Canada Scene (canadascene.org) is committed to ensuring digital accessibility for all readers, including people with disabilities. This Accessibility Statement outlines our ongoing efforts to meet WCAG 2.2 Level AA conformance under the Accessible Canada Act, enforced through the Canadian Accessibility Standards at accessible.canada.ca. The site is owned and operated by Northern Beacon Media Inc., an Ontario corporation (Ontario Business Registry number 1003194827), with a registered office at Unit 12, 95 King Street East, Toronto, ON M5C 1G4. Editor-in-Chief Catherine Roy oversees editorial standards and accessibility compliance. For accessibility‑related inquiries, email accessibility@canadascene.org.
What accessibility standards does Canada Scene follow?
Canada Scene targets conformance with WCAG 2.2 Level AA as the minimum technical standard for its website. This standard aligns with the requirements of the Accessible Canada Act and is referenced in the Canadian Accessibility Standards published at accessible.canada.ca. Our compliance roadmap includes periodic automated and manual audits, user testing with assistive technologies, and documented remediation plans. We work to ensure new content and features are developed with accessibility built in from the start. The publication’s fact‑checking lead, Andrew Leblanc, coordinates with technical staff to verify that accessibility fixes are applied promptly.
Who is responsible for accessibility at Canada Scene?
Overall responsibility for digital accessibility rests with Catherine Roy, Editor‑in‑Chief, supported by the technical team and the Standards & Fact‑Checking Lead, Andrew Leblanc. They oversee conformance testing, staff training, and the handling of user feedback received at accessibility@canadascene.org. Day‑to‑day compliance is managed through the newsroom’s editorial and technical workflows. All editors, including Marc Tremblay (Managing Editor) and Hannah Walsh (Municipal Affairs Editor), are trained to consider accessibility when selecting images, writing alt text, and structuring articles. The company’s ownership – Northern Beacon Media Inc. – provides the resources needed to maintain conformance.
How do we ensure keyboard navigation and focus visibility?
All interactive elements on Canada Scene – including links, buttons, forms, and media controls – are designed to be operable using a keyboard alone. Focus indicators are visibly styled to meet WCAG 2.2 Level AA success criteria. Users can navigate the site using the Tab key to move forward through focusable elements and Shift+Tab to move backward. Skip‑to‑content links are provided at the top of every page to allow direct access to the main content area. We test with common screen readers such as NVDA and JAWS, and we review custom components (e.g., dropdown menus, video players) to ensure they receive keyboard focus in a logical order. Known issues are tracked and addressed in regular updates.
What contrast and reduced motion considerations are in place?
Text and non‑text content meet a minimum contrast ratio of 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text, as required by WCAG 2.2 Level AA. Background colours and decorative elements are chosen to avoid reliance on colour alone to convey information. For users who prefer reduced motion, the site respects the prefers‑reduced‑motion operating system setting. When this setting is enabled, animations, scrolling effects, and video autoplay are either suppressed or replaced with static alternatives. We do not use flashing content that exceeds three flashes per second. These measures are reviewed during every major design refresh and after each WCAG update.
What are the known limitations of our current accessibility?
While we strive for full conformance, some older articles or embedded third‑party content (such as social media widgets or interactive maps) may not meet all WCAG 2.2 Level AA criteria. Documents published as PDFs may lack proper tags or alternative text. We are actively remediating archived content and encourage users to contact us at accessibility@canadascene.org for alternative formats. Video content published before our current accessibility policy may lack captions; new videos are captioned and transcripts are provided where feasible. The site’s header and footer navigation, while keyboard‑accessible, may present complexity for screen reader users – we are working to simplify landmark regions.
How can I report an accessibility issue or make a request?
If you encounter a barrier or need content in an alternative format, please email accessibility@canadascene.org. You may also use our general contact form at /about-us/contact/ or submit a formal complaint through the procedure outlined at /complaints-procedure/. We commit to acknowledging your message within two business days and providing a substantive response within ten business days. Complaints that are not resolved to your satisfaction may be escalated to the Editor‑in‑Chief, Catherine Roy, or forwarded to the Canadian Accessibility Standards enforcement body via accessible.canada.ca. Our editorial policy also commits to correcting accessibility errors as part of our general corrections process.
Our commitments
- Maintain ongoing conformance with WCAG 2.2 Level AA as the minimum standard for all new and substantially updated content.
- Provide accessible alternative formats (e.g., large‑print, plain‑text, audio) within five business days of a request.
- Train all editorial and technical staff on accessibility best practices and the Accessible Canada Act requirements at least once per year.
- Conduct automated accessibility scans monthly and a full manual audit with assistive technology testing annually.
- Respond to all accessibility feedback within two business days and resolve reported barriers within ten business days whenever possible.