Accessibility

Squamish Terminals Accessibility Plan
[2024-2027]

OVERVIEW

About Squamish Terminals

Squamish Terminals is a deep-water, break-bulk terminal located at the north end of Howe Sound, just 32 nautical miles north of the Port of Vancouver and is owned by Western Stevedoring Company Limited (WSCL), a member of Western Group Holdings Limited.

With an intermodal transportation infrastructure (including access to rail, ocean, and highway), 2 berths, 3 warehouses, and specialized handling equipment, the experienced team at Squamish Terminals efficiently handles cargo bound for North America and around the world. 

At Squamish Terminals, we value and support our people, our environment and our community. This is why we are proud to introduce our first Accessibility Plan.  

Accessibility-Related Requirements & Standards

As a federally regulated company in the transportation sector, Squamish Terminals is governed by the Accessible Canada Act (ACA).

The ACA is a federal law enacted by the Canadian government in 2019 to promote and ensure equal access and inclusion for persons with disabilities. The ACA applies to all federally regulated entities, including companies, organizations, and government agencies.

Per the Act, all federally regulated entities must:

  • Prepare and publish an initial Accessibility Plan
  • Establish an accessibility feedback process
  • Report annually on the progress towards the plan and address any feedback received

Our Accessibility Plan must be reviewed in its entirety and published every three years.

Overall, the Accessible Canada Act represents a significant step towards creating a more inclusive and accessible society for all Canadians, including those with disabilities. By complying with these requirements, Squamish Terminals can help ensure that we are providing equal access and opportunities to all members of society.

Executive Summary

Squamish Terminals is an enterprise of the Western Stevedoring division and the parent company Western Group, which values Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in the workplace. We have taken a proactive approach to DEI for all underrepresented groups, including individuals with disabilities. We conducted a DEI audit in 2021-2022, which led to the establishment of a DEI Committee dedicated to promoting best practices at Squamish Terminals. Squamish Terminals has implemented various candidate attraction and recruitment strategies that promote employment opportunities and growth for individuals with disabilities. We seek to provide a safe, welcoming, and barrier-free environment for employees with disabilities.

Squamish Terminals aims to create a physical environment that is free from barriers and provides safe access to all employees by providing accessibility features in common spaces such as lunchrooms, washrooms, shower facilities, and parking spaces. Squamish Terminals adheres to WCAG 2 standards for all public-facing ICT communications and will conduct an Accessibility Assessment of all ICT systems to further understand the barriers that exist in their ICT infrastructure.

We aim to ensure that all employees can communicate effectively by providing communication materials in accessible formats. We will also provide training on effective communication with people with disabilities to all employees. Squamish Terminals will work with its parent company to launch a comprehensive employee communication campaign to inform them of new accessibility policies and services available to them.

In terms of procurement, the company aims to incorporate accessibility as a key component by implementing a policy, establishing accountability standards, and re-evaluating agreements with existing vendors. For the design and delivery of programs and services, Squamish Terminals aims to provide customers with barrier-free access by training customer-facing employees on accessible communication standards.

Finally, while the company is not involved in public transportation, it will work with carriers to facilitate and promote high standards of accessibility and the removal of barriers. Overall, accessibility has not been a priority in the past, but these actions aim to change that and promote accessible practices for all Canadians in the future.

GENERAL

Accessibility Statement

Squamish Terminals works with its affiliates as part of the Western Group to provide a more accessible environment for employees and customers.

Our goal is to create an inclusive and accessible environment that meets the needs of all individuals. We believe that accessibility is a human right, and we are committed to making Squamish Terminals a safe and welcoming place for all.

Accessibility Working Group

WSCL, on behalf of Squamish Terminals, will establish an accessibility working group within a broader Diversity & Inclusion Committee. Our current Accessibility Plan working group is led by:

Jessie Rai
Director, Human Resources
Western Stevedoring

Feedback

Squamish Terminals is committed to providing an open and transparent feedback process. For more information, to provide feedback, or to request alternative formats of this Plan, please contact Squamish Terminals through one of the following methods:

Alternative Formats

Squamish Terminals’ Accessibility Plan is available in the following formats:

  • Print
  • Large Print
  • Electronic
  • Audio

A Braille copy of Squamish Terminals’ Accessibility Plan may be requested:

PRIORITY AREAS

Area 1: Employment

Our Accessibility Goal

Squamish Terminals values diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) in the workplace and strives to create a welcoming and accessible environment for all employees.

Current Level of Accessibility

As a member of Western Stevedoring, Squamish Terminals has taken a proactive approach to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) for all underrepresented groups including individuals with disabilities. In 2021-2022, we performed a DEI audit to identify areas of improvement and have since:

  • Established a DEI Committee dedicated to establishing best practices and promoting DEI at Western Stevedoring and its subsidiaries.
  • Published a DEI policy and job ad statement.
  • Engaged a proactive recruitment strategy to attract underrepresented groups through engagement with immigration services, refugee services, Wounded Warriors Canada, and various First Nations communities.
  • Rolled out DEI fundamentals training through the Blue Ocean Brain Platform in 2023.

Actions

Goal 1: Squamish Terminals will implement additional candidate attraction and recruitment strategies that promote employment opportunities and growth for individuals with disabilities by:

  • Reviewing policies to ensure that accessibility is fully incorporated into an Anti-Discrimination policy and have it clearly articulated on all job ads and associated job activities by December 2023.
    • Including a statement that encourages applicants to request accommodations during the application process by December 2023.
    • Expanding our candidate outreach program to include accessible job boards geared towards underrepresented groups, including people with disabilities, by December 2023.

    To further promote employment opportunities, Squamish Terminals will work in partnership with Western Stevedoring to:

    • Establish at least three community partnerships, such as associations and post-secondary institutions, to further promote employment opportunities within the disability community by 2026.

    Goal 2: Provide a safe, welcoming, and barrier-free environment for employees with disabilities by:

    • Providing allyship and unconscious bias training to all managers through the Blue Ocean Brain Platform and other means (as deemed appropriate) starting in 2023.
    • Collecting feedback from employees on DEI, including accessibility, starting in 2023.
    • Establishing a policy to provide employees with disabilities accommodations for training and development opportunities to ensure equal access to career advancement by December 2023.
    • Assess the effectiveness and impact of past manager training related to accessibility and inclusion training programs starting in 2024.
    • Conducting an audit of employee-facing human resources systems and tools to identify barriers and develop a barrier removal plan by 2026.

    Goal 3: Work with our parent company to launch a comprehensive employee communication campaign starting in 2023 to inform them of new accessibility policies and services available to them. Communications will include awareness of disability definitions and common barriers to accessibility.

    Area 2: Built Environment

    Our Accessibility Goal

    Squamish Terminals wants to ensure that all our facilities are barrier-free for our customers, vendors, and members of the public. We need to understand the safety and security of our facilities and the jobs performed on-site to prioritize accessibility upgrades. Accommodations needed for employees will be thoughtfully assessed on a case-by-case basis to ensure inclusivity and equal opportunities for all.

    Current Level of Accessibility

    Squamish Terminals’ facilities are available only to employees, vendors, and other authorized personnel; customers and members of the public are not permitted to enter without prior approval and knowledge of safety and security procedures. We provide accommodation for employees wherever possible per the safety standard of each job performed. As many of the services performed by Squamish Terminals are conducted by trained professionals in labour-intensive roles with bona fide occupational requirements, we recognize that accessibility has not always been a priority in the design of our Built Environment and common spaces. However, we will ensure any needed employee accommodations are carefully considered and managed.

    Actions

    Goal 1: Create a physical environment that is free from barriers and provides safe access to all employees by: 

    • Conducting a formal inventory and list of upgrades for all common spaces, including but not limited to, lunchrooms, washrooms, common areas, access points, and parking spaces that will need to be upgraded with accessibility features by December 2024.
    • Establishing a priority list and budget for all accessibility upgrades by June 2025.
    • Obtaining approval and establishing a timeline for the implementation of all accessibility upgrades by June 2026.
    • Implementing training for all new employees during onboarding on the proper use of accessibility features throughout the facilities by December 2023.

    Area 3: Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)

    Our Accessibility Goal

    At Squamish Terminals, our goal is to ensure that all digital platforms and content are accessible to everyone regardless of their ability. First and foremost, we are dedicated to establishing best practices and identifying existing barriers in our digital environment. We will continue to monitor and improve our online accessibility by implementing accessible design practices, providing alternative formats, and offering assistive technologies.

    Current Level of Accessibility

    Squamish Terminals adheres to Web Content Accessibility Guide (WCAG) 2 standards for all public-facing ICT communications. We rely on service providers such as Microsoft and ADP to provide accessibility features to our employees and, wherever possible, we have provided accessibility tools to accommodate employee access to ICT.

    Actions

    Goal 1: Ensure that all employees have access to the tools and systems they need to perform their job duties by:

    • Consulting with professionals with lived experience of disability to develop a formal process for employees to request adaptive technology for interpretation and accessibility by January 1, 2024.
    • Establishing an understanding of employees’ need for adaptive technologies, then creating a budget for securing and implementing adaptive technologies requested by employees starting in 2024.
      • Identifying government programs that offer employers subsidies to provide adaptive technologies starting in 2024.
    • Amending guidelines for fonts and colour schemes for all digitally published and broadcast communication materials by December 2024 and implementing the guidelines starting in 2025.

    Goal 2: Further understand the barriers that exist in our ICT infrastructure and ensure plans are in place to remove barriers where possible and upgrade our standards to WCAG 2.2 by:

    • Creating an internal ICT Accessibility Assessment tool by December 2023.
    • Conducting an Accessibility Assessment of all ICT systems by December 2024.
    • Establishing actionable goals to address any barriers identified during the assessment by December 2025.

    Area 4: Communication, other than ICT

    Our Accessibility Goal

    Communication is crucial for the day-to-day interactions of our employees and our customers. At Squamish Terminals, our goal is to ensure that all communication standards meet or exceed accessibility standards, allowing individuals with disabilities to access and communicate with(in) our organization.

    Current Level of Accessibility

    Squamish Terminals has been intentional in our communication to ensure that our communications are understood by the intended audience; however, accessibility has not been a priority in our communication strategies.

    Actions

    Goal 1: Develop and incorporate a communication standard designed to eliminate barriers and ensure accessibility from the outset by: 

    • Establishing a best practice manual that incorporates accessible design principles and communication standards (e.g., plain language) for creating documents, presentations, memos, etc. for all published and broadcast communication materials by December 2024.
    • Providing regular training for key stakeholders on effective communication strategies for accessible communication starting in 2024.
    • Collecting feedback from employees and the public regarding our overall communication strategy and the level of accessibility starting in 2026. 

    Goal 2: Ensure that all employees have access to training opportunities and career advancement by:

    • Establishing a process for employees to request accommodations in advance of training sessions to ensure that training platforms and materials are accessible by December 2023.

    Area 5: Procurement of Goods, Services and Facilities

    Our Accessibility Goal

    At Squamish Terminals, we aim to promote and support accessibility for all Canadians by holding ourselves and our vendors accountable for establishing accessible practices. We will work with vendors owned and operated by people with disabilities, that provide goods and services with accessible design, and/or have established accessibility goals to remove barriers for their employees, their customers, and the public.

    Current Level of Accessibility

    Accessibility has not been a priority in the procurement of goods, services and facilities at Western Stevedoring.

    Actions

    Goal 1: Incorporate accessibility as a key component in the procurement of goods, services and facilities by:

    • Including accessibility consideration in the development of a Responsible Procurement policy by December 2026.
    • Establishing a formal process to re-evaluate agreements with existing vendors to address barriers that exist in the procurement process and delivery of those goods, services and facilities by December 2026.

    Area 6: Design and Delivery of Programs and Services

    Our Accessibility Goal

    Squamish Terminals offers a wide variety of programs and services to our customers including cargo imports and exports, ship berthing, warehouse facilities, vessel tracking, and security services. Our goal is to provide customers with barrier-free access to our services through the design and delivery of those services.

    Current Level of Accessibility

    Customers generally do not have direct access to many of the services provided by Squamish Terminals for safety and security reasons. The services are performed by trained professionals in labour-intensive roles with bona fide occupational requirements. As such, accessibility has not been a priority in the design and delivery of programs and services.

    Actions

    Goal 1: Squamish Terminals aims to provide accessible communication with our customers to ensure the effective and efficient delivery of programs and services. We will do this by:

    • Training all our customer-facing employees on accessible communication standards informed by subject matter experts starting in 2024.

    Area 7: Transportation

    Squamish Terminals operates under the jurisdiction of Transport Canada and is subject to the accessibility requirements outlined in the Canada Transportation Act. We are not, however, involved in the transportation of the public.

    Where we work with carriers, including other entities of Western Stevedoring, Squamish Terminals will facilitate, promote, and encourage high standards of accessibility and the removal of barriers.

    CONSULTATIONS

    Summary

    Understanding the lived experience of people with disabilities is a key factor in the development of our Accessibility Plan. The Government of Canada’s Accessibility Strategy starts with the guiding principle, “Nothing without us”; these Plans and Strategies cannot meaningfully progress accessibility without input and guidance from people with disabilities. Western Stevedoring worked with British Columbia Centre for Ability (BC CFA) in the review and development of our Accessibility Plan.

    Consultation Process

    We provided the BC CFA with a draft of our Plan as a Word document for their review. We followed this with a live session to discuss the impact and significance of our goals towards creating an accessible workplace and experience for our employees and customers.

    We held the meeting in person at #15 Mountain Hwy, North Vancouver on May 4, 2023 and we inquired about accommodations with participants from the BC CFA in advance of the meeting to support their full engagement and participation.

    Throughout the consultation, we reviewed each of the Plan’s priority areas and used a PowerPoint presentation that was visible to all attendees.

    Results

    During the consultation session, each of Squamish Terminal’s goals and corresponding commitments were reviewed to gather feedback and insights from the BC CFA on how we could further incorporate best-practices and accessibility considerations into our Plan. Overall, the BC CFA provided feedback that our Plan is well-written and follows a logical sequence in plain-written language.

    The BC CFA also identified several areas for improvement where our commitments would benefit from being more specific to help us achieve our goal. This feedback was incorporated into our Plan by:

    • Integrating opportunities for audits to provide enhanced baseline data and enable strategic implementation of training.
    • Broadening the scope of our commitments to include opportunities to engage subject matter experts, such as professionals with lived experiences of disabilities, to progress towards our accessibility goals.
    • Enhancing the level of detail within our commitments to help us achieve our goal by including accessibility-specific language (e.g., from “job boards” to “accessible job boards”).

    Future Consultations

    To truly exemplify the notion of “Nothing Without Us”, Squamish Terminals aims to conduct a more robust consultation process. Our goal is to work with additional organizations, collect testimonials and feedback from our employees and customers, and survey the public for future updates and republications of our Accessibility Plan.

    CONCLUSION

    Squamish Terminals is committed to an ongoing strategy for identifying, removing, and preventing barriers to accessibility in various priority areas. By implementing these measures, Squamish Terminals aims to create a barrier-free work environment that provides equal access to all employees and customers, regardless of their abilities. This will benefit the company’s employees and customers and contribute to a more inclusive and diverse society.

    Diversity and Inclusion are important to our work, well-being, and growth. It is our commitment to Canadians to continue working towards equity for all. Squamish Terminals recognizes that the work does not end with accessibility. We are dedicated to creating a safe and fair work environment for all groups including Indigenous, Black, racialized, and 2SLGBTQ+ people.