Is Your Website Legally Compliant in Canada?
Most businesses think they're protected. Most businesses are wrong.
Canada's accessibility laws have teeth. The Accessible Canada Act, AODA, and the Accessible BC Act carry fines up to $250,000 per violation — and installing an accessibility widget is making your legal exposure worse, not better.
- \u2705Based on current Canadian law (ACA, ABCA, AODA, CHRA)
- \u2705Personalized by province, size, and sector
- \u2705Explains why overlay widgets increase your legal risk
4
Canadian Laws Analyzed
36
WCAG Checkpoints
200+
Cards Generated
Free
No Cost, No Obligation
The Risk Is Real
Canadian Accessibility Fines at a Glance
$250,000
Maximum fine per ACA violation for federally regulated organizations
$100,000/day
AODA penalty for Ontario organizations with 50+ employees
No Cap
Canadian Human Rights Tribunal remedy amounts have no statutory maximum
40%
Annual increase in Canadian human rights complaints related to web inaccessibility
The Overlay Trap
Your Accessibility Widget Is Making Things Worse
This is the most important section most businesses never read — until after they've been sued.
25%
of all U.S. digital accessibility lawsuits in 2024 targeted websites running overlay widgets
Source: UsableNet 2024 Report
800+
businesses sued for ADA violations while running accessibility overlay tools (2023–2024)
$1,000,000
FTC fine against AccessiBe for falsely claiming AI could achieve WCAG compliance
Source: FTC, April 2025
72%
of people with disabilities rated overlays as "not at all" or "not very" effective
Source: WebAIM Survey
The UserWay Trap
BloomsyBox — Sued Despite Having a Widget
BloomsyBox installed the UserWay overlay widget believing it made their site accessible. A visually impaired customer filed a lawsuit — not despite the widget, but partly because of it. The court found the overlay created a separate, degraded experience while leaving underlying code barriers intact.
“The presence of the overlay was cited as evidence that the company knew about accessibility issues but chose a shortcut over genuine remediation.”
The AccessiBe $1M Fine
FTC Settles for $1,000,000
In April 2025, the Federal Trade Commission fined accessiBe $1,000,000 for deceptive marketing practices. The FTC determined that claims their AI-powered overlay could make any website fully ADA and WCAG compliant were false and misleading. The settlement prohibits accessiBe from making compliance guarantees. If the vendor itself can't legally claim compliance, how can you?
What Overlays Cannot Fix
“Installing an accessibility overlay is like placing a ramp-shaped sticker over a photo of stairs and calling your building wheelchair accessible.”
— Grow Wild Agency
Canada's Accessibility Law Landscape
A layered patchwork most businesses don't understand — until they receive a compliance order.
Accessible Canada Act
Federal Jurisdiction
Federally regulated organizations including banks, telecom companies, transportation providers, broadcasting, and the federal government. Applies regardless of size.
Maximum Penalty
$250,000 CAD per serious violation
Enforcement Body
Accessibility Commissioner of Canada
Web Standard
WCAG 2.1 Level AA (EN 301 549 referenced)
Key Deadlines
- \u2022 June 2025: Accessibility plans required for 100+ employees
- \u2022 June 2026: Accessibility plans required for 10–99 employees
- \u2022 Ongoing: Compliance orders can be issued at any time
Compliance Checklist
| Applies To | ACA | ABCA | AODA | CHRA |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Federal bodies | ✓ | — | — | ✓ |
| BC public sector | — | ✓ | — | — |
| Ontario 50+ employees | — | — | ✓ | — |
| Banks & finance | ✓ | — | — | ✓ |
| Telecom providers | ✓ | — | — | ✓ |
| Transportation | ✓ | — | — | ✓ |
\u26A0\uFE0F Even laws not yet fully in force create risk. BC Human Rights Tribunal complaints can be filed TODAY against inaccessible websites under the BC Human Rights Code — regardless of ABCA enforcement status.
WCAG 2.1 AA Compliance Checklist
36 items. How many can you check off?
28 more items in your free Compliance Card
Get the full checklist personalized for your province
\u2191 Get your free card aboveScoring Guide
\u2022 30\u201336 items: Strong foundation \u2014 minor remediation needed
\u2022 20\u201329 items: Moderate gaps \u2014 prioritized remediation recommended
\u2022 10\u201319 items: Significant issues \u2014 legal risk is elevated
\u2022 Under 10 items: Critical \u2014 immediate action required
Get Your Free Compliance Card
Find out which laws apply to your organization and your maximum legal exposure in under 60 seconds.
Grow Wild Agency
Vancouver's #1 Web Design & Accessibility Agency
Grow Wild Agency builds websites that are fast, beautiful, and accessible from the ground up. No overlays. No shortcuts. Just real WCAG compliance built into every line of code.
This Accessibility Compliance Card was created as a free resource to help Canadian businesses understand their legal obligations. We believe accessibility is a right, not a feature — and that every business deserves clear, honest information about the laws that apply to them.