2023-2025 Accessibility Plan

Marine Atlantic is a federal Crown Corporation tasked with fulfilling the constitutional mandate of offering freight and passenger ferry service between Port aux Basques, Newfoundland and Labrador (NL), and North Sydney, Nova Scotia (NS). The Corporation also offers a non-constitutional seasonal service to Argentia, Newfoundland and Labrador. Marine Atlantic’s service is vital to connecting the Province of Newfoundland and Labrador with the rest of Canada. The organization is guided by the corporate vision of being an essential, progressive transportation system that people trust to deliver, as well as the corporation’s values of safety, teamwork, diversity, integrity, excellence, and commitment.

Preventing and removing barriers for both its customers and employees is important to Marine Atlantic, with the Corporation striving to create an environment in which everyone is treated with dignity and can fully participate. As a transportation service provider, the Corporation’s goal is to provide a positive, accessible transportation experience for persons with a disability regardless of physical or sensory impairments. Marine Atlantic’s leadership continues to include objectives to support accessibility, diversity, and inclusion in the annual strategic plans for the organization, highlighting their ongoing value to the organization.

Marine Atlantic takes seriously the responsibility to remove barriers to travel for persons with disabilities and is proud of the achievements to date. The Corporation will continue working to remove additional barriers and make the organization and its services even more accessible into the future.

Marine Atlantic welcomes feedback on any accessibility-related items. The Manager of Customer Relationships is the designated position that reviews and responds to accessibility-related feedback on behalf of the Corporation, collaborating with other parts of the organization as required.

Feedback is accepted through any of the contact methods below. See also Our Feedback Process for more information.

This plan is also available in alternative formats including print, large print, braille, and audio. Requests for one of these alternative formats may be made through the contact information above, as well as online at https://www.marineatlantic.ca/sailing-information/travel-information/accessibility/accessibility-reports-request. Alternative formats will be provided as soon as feasible after a request is received – within 15 days for print and large print formats and within 45 days for braille and audio formats.

As a federally regulated marine transportation service provider, Marine Atlantic is subject to the Accessible Transportation for Persons with Disabilities Regulations from the Government of Canada, which has the goal of removing barriers to transportation for persons with disabilities.

As the Corporation is both a carrier and a terminal operator, sections of the regulations applicable to Marine Atlantic include: 1–25, 28, 31–35, 37–39, 42, 46, 48–61, 134–138, 140, 142–144, 153, 163/164, 178, 212–223, 225–231, 236–238, and 243. Information on the activities and services covered by these sections is presented in the following sections.

Marine Atlantic maintains an open dialogue with representatives of the CTA and participates in its ongoing consultative processes.

Accessible facilities are a key component of Marine Atlantic’s operational infrastructure and vital to supporting the achievement of its mandate. The Corporation operates four vessels and three terminals, as well as various administration office spaces.

Terminals are maintained in Port aux Basques, NL, and North Sydney, NS, with a seasonal terminal operated in Argentia, NL. Each terminal has accessible parking, entrances and washrooms, signage that includes tactile and/or braille where applicable, as well as elevators where occupied spaces are on more than one level. At terminals where the curbside area cannot be seen by staff, a video intercom system is available to allow persons who require assistance to contact staff inside the buildings. Service dog relief areas are established in both the secure and non-secure areas at each terminal along with associated directional signage. There is accessible parking at terminals for visitors, employees and travelling passengers that links to accessible paths to terminal buildings.

In addition to its terminal facilities, Marine Atlantic leases corporate office space in St. John’s, NL, that includes elevators, as well as accessible parking, entrances, and washrooms. In North Sydney, NS, the corporation has an administration building as well as two operations buildings, all of which are owned by Marine Atlantic. Accessible parking is available at all locations. One of the operational buildings, an older structure, is not accessible, while the other two facilities have accessible entrances and washrooms, and elevators where multiple levels exist.

Currently, the Corporation rents or owns a variety of administrative and operational facilities in Port aux Basques, NL. The accessibility features of these locations vary, with some barriers existing at older buildings. A multi-year project began in 2021 to construct a new administration building to address current space and infrastructure challenges and consolidate administrative functions currently located at several of these locations. Working with design professionals, Marine Atlantic ensures that applicable accessibility code requirements are implemented in a manner that supports and enhances physical, social, and psychological barrier-free design to improve accessibility, inclusion, and equity for all.

Marine Atlantic’s current vessels include the MV Highlanders, the MV Blue Puttees, and the MV Leif Ericson, which are owned and operated by the Corporation, as well as the MV Atlantic Vision, which is leased. All vessels are maintained to strict regulatory and safety standards and must comply with Transport Canada Marine Safety Statutes and Regulations. They are inspected by Transport Canada Marine Safety and DNV, a world-leading classification society, to ensure compliance with these regulations and codes. The Safety Management System of the vessels is audited independently by Class Society, Lloyd’s Register, to verify compliance with the requirements of the International Safety Management Code for the Safe Operations of Ships and Pollution Prevention.

Each vessel has various accessibility features including elevators, signage that includes tactile and/or braille where applicable, service dog relief areas, accessible public washrooms, and adapted cabins and seating. Both mobility and hearing adapted cabins are available and each type has specific features, such as a washroom and shower that can accommodate mobility aids and visual doorbells respectively. Marine Atlantic has entered into a 5-year charter agreement with Stena North Sea Ltd. to supply a new Ro-Pax vessel for the fleet. Following the charter agreement, Marine Atlantic will have an option to purchase the vessel. The ice-classed vessel will be approximately 200 metres in length and carry up to 1,000 passengers, along with commercial and passenger vehicles. It will incorporate the latest accessibility standards, energy efficient green ship technology, and enhanced maneuvering ability. The ship will be compatible for use on both the Port aux Basques and Argentia services and is expected to enter service in the 2024-25 fiscal year.

Barriers in Marine Atlantic’s built environment are largely related to older infrastructure that was constructed or procured prior to the existence of current accessibility standards. As facilities are upgraded or replaced, accessibility requirements receive significant attention. There are also some potential barriers related to vessel safety or class requirements that cannot be changed. Efforts are made to mitigate the impact of these requirements, often by providing assistive devices or individual assistance

Some accessible features in public buildings, such as automatic door openers and call buttons, are not used on a regular basis. It is possible that potential issues with these devices may go undetected until they are required for use. To better ensure these features are maintained in proper working order and any issues are identified promptly so they may be rectified, a checklist of accessibility features will be developed for each site. The Manager of Customer Relationships will oversee the development of these checklists by end of Fiscal Year 2022-23 and work with appropriate managers as required to have them completed monthly.

By the end of 2024, the Manager of Maintenance will undertake a review of existing owned administration and operations buildings to inventory existing physical barriers and begin exploring options to improve accessibility to and within at least two of the structures. This review will provide Marine Atlantic a clear understanding of the current state of its owned infrastructure in terms of accessibility and allow additional planning for future improvements.

Marine Atlantic operates ferry services on two routes, a year-round 96 nautical mile daily ferry service between Port aux Basques and North Sydney and a seasonal 280 nautical mile ferry service between Argentia and North Sydney. Marine Atlantic transports a diverse assortment of traffic daily, including passengers, passenger vehicles, tractor trailers and their drivers, drop trailers, and many others. From shipping large volumes of freight to offering modern passenger amenities, Marine Atlantic strives to provide a safe, reliable, and quality travel experience that is accessible for all.

Marine Atlantic is governed by various acts and regulations including the Canada Labour Code, Transportation of Dangerous Goods Act and Regulations, International Maritime Dangerous Goods Code, Marine Liability Act and Regulations, Canada Shipping Act and Regulations, Financial Administration Act, Domestic Ferries Security Regulations, and Sulphur Emission Control Areas Regulations.

The Corporation has two committees, the passenger focused Accessibility and Inclusion Advisory Committee and the internally focused Equity, Diversity, Accessibility, and Inclusion Advisory Committee. The mandate of both groups is to grow relationships with internal and external stakeholders, including members of the disability community. The committees provide insight and feedback on Marine Atlantic’s current programs, services, and accessibility approaches, helping to identify potential areas for improvement to the benefit of employees and customers. Cross-committee participation and multi-functional representation in these groups provides for communication flow, consistency of training and activities, and better outcomes overall.

The Marine Atlantic Accessibility and Inclusion Advisory Committee will participate in consultative processes in relation to various regulations and requirements, especially those relating to the Corporation as a transportation service provider, including this Accessibility Plan.

Communication to internal and external audiences is carried out in many ways depending on the purpose and circumstances with the overall goal of providing the information in a manner that is most useful to the intended recipients.

Marine Atlantic’s accessibility awareness training helps educate employees about ways to communicate that considers the needs of the person they are communicating with, such as clear, concise, and plain language, gestures, large print, writing, or various other means including electronic options. Employees are educated on the importance of seeking information from the person about their preferred method of assistance, whether that is alternative forms of communication or any other type of assistance that may be required.

When offering various services to passengers, staff are prepared with alternatives that provide accessible options. For example, the safety video that is shown at the start of each crossing is closed captioned. Each vessel also has an iPad which allows the passenger to watch, pause and play the video and adjust the volume. A large text print version of the dialogue is also available upon request in either print or electronic format. Crew members can also provide an in-person, individual safety briefing upon request to ensure all important safety information is communicated and questions addressed.

Customers making reservations for travel are engaged about their needs in relation to their disability once they self-identify to a reservations agent. Currently, customers utilizing the online booking engine are asked to contact a reservations agent to discuss or confirm requests for accessibility services. Improvements are under development to our online booking engine that would allow customers to include most accessibility-related requests they may have as part of the online booking process.

Marine Atlantic utilizes numerous information and communication technologies both internally and externally. In general, the Corporation’s telecommunication, computer and network systems use industry standard equipment and software.

Digital signage is used for communication to employees, as well as directly to customers. Screens are available in public and employee areas and display various messages. Currently, these screens display visual content only and there is no alternative format available.

Onboard vessels, a television-based entertainment system is provided in public and employee areas, including most cabin accommodations. A large capital project was completed in 2022 to upgrade the systems on the MV Highlanders and the MV Blue Puttees. The new system provides a mix of live television and on-demand entertainment content. In crew and passenger cabin accommodations, users can control the choice of channel, audio options, as well as start, stop and pause playback. In main passenger lounges, several large screens display different entertainment content. No sound is broadcast, and passengers use earphones connected to jacks in the seats to access the sound and closed captioning is always broadcast as a standard feature. Passengers wishing to avail of described video options, or who wish to control the playback in other ways, can opt to view content via their own or a loaned personal electronic device.

The current entertainment systems on the MV Atlantic Vision and MV Leif Ericson are pre-existing and do not offer all the accessible features, such as playback controls or described video in either crew or passenger areas. There is limited internet connectivity on board our vessels while at sea, which eliminates streaming content to individual devices as a viable option. Marine Atlantic continues its search for available options to provide comparable entertainment content via personal electronic devices.

Most Marine Atlantic passengers access the service using their own vehicles, which they drive onboard themselves. The Corporation also provides a shuttle bus service to take foot passengers between terminal buildings and vessels. All Marine Atlantic owned shuttle buses are accessible, featuring a wheelchair lift in the rear of the vehicle.

Employees are generally responsible to arrange their own transportation to and from the workplace and when travelling for business purposes. In less common instances when other types of transportation are contracted, such as external taxi or bus services, the accessibility needs of the user group are considered.

See also Design and delivery of programs and services for information about transportation services provided by Marine Atlantic.

Accessibility requirements for various purchases are included in the stated requirements of the good or service provided by the departmental representative initiating the purchase.

Marine Atlantic most often uses two methods to post contracts with committed values over $50,000; one is the federal government procurement online platform, and the other is an internal legal review and contract process. For contracts at this level, there is a form that the initiator must sign indicating they have considered accessibility requirements. This is a reminder to purchasers within the organization of the need to account for accessibility considerations as part of the initial requirements for any large purchases.

Smaller purchases are completed through a purchase order process and some employees also have procurement credit cards, both with several levels of oversight. Accessibility considerations may be included by the purchase initiator as part of the stated requirements for the good or service. The current procurement process, for all but large purchases, currently depends on the initiator to remember accessibility considerations when submitting requirements for goods and services.

Marine Atlantic employs approximately 1,300 individuals, approximately 1,100 full-time equivalent employees, over 90% of whom are unionized across six separate bargaining units. Marine Atlantic aims to have a workforce reflective of the diverse communities it serves. To that end, the Corporation has identified persons with disabilities as one of five under-represented groups as a focus for our diversity and inclusion initiatives.

The Corporation has several ongoing diversity and inclusion initiatives with objectives of creating a workplace which is fair, safe, and inclusive of persons with disabilities. Strategies are being developed to foster diversity and inclusion in our workforce, helping us make positive contributions to social inclusion and workforce participation. Marine Atlantic also has an Employment Equity Policy, which strives to reach equality in the workplace through a program to correct the conditions of disadvantage in employment experienced by persons with disabilities and other underrepresented groups.

All job postings include a statement affirming our commitment to the principles of equitable employment for all and strongly encourage applications from persons with disabilities, and other identified groups. Applicants that identify as a member of one or more of these groups, are encouraged to voluntarily state to which group(s) they identify in their cover letter, resume or application. As part of its recruiting process, the Corporation continues to reach out to 46 organizations to post jobs and advertise Career Fairs. These organizations offer employment services to clients from employment equity designated groups to encourage submission of application for employment from their clients. The strategic targeting of these organizations has raised the profile of Marine Atlantic as an equity employer and helps maintain positive relationships.

Through our Employment Equity Surveys, we receive information from our employees to determine plans and strategies to address potential barriers. This information helps us review our processes to ensure they are fair and transparent and do not have an adverse impact on any particular group and helps measure our progress. In 2021, Equity, Diversity, Accessibility, and Inclusion was added to the Human Resources divisional section of the Corporation’s risk profile. This will integrate this lens in our Corporate Risk Strategy review process.

Marine Atlantic has a dedicated Occupational Health and Wellness team within the Human Resources Department. In addition to core responsibilities for the Disability Management Program, Early and Safe Return to Work planning, and promoting health and wellness resources to employees, team members are key in workplace accommodation processes. The goal of these accommodation processes is to create and maintain a barrier-free environment and to ensure full participation for employees and external candidates for employment by:

• identifying and removing barriers to employment, career development and promotion of persons with disabilities unless doing so would result in undue hardship;
• designing all employment systems, processes and facilities to be accessible by building accommodation into workplace standards, systems, processes and facilities;
• providing individual adjustments in the workplace that respond to the needs of a specific employee or candidates who may need to be accommodated under the prohibited grounds of discrimination of the Human Rights Act; and
• accommodating individuals when such barriers cannot be removed to the point of undue hardship taking into consideration issues of health, safety, and cost, and respecting an individual's right to privacy and confidentiality.

Marine Atlantic strives to make its workplace environments diverse and inclusive where all employees are valued, engaged, and can thrive. This goal is supported by various policies, procedures, and initiatives, including those specifically relating to Workplace Harassment and Violence and Psychological Health and Safety in the Workplace.

Transport Canada requires that all our vessel employees, which number over 700, have a valid Marine Medical Examination. This medical requires that vessel employees be able bodied in order to respond to potential emergencies. This limits the ability of the company to hire persons with disabilities for onboard positions, but there are less restrictive regulations for shore-based positions.

The Corporation continues to implement key accessibility objectives. These include education opportunities, employee awareness, customer awareness, policy reviews and involvement of stakeholders from target groups in the program. As our Diversity, Inclusion, Accessibility and Equity Strategy is developed and matures, annual action plans for key initiatives will be developed. The strategy is part of our goal to build a comprehensive Psychological Health and Safety Workplace Program at Marine Atlantic.

Marine Atlantic has provided a full day of accessibility training as part of its new employee orientation for more than a decade. Nearly 90% of our approximately 1,300 employees have completed this course, which gives an overview of accessibility and its importance, the prevention and removal of barriers, and provides employees with the language and the tools needed to assist customers who require assistance while using our service. Refresher sessions are also provided to employees in customer-facing roles every three years. The content and delivery of this training was reviewed in 2020 by the Accessibility and Inclusion Advisory Committee whose members provide subject matter expert level feedback.

Employees at all levels in the organization are also provided with new or revised information about accessibility requirements, services, programs, or best practices any time it becomes available. Various means are used to communicate depending on the circumstances, including virtual training, newsletters, email, in-person discussions with supervisors, and more. Managers and supervisors also have access to high-level accessibility guidelines compiled to support best practices within the organization to create working environments that respect diversity and promote accessibility, equity, and inclusion. The information is also intended to provide guidance to managers to integrate and adapt accessibility, diversity, equity, and inclusion principles into their specific work environments, culture, procedures, and policies. Supporting reference material and documentation is provided to employees through the company intranet, via the Manager of Customer Relationships or from the Organizational Effectiveness Specialist.

Current external members of the advisory committee include representatives from CNIB, Guide Dogs of Canada, Canadian Council of the Blind, NL Association of the Deaf, People First NS, Coalition of Persons with Disabilities NL, Canadian Hard of Hearing Association, and Spinal Cord Injury NL.

In March 2022, the advisory committee was asked for initial feedback on the Corporation’s upcoming accessibility plan during a regularly scheduled committee meeting. Early feedback included the suggestion to focus on practices and processes already in place at Marine Atlantic, as well as continuing to include input from persons with disabilities at early stages of new initiatives. Committee members were advised additional feedback would be requested from them once a draft plan was available for review and welcomed to contact the Manager of Customer Relationships with any additional thoughts or suggestions.

The advisory committee was again engaged to review the draft of this plan on June 22, 2022. Copies of the draft documents were circulated in advance of a virtual meeting where discussion took place. Several follow-up contacts were made with all committee members, including those who were unable to attend the meeting. Recommendations from committee members included providing additional detail about travelling with service dogs and emotional support animals, referencing CSA standards for the built environment as a way to go beyond meeting current building codes, considering uses for new adaptive technologies, and ensuring that lived experience is represented in training. These suggestions were incorporated into this document, as well as used to help inform the applicable initiatives.

• Class Society - A ship classification society is a non-governmental organization that establishes and maintains technical standards for the construction and operation of ships and certify a vessel complies with relevant standards.
• Drop trailer – the trailer portion of a commercial tractor trailer, with no attached truck.
• Drupal Operating System – a content management system that provides developers and content creators with a base system to build flexible websites. At Marine Atlantic, Drupal acts as the underlying system that our digital experience platforms are built or integrated including the website, online booking engine, and commercial customer portal.
• Estimated Budget Commitment – anticipated costs including purchases of goods and services, as well as estimated internal labour costs based on the anticipated time and resources required for the task.
• Fiscal Year – Marine Atlantic operates under 12-month periods beginning April 1 of one year and ending March 31 of the next. 
• Foot passengers – passengers travelling without vehicles.
• Lighthouse Scan – an open-source, automated tool for improving the quality of web pages. It can be run by developers and website administrators against websites to audit performance, accessibility, progressive web apps, and search engine optimization. 
• Marine Atlantic Accessibility and Inclusion Advisory Committee – a committee including both internal representatives from multiple departments and various external members representing disability and advocacy organizations from target groups.
• Nautical Mile - Nautical miles are used to measure the distance traveled through the water. A nautical mile is slightly longer than a mile on land, equaling 1.1508 land-measured (or statute) miles. 
• Ro-Pax vessel – an abbreviation for roll-on/roll-off passenger vessel, which means a vessel that accommodates vehicles, which are driven on and off, as well as passengers.