates

The plan will be reviewed and updated at least once every five years. The President and their management team conduct the review. This process includes a formal review meeting where the plan is thoroughly evaluated. Any necessary updates are discussed and agreed upon during this meeting. The final revised plan is then signed off by the President and key members of the management team to ensure accountability and implementation. The plan itself and its updates will be located on our web page. This plan indicates our organization’s commitment to removing accessibility barriers and preventing the creation of new ones. We will make the plan and all its updates available to the public and provide it in an accessible format when requested.

Contact Us

Accessible formats of this document are available free of charge upon request. Accessible Formats include but are not limited to large print, recorded audio and electronic formats, accessible pdfs. For more information on Lady York Foods’ accessibility policies and multi-year plan please contact us.

Should we need to contact you to provide further information, please include:

• Full Name
• Contact information (telephone number and/or email address)
• Your feedback

You may provide us with your feedback on the above using the following means of communication:

Website: www.ladyyorkfoods.com/

Email: info@ladyyorkfoods.com

Mail: Lady York Foods 2939 Dufferin Street Toronto, ON M6B 3S7

Telephone: (416) 781-8585

Fax: (416) 256-7230

The Multi-Year Accessibility Plan was last reviewed on June 26, 2024.