Peradeo Blog · Canada · Published 2026-08-28 · 5 min read
New Brunswick's Accessibility Act: The Newest Provincial Law and What It Means for Web Accessibility
By Vatsal Shah — Founder & CEO, IAAP WAS-Certified Accessibility Professional
New Brunswick became one of the newest members of Canada's accessibility-law club with its Accessibility Act (2024, chapter 27), passed following Bill 47. The Act sets the goal of a more accessible New Brunswick by 2040 — matching the federal Accessible Canada Act timeline — and builds the same scaffolding its sister provinces use: strategic plans, public sector accessibility plans, and future accessibility standards.
What the Act requires
- The Minister must publish a five-year strategic plan for reaching the 2040 goal, refreshed every five years;
- Public service bodies must prepare and publish accessibility plans online within 18 months of the relevant provisions commencing, with other public sector entities added by regulation;
- Plans must be prepared in consultation with persons with disabilities, report on barriers identified and removed, assess the accessibility impact of proposed policies and services, and be updated every three years;
- The framework anticipates accessibility standards in defined areas — with information and communication (the websites category) the standard pattern across Canada.
Where websites fit
Like Saskatchewan and B.C., New Brunswick's Act does not yet contain an enforceable WCAG requirement. But the direction is set: every Canadian jurisdiction that has adopted a web standard chose WCAG AA — Ontario at 2.0 AA, Manitoba at 2.1 AA, Quebec at 2.1 AA plus 2.2 criteria, and the federal government at EN 301 549 (WCAG 2.1 AA). Public sector accessibility plans that omit digital barriers will be conspicuously incomplete, since websites are where most residents now meet their government.
Existing exposure for New Brunswick organizations
- The New Brunswick Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination in services available to the public — inaccessible online services can ground complaints today;
- Federally regulated organizations in the province already fall under the Accessible Canada Act;
- Selling to Ontario, Manitoba, U.S., or EU customers imports those jurisdictions' requirements.
Practical steps
- Public sector bodies: start your accessibility plan early, name digital accessibility explicitly, and consult persons with disabilities about your web services — it is a statutory requirement, not a courtesy;
- Everyone: audit against WCAG 2.1 AA, prioritizing the services people need most (forms, payments, applications, documents);
- Publish an accessibility statement and feedback channel — both future-proof and good practice today;
- Add accessibility clauses to web development and software procurement contracts.
Compare New Brunswick's approach with the rest of the country in our complete guide to web accessibility laws in Canada.
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.