AccessNorth

Plain-English guides

All our guides, in one place

We write these to answer the questions a regular Ontario business owner actually asks — in normal words, with the sources, and without the scare copy. Start with whichever one fits your situation. Every guide ends with the same free website check.

Who the website rule actually covers — 50-plus staff and the whole public sector — which standard it names, and what it leaves out.

The WCAG 2.0 AA rules in four plain questions, and an honest note on which parts a scan can check for you and which parts still need a person.

Who files the accessibility compliance report, what it covers at your size, and where a website check honestly fits.

The statutory maximums, the everyday penalty grid, why there's no meaningful enforcement, and the four things that actually create pressure.

What the FTC settlement, the lawsuit data and accessibility specialists have actually put on the record about overlay widgets.

How the rules land on Ottawa businesses, the City as a public body, and the federally regulated organizations in town.

The biggest market in the province — the City, the TTC, and why procurement is the real local lever.

Head offices, the Region of Peel, and the federally regulated players near Toronto Pearson.

Healthcare and education anchors, a mostly business-to-business base, and how procurement flows downhill from the big public buyers.

Insurance and finance, two hospital systems, Western and Fanshawe — and who you're likely selling to.

Software, insurance and campuses — polished products, and marketing sites that quietly miss the basics.

Where this comes from

We keep the wording on this page no stronger than the sources above. Nothing here is legal advice — check your obligations with a lawyer or at ontario.ca.

See where your site stands

A free, plain-English accessibility check — up to 25 pages, results in about 10 minutes. No account.

Check my website — free