British Columbia
Accessibility standards are coming. Get ready.
The Accessible British Columbia Act is reshaping how organizations approach digital accessibility in BC. Requirements are expanding, standards are being finalized, and the businesses that act now will be ahead of the curve when compliance becomes mandatory.
What BC businesses need to know about the Accessible BC Act
The Accessible British Columbia Act (also called the ABC Act) received royal assent on June 17, 2021, establishing a framework for identifying, removing, and preventing barriers to accessibility across the province. It is the most significant accessibility legislation in BC's history.
The Act applies first to government and prescribed public sector organizations, including municipalities, school districts, health authorities, post-secondary institutions, and Crown corporations. These organizations were required to establish accessibility committees, develop accessibility plans, and create feedback mechanisms by September 2023 or September 2024, depending on their category.
Where things stand now
The Provincial Accessibility Committee proposed draft accessibility standards to the Minister at the end of 2025, covering areas including employment and service delivery. These draft standards are expected to go to the Minister for formal regulatory recommendations in late 2026. Once enacted as regulations, they will establish enforceable compliance requirements, timelines, and potentially extend obligations to private sector businesses.
The direction is clear: BC is following the path Ontario set with the AODA, building a comprehensive accessibility framework that will eventually apply to organizations of all sizes and sectors.
What standard should you target?
The BC government has committed to meeting WCAG 2.1 Level AA for its own web content, which aligns with the federal Accessible Canada Act. We recommend all BC organizations target the same standard. WCAG 2.1 AA builds on WCAG 2.0 with additional criteria for mobile accessibility, cognitive accessibility, and users with low vision. It is the standard that will almost certainly underpin BC's formal requirements when they arrive.
Who is affected by BC's accessibility legislation
The Accessible BC Act takes a phased approach to compliance:
- Government organizations covered since September 2023: Provincial ministries, Crown corporations, and other government bodies
- Broader public sector covered since September 2024: Municipalities, regional districts, school districts, health authorities, and post-secondary institutions
- Private sector organizations: The Act includes provisions for private sector requirements. Specific obligations will be defined as accessibility standards are finalized and enacted as regulations, expected to begin in 2027 and beyond
Even if your organization is not yet legally required to meet specific accessibility standards, the federal Accessible Canada Act applies to federally regulated industries in BC (banking, telecommunications, transportation), and the BC Human Rights Code protects people with disabilities from discrimination in services available to the public. An inaccessible website can be the basis for a human rights complaint regardless of whether formal web standards have been enacted.
Why BC businesses should act now
You do not have to wait for regulations to take effect to benefit from an accessible website. Here is why acting now is the smart move:
- Avoid the rush: When Ontario's AODA deadlines arrived, organizations that had not started early faced expensive, disruptive remediation projects. BC businesses have the advantage of learning from Ontario's timeline and getting ahead.
- Reach more customers: Over one million British Columbians identify as having a disability. An accessible website serves them and the people in their lives who influence purchasing decisions.
- Improve search and AI visibility: Accessible websites use clean, structured markup that search engines and AI tools rely on to understand and surface content. Accessibility and discoverability go hand in hand.
- Reduce legal exposure: The Accessible BC Act allows for penalties of up to $250,000. But even before formal enforcement, the BC Human Rights Code and the federal Accessible Canada Act create legal pathways for accessibility complaints.
- Build a stronger brand: Customers and partners increasingly evaluate organizations on their commitment to inclusion. Accessibility is a visible signal that your business takes it seriously.
To explore this topic further, read our article on why inaccessible websites hold businesses and nonprofits back.
How we help BC businesses prepare for accessibility requirements
India Stone Creative provides practical accessibility services for British Columbia businesses, nonprofits, and public sector organizations. We focus on real, lasting improvements to your website, not overlay widgets or automated shortcuts that create a false sense of compliance.
Accessibility audits
We combine automated scanning with manual expert testing using screen readers, keyboard navigation, and other assistive technologies to identify every barrier on your website. Every audit includes a prioritized remediation report with clear, implementable recommendations.
Remediation and design recommendations
Our team provides specific fixes for the accessibility issues we identify, including code-level guidance, content improvements, design changes, and interaction pattern updates. We work alongside your development team or handle the implementation directly.
WCAG 2.1 AA compliance roadmap
If you are starting from scratch or unsure where your website stands, we create a practical roadmap that prioritizes the highest-impact fixes first. This gives you a clear path to conformance without trying to fix everything at once.
Ongoing accessibility support
New content, features, and site updates can introduce accessibility barriers over time. We offer ongoing monitoring and periodic re-testing to help you maintain compliance as your website evolves and as BC's standards continue to develop.
Frequently Asked Questions
- Does the Accessible British Columbia Act apply to private businesses?
- Yes, but the timeline depends on the development of accessibility standards. The Act currently applies to prescribed government and public sector organizations (municipalities, school districts, health authorities, post-secondary institutions). The provincial government is developing accessibility standards for employment and service delivery that will extend requirements to private sector businesses. Draft standards are expected to go to the Minister for regulatory recommendations in late 2026, after which compliance timelines for private organizations will be established.
- What WCAG level should BC businesses target?
- The BC government targets WCAG 2.1 Level AA for its own web content, and this is the standard we recommend for all BC organizations. While the federal Accessible Canada Act also references WCAG 2.1 AA, adopting this standard now positions your organization ahead of provincial requirements as they are formalized. It also aligns with international best practices and covers important mobile and cognitive accessibility improvements that WCAG 2.0 does not address.
- What are the penalties for non-compliance under the Accessible BC Act?
- The Act allows for administrative penalties of up to $250,000 for non-compliance once enforcement mechanisms are activated. While enforcement has focused on public sector organizations to date, the standards development process underway will establish compliance requirements and enforcement timelines for a broader range of organizations. Proactive compliance now avoids the cost and disruption of reactive remediation later.
- How is the Accessible BC Act different from the AODA?
- Ontario passed the AODA in 2005 and has had enforceable website accessibility requirements (WCAG 2.0 Level AA) for over a decade. British Columbia passed the Accessible BC Act in 2021 and is still developing its detailed accessibility standards. The BC Act follows a phased approach: public sector organizations first, with private sector requirements coming as standards are finalized. The direction is clear, but BC organizations have a window to get ahead of requirements before they become mandatory.
- Do I need to make my website accessible if my BC business is small?
- Regardless of legal requirements, an accessible website is a better website. It reaches more people, performs better in search results, works reliably across devices, and demonstrates that your business values inclusion. For small businesses, the cost of building accessibility into a website from the start is modest compared to retrofitting later. And as BC finalizes its accessibility standards, early compliance means you will not be scrambling to meet new requirements under pressure.
- What does a website accessibility audit involve?
- An accessibility audit combines automated scanning tools with manual expert testing across your website. We test with screen readers, keyboard-only navigation, and other assistive technologies to identify barriers that automated tools miss. The result is a prioritized report that tells you exactly what needs to change, how urgent each issue is, and what it will take to fix it. Most audits for small-to-medium websites take two to four weeks.
Get ahead of BC's accessibility requirements
The Accessible BC Act is moving forward. Whether you need a baseline audit, a WCAG 2.1 AA compliance roadmap, or ongoing accessibility support, we can help you prepare now rather than scramble later.
Talk to our team- WCAG 2.1 AA audits and remediation
- Practical compliance roadmaps
- Ongoing monitoring and support