Accessibility Plan – Federal Sites

GENERAL

Garda Canada Security Corporation and Garda Security Group G.P. (hereinafter “GardaWorld”) is committed to contributing to the goal of an accessible and barrier-free Canada across all its federal sites.

The Accessible Canada Act (the “Act”) and the Accessible Canada Regulations (the “Regulations”) establish a legal framework for making progress on accessibility and focus on the identification, removal and prevention of barriers to accessibility in the seven (7) key areas of the workplace, which are detailed in this Accessibility Plan (the “Plan”).

Through the development of the Plan (the “Plan”), GardaWorld aims to put forward proactive measures to identify and remove barriers to accessibility in the workplace, while preventing the creation of new barriers.

The Plan covers a three-year period (2023 to 2026) to enable GardaWorld sufficient time to align itself with an achievable strategic plan and in accordance with legislative requirements.

Statement of Commitment

GardaWorld is committed to:

1. Understanding and complying with legislative requirements for accessibility as they relate to customers, business operations and employees;
2. Treating each person in a manner that preserves their dignity and independence; and
3. Addressing the accessibility needs of people with disabilities in a timely manner, consistent with the principles of dignity, independence, inclusion and equal opportunity.

GardaWorld is committed to providing a safe and accessible environment for its employees, customers, suppliers, candidates, visitors and all persons who enter its premises, conduct business with it, access its corporate website or communicate with it.

This Plan sets out GardaWorld’s commitment and strategy to remove barriers to employment accessibility and encourage the full inclusion of people with disabilities at GardaWorld by describing the policies, accomplishments, and actions the company has taken and is taking to improve opportunities for people with disabilities.

Feedback

GardaWorld welcomes ongoing feedback on its Accessibility Plan, not only from employees, but also from all members of the public.

There are three ways that individuals can provide feedback on accessibility to GardaWorld:

• Telephone
  Feedback can be provided by calling (800) 461-9330 or 1-800-235-6302
• GardaWorld Ethics Hotline
  https://www.garda.com/ethicshotline
  This link to a confidential and secure third-party site where individuals can complete an online report on accessibility and this Plan.
  This link allows individuals to provide feedback on an anonymous basis, if desired.
• Mail
  Feedback can be provided by sending a letter by mail addressed to Geneviève Lamarre at the following address:
  2300 Emile Belanger Street, Montreal (QC) H4R 3J4

Acknowledgement of receipt will be included in the process and will be provided in the same manner as the feedback was received, unless a different channel or format is requested.
When feedback is provided anonymously, acknowledgement of receipt will not be issued.

Members of the public are encouraged to provide feedback on this Accessibility Plan and/or feedback process, and/or to contact GardaWorld to request alternate formats of this Accessibility Plan, feedback process, or progress reports, as desired by contacting Geneviève Lamarre, Labour and Employment Lawyer, who is the designated person to receive feedback on behalf of GardaWorld.

Definitions

Barrier means anything, including anything physical, architectural, technological or attitudinal, anything that is based on information or communications or anything that is the result of a policy or practice—that hinders the full and equal participation in society of a person with an impairment, including a physical, mental, intellectual, cognitive, learning, communications or sensory impairment or a functional limitation.

Disability means any impairment, including 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.

Alternate Formats

GardaWorld will provide its Plan in the following formats, upon request:

• Print and/or large print
• Braille
• Audio
• Electronic (compatible with adaptative technology that is intended to assist persons with disabilities)
   

AREAS

Employment

GardaWorld recognizes that accessible employment practices are fundamentally sound practices that benefit businesses and the economy, as in better job retention, higher attendance, lower turnover, enhanced job performance and work quality, better safety records and a more innovative workforce.

In order to achieve a workplace fully inclusive to people with disabilities, GardaWorld will implement the following measures:

• Develop a policy that specifically addresses accessibility in employment, applicable to all GardaWorld employees to ensure that employment practices are accessible for people with disabilities (hereinafter the “Accessibility Policy”), which will include.
  • o Reviewing existing training and development programs to ensure that people with disabilities are supported at every stage of their employment;
  • o Reviewing the performance management and career development processes to ensure it considers the needs of employees with disabilities; and
  • o Providing information in a format that is accessible to the specific needs of employees with disabilities when requested.
• Conduct a thorough review of the hiring process to ensure that it is not a barrier to people with disabilities and implement the following:
  • o Ensure that job postings state that people with disabilities are welcome and that GardaWorld will accommodate their needs, upon request, during all stages of the hiring process and throughout their employment; and
  • o During performance reviews and exit interviews, encourage employees with disabilities to share their experiences with the company and provide feedback in terms of accessibility and inclusion.
• Revise the training offered to all employees to include modules on the concept of disability and resources/procedures for employees with specific disability-related needs.
• Recognize and promote the International Day of Persons with Disabilities annually on December 3, in to:
  • o Celebrate the valuable contributions and leadership of GardaWorld employees and all Canadians with disabilities;
  • o Highlight the work of individuals, organizations and communities who are removing barriers; and
  • o Reflect on GardaWorld’s ongoing efforts to become a better, more accessible and more disability-inclusive company.

The Built Environment

The built environment includes human-made spaces, such as buildings and outdoor areas. By the nature of its business, GardaWorld does not own the buildings where it operates, as its activities are conducted at various client’s site, including port, airport, Immigration Prevention Center, etc.

GardaWorld has established evacuation plans and emergency procedures that are designed to protect the members of the public as well as employees and therefore respect the different needs of people with disabilities and comply with the requirements established by each of its clients.

GardaWorld is committed to continuing to periodically review the Emergency Evacuation Plan, in collaboration with its clients, to ensure compliance with established requirements, including accessibility.

Information and Communication Technologies

GardaWorld is committed to promoting and continuously improving the accessibility of its websites to facilitate consultation by all persons, with or without disabilities.

Garda.com is built on the Drupal 8 platform, which has built-in advance accessibility features based on World Wide Web Consortium (“W3C”) and Web Content Accessibility Guideline (“WCAG “) guidance, including:

• Integrated support for screen readers
• Support for aural alerts
• Controlled Tab Order
• Fully responsive front-end theming
• Text resizing enables
• Compulsory alt text for images

As part of its ongoing efforts to improve accessibility, GardaWorld also optimized text contrast ratios site wide.

GardaWorld’s website is largely compliant with the WCAG 2.0 level AA, but there are some exceptions, such as not all videos are captioned.

GardaWorld’s goal is to make its websites accessible and usable for everyone. To this end, GardaWorld is committed to:

Conducting an accessibility assessment of the websites and making them fully compatible with the WCAG 2.0 level AA;
Adding a page dedicated to accessibility; and
Continuing to review its websites for ease and accessibility.

Communication (other than Information and Communication Technologies)

Accessible communications benefit all audiences by making information clear, direct and easy to understand. It takes into consideration the various barriers to accessing information, and provides opportunities for feedback.

Communications means the interaction between two or more persons or entities, or any combinations of them, where information is provided, sent or received.

Any person may request access to a document provided by GardaWorld in an alternative format, as listed in the Alternative Formats section of this Plan.

GardaWorld makes a constant effort to use clear and simple language in all its communication to ensure they are accessible to everyone.

Employees who have access to computers for business purposes communicate with each other through MICROSOFT TEAMS, which is a platform that includes accessibility features, such as live captions for meetings AND transcripts for calls, as well as tools to enlarge the screen, contrast color, etc.

In addition, GardaWorld’s intranet allows for immersive reading of all its articles.

To ensure accessible communications, GardaWorld is committed to:

• Implementing measures to ensure that employees are aware of these features and have access to personalized support when needed to better understand and use them effectively;
• Conducting an employee survey to assess whether communications are meeting accessibility needs ensuring the survey can be completed multiple ways (upon request);
• With input from employees, evaluating how to better integrate accessibility into GardaWorld’s communications; and
• Creating a list of external resources for quick access to alternative formats on demand;

Social media platforms have different levels of accessibility. They don’t always allow for the creation of fully accessible content. This means that accessible social media communications are on a best-effort basis.

The Procurement of Goods, Services and Facilities

This area refers to how GardaWorld acquires and purchases goods, services or other items.

GardaWorld focuses on employees proactively by providing them various tools to make the workplace more accessible.

In terms of procurement, GardaWorld is committed to the following:

• Listening to and being responsive to the accessibility needs of employees and suppliers; an
• Informing employees on how to request specific accessibility tools (e.g., ergonomic desks, readers, extra screens, headphones, etc.).

With respect to services and facilities, GardaWorld is committed to the guidelines, measures and policies implemented by its clients.

The Design and Delivery of Programs and Services

Whether internal or external, the design and delivery of programs and services must be fully accessible, and this is GardaWorld’s goal. To achieve this goal, GardaWorld is committed to:

• Ensuring that accessibility is fully integrated in all GardaWorld’s corporate policies, decision-making processes and procedures;
• Reviewing GardaWorld’s decision-making process and all its corporate policies to identify policy instruments that do not include accessibility components and how GardaWorld can address any identified gaps;
• Ensuring that all documents and manuals GardaWorld produces can provide accessibility information or are offered in accessible formats; and
• Ensuring that staff responsible for programs and services understand the concept of disability and the company’s objective in this regard.

Transportation

GardaWorld employees may be required to use GardaWorld’s own fleet of vehicles or vehicles provided by clients.

GardaWorld is committed to continuing to assess how to make transportation more accessible to its employees with disabilities while respecting the requirements established by the manufacturer and in compliance with the employer’s obligation to ensure the health and safety of its employees.

GardaWorld is also committed to working with its clients to assess the compliance of vehicles used by its employees, particularly with respect to accessibility.