Peradeo Blog · Canada · Published 2026-08-27 · 6 min read
The Accessible British Columbia Act: What B.C. Organizations Should Know About Web Accessibility
By Vatsal Shah — Founder & CEO, IAAP WAS-Certified Accessibility Professional
British Columbia joined the provincial accessibility movement with the Accessible British Columbia Act, which received Royal Assent in June 2021. Unlike Ontario's AODA or Manitoba's AMA, B.C.'s law does not yet contain an enforceable website standard — but the framework for one is being built, and organizations that wait for the final deadline will be retrofitting under pressure.
What the Act requires today
The Accessible B.C. Regulation (in force September 1, 2022) currently applies to more than 750 public sector organizations: provincial ministries, Crown corporations, local governments, school districts, health authorities, public libraries, and post-secondary institutions. Each must:
- Establish an accessibility committee that includes people with disabilities;
- Develop and publish an accessibility plan to identify, remove, and prevent barriers, reviewed at least every three years;
- Provide a public feedback mechanism for reporting accessibility barriers — which itself needs to be accessible.
A fall 2024 provincial compliance check found more than 80% of obligated organizations compliant or publicly working toward it, and the province continues to audit.
What is coming: enforceable standards and penalties
The Act empowers the province to adopt accessibility standards in areas including information and communications — the category that covers websites. The Provincial Accessibility Committee delivered draft standards for public consultation in 2024, and further standards work is ongoing. When Part 5 of the Act (compliance and enforcement) is brought into force, non-compliance can attract monetary penalties of up to $250,000, with provision for daily penalties for continuing contraventions.
The direction of travel is unambiguous: every comparable jurisdiction that has adopted a web standard — Ontario, Manitoba, the federal government, the U.S., the EU — has landed on WCAG AA as the benchmark. B.C. is expected to do the same.
Why B.C. businesses should act before they are forced to
Even before a B.C. web standard lands, three legal realities already apply:
- The B.C. Human Rights Code prohibits discrimination in services customarily available to the public — inaccessible digital services have grounded human rights complaints across Canada;
- If you are federally regulated (banking, telecom, transport), the Accessible Canada Act already applies to you;
- If you sell to customers in Manitoba, Ontario, the U.S., or the EU, their laws follow your website there.
Practical steps for B.C. organizations
- Public sector bodies: confirm your committee, plan, and feedback tool are in place and current — and make sure the feedback tool and the plan itself are accessible.
- Everyone: audit your website against WCAG 2.1 AA now. It is the de facto Canadian benchmark and the likely basis of B.C.'s future standard.
- Fold accessibility into procurement — require WCAG conformance and an Accessibility Conformance Report (ACR/VPAT) from vendors so third-party tools don't become your barrier.
- Publish an accessibility statement documenting your conformance target, known issues, and contact channel.
How Peradeo can help
Peradeo is a web accessibility company based in Regina, Saskatchewan, Canada. Our IAAP-certified specialists audit websites and web applications against WCAG 2.0, 2.1, and 2.2 AA using real assistive technologies (NVDA, JAWS, VoiceOver), remediate the issues hands-on as developers, and prepare the compliance documentation — including VPAT® / Accessibility Conformance Reports and accessibility statements — that regulators and procurement teams ask for.
- Learn more about our web accessibility audit & remediation services
- Request a free accessibility check of your website
This article is provided for general information only and is not legal advice. Requirements change over time — consult a qualified lawyer for advice about your specific obligations.