Accessibility Progress Updates

General-Version 2-2026

Atlas Van Lines published our first Accessibility Plan in 2024. Our plan describes the goals we are committed to achieving during the 3-year period from June 1, 2024, to May 31, 2027. This report outlines the progress we made toward our goals between June 1, 2025 and May 31, 2026, in the second year of our plan. 

We have structured this report according to the 7 areas covered by the Accessible Canada Act. Where we have recorded a goal as completed in last year’s progress report, we have not repeated the details of our progress here. To learn more about our work between June 2024 and May 2025, please review our first Progress Report.

We are pleased to share the progress we have made over the past year. Our team is small, and resource constraints at our organization have led us to extend some of the timelines for our goals. We remain committed to continuing our work in making Atlas Van Lines more accessible to people with disabilities.

Contact Information and Feedback Process

Atlas Van Lines welcomes feedback about this plan and about the accessibility of our organization overall, including feedback submitted anonymously. We invite our employees, moving agents, and members of the public to provide feedback about this plan and about accessibility at Atlas more generally. We review all feedback we receive, and we will take steps to address identified barriers.

You can ask for this report in an alternate format, submit feedback about accessibility at Atlas Van Lines, or comment on this report by contacting:

Director, Client Care and Accessibility Officer

Email: accessibility@atlasvanlines.ca 

Phone: 1-833-842-5665 

Mail: 485 North Service Road 

East Oakville, ON L6H 1A5 

You can also submit feedback on our social media channels:

1. 1. Facebook
   2. Instagram
   3. LinkedIn

Progress on Goals

This report covers the progress we made toward our accessibility goals between June 1, 2025 and May 31, 2026. To read about our earlier progress, you can review our 2024-2025 Progress Report on our website.

1. Built Environment

1. Goal: By June 2025, we will lower the height of items in the office that are hanging on walls, including fire extinguishers, first aid kits, and towel dispensers.

Status: Completed in August 2024.

1. Goal: By December 2025, we will address barriers located at the front entrance of our building. This includes repairing the crumbling concrete on the lip of the front entrance, lowering the height of the intercom system button, and smoothing the walkway. 

Status: Completed in August 2025. We repaved the concrete on the walkway and at the front entrance. We also removed the intercom system button and replaced it with a phone system inside the vestibule. The phone can be used with a handset or as a speakerphone.

1. Goal: By June 2026, we will build a gender-neutral, accessible washroom on the first floor of our building.

Status: Completed in March 2025.

1. Goal: By June 2026, we will create a plan for addressing other barriers in our built environment.

Status: Ongoing. We have created a spreadsheet that we use to identify new barriers in our building and track our progress in removing them. So far, we have removed barriers by:

• Replacing our front reception desk with a lower table, which is more accessible for people who use wheelchairs and who are of shorter stature.
• Leveling the doorway threshold between our employee kitchen and our patio.
• Adding a wheelchair-accessible picnic table to our patio space.

We will continue to address barriers as we become aware of them.

2. Employment

1. Goal: By November 2024, we will provide relevant staff with training around accessibility and disability issues. The training will focus on providing customer service to people with disabilities.

Status: Completed in December 2024.

1. Goal: By January 2025, we will write a workplace accommodation policy. We will hold a staff information meeting about the policy and any related procedures.

Status: Completed in August 2025. We uploaded the policy and procedures to ADP, our online employee resource platform, alongside our other policies related to human resources and employee wellness. We asked all employees to review and sign off on the policy after it was uploaded to ADP. We also reviewed the policy in more detail with managers at our regular meeting in the summer of 2025, so that they could respond effectively to employees’ questions and accommodation requests.

1. Goal: By March 2025, we will train Atlas human resources staff and managers on the duty to accommodate and best practices in staff accommodations. This will include supporting employees with mental health conditions.

Status: In progress. We extended our timeline for this goal due to resource constraints on our team and the limited availability of external trainers. We have scheduled this training for a virtual session on June 23, 2026. We will also record the training and make it available for future use.

Revised timeline: June 2026

1. Goal: By June 2025, all our human resources staff and hiring managers will receive training in best practices in inclusive recruitment and hiring. This includes specific training in writing inclusive job descriptions and job postings.

Status: Completed in late 2025. Our human resources staff and hiring managers completed multiple virtual training sessions between October 1 to December 1, 2025. These included courses on inclusive interviewing and neurodiversity in the workplace. Our team also reviews job descriptions before we post new positions to ensure that they use inclusive language.

1. Goal: By June 2025, we will consult with the recruiting agencies Atlas uses. We will explore how they may make their recruitment practices more accessible to people with disabilities.

Status: In progress. As of May 2026, we only use one external recruiting agency. We contacted that agency to ask how they meet accessibility standards. They confirmed to us that they follow accessibility practices in their work. Internally, the recruitment platform we use is the same platform used by our parent company, Atlas World Group. We plan to review the accessibility features of the platform and of the custom formatting we use on it. We will confirm that the platform meets digital accessibility standards and we will enable any available accessibility settings.

Revised timeline: December 2026

1. Goal: By June 2025, we will revise our Risk Recognition and Awareness Policies to reflect how people with disabilities will be assisted in office emergencies, such as a fire.

Status: In progress. In late 2025, staff working on the policy attended an online seminar to learn more about emergency evacuations and risk management. We have revised our timeline for this goal, but we expect to complete the policy review by the end of 2026.

Revised timeline: December 2026.

1. Goal: By June 2025, we will implement a check-in or other centralized system for staff to indicate when they are working at the office.

Status: In progress. We are working with our Health and Safety committee to determine the kind of system that will be most effective. Despite ongoing efforts, we have not yet identified a system that will meet our needs. We have revised our timeline for this goal to the end of 2026 so that we can continue our work.

Revised timeline: December 2026.

1. Goal: By September 2025, we will make all employee-facing policies available in MS Word or in an accessible format. All policies will be in a centralized digital location.

Status: Completed in 2025. All our current policies are available to staff on ADP, which is the name of our online employee resource platform. We have appointed one staff member as the contact person for employees to request policies in alternative, accessible formats. This staff member’s information has been shared with employees so that they can make any requests directly.

3. Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)

1. Goal: By December 2024, AtlasVanLines.ca will have WordPress plugins installed that will increase the accessibility of the website.

Status: Completed in June 2024. 

1. Goal: By February 2025, we will conduct website user testing with people with disabilities to check improvements and identify any further accessibility barriers on AtlasVanLines.ca.

Status: In progress. We have selected a provider to provide this user testing. Our progress on this goal has been delayed because of time and budget constraints. We expect to complete it in late 2026. 

Revised timeline: December 2026

1. Goal: By June 2025, AtlasVanLines.ca will meet the WCAG 2.2 A standard.

Status: Completed in 2025. We made several updates to our website in 2024 and 2025. These included reorganizing the heading structures, improving the colour contrast, applying descriptive alt text and title attributes to meaningful images, and “skip to main content” links to make keyboard navigation faster. These updates, combined with our AccessiBe plugins we added in 2024, have allowed us to meet the WCAG 2.2 A web accessibility standard. 

1. Goal: Every year, Atlas staff will review or audit the websites to maintain their accessibility.

Status: Ongoing. We work with a marketing agency that conducts annual accessibility reviews of our websites. When they identify barriers to accessibility, our staff acts to address them. Our internal marketing team also conducts regular reviews of our website templates and content for accessibility, and they incorporate user feedback as applicable.

1. Goal: By June 2025, we will consult with our parent company, Atlas World Group, around future plans to increase the accessibility of the AtlasNet website.

Status: In progress. We have a meeting planned to review and discuss the accessibility of AtlasNet in more detail. This meeting has been delayed, so we have adjusted the timeline for this meeting. During this consultation, we will outline current capabilities, identify potential areas for improvement, and determine next steps for enhancing accessibility.

Revised timeline: December 2026

1. Goal: By June 2025, we will train IT and communications staff in digital accessibility, as it applies to their jobs.

Status: In progress. Our work on this goal has been delayed, but we are currently in the process of planning and scheduling this training. We expect to deliver it by the end of 2026.

Revised timeline: January 2027.

1. Goal: By March 2026, we will be closing the inventory app for our drivers. We will write accessibility criteria for the app that we will then use during the process of procuring software for a new app alternative.

Status: In progress. We have closed our previous inventory app, and we have started developing a new one. As we develop the new app, we will ensure that accessibility is included in its design. We have revised our timeline to reflect the work we have left to do.

Revised timeline: March 2027

1. Goal: By June 2026, AtlasVanLines.ca will meet the WCAG 2.2 AA standard.

Status: Completed in 2025. With the updates we made to our website over the last two years and the AccessiBe plugin that we added in 2025, our website meets the WCAG 2.2 AA web accessibility standard.

1. Goal: By June 2026, we will have advocated to Atlas World Group, our parent company that is responsible for online claims forms, to simplify the online claim filing process. This includes making the online forms more intuitive and accessible.

Status: Ongoing. Our staff continue to work with our Advisory Work Group to discuss ways to improve the user experience of our online claim program. We expect our current online claim system will be replaced within the next 2 years. When the new system is introduced, we will ensure that it has an intuitive and accessible user experience.

4. Communications, Other Than ICT

1. Goal: By June 2026, Atlas Canada will work with Atlas World Group, our parent company, to explore options to make all of Atlas’ brand and communications standards and style guides accessible. We will also explore creating photos that include people with disabilities for the website and other communications assets.

Status: Ongoing. We have begun our work with our parent company to prioritize accessibility and inclusion in our communications. We have added inclusive images to our website, including photos that reflect diversity and disability. We will continue to work with Atlas World Group to increase accessibility and representation when we update our website and communication materials. 

1. Goal: By June 2026, we will train communications and relevant IT staff on accessible communications, accessible websites, accessible social media, and digital accessibility.

Status: In progress. As we noted above, we are currently in the process of planning and scheduling this training. We expect to deliver it in late 2026.

Revised timeline: January 2027.

1. Goal: By June 2026, we will develop an internal set of guidelines for accessible social media practices. This will include guidance on camel case hashtags, use of alt text for images, and best practices for video captions.

Status: Upcoming. Our communications team is small and has not yet had the resources to complete this goal. We have revised our timeline and we expect to complete this work by the end of 2026.

Revised timeline: December 2026

1. Goal: By December 2026, we will implement a Teletypewriter line that can be used by deaf stakeholders.

Status: In progress. We have initiated contact with Rogers to plan how we will implement the line. We are on track to complete this goal by December 2026. 

1. Goal: By January 2027, we will post digital versions of paper brochures on AtlasVanLines.ca, our main customer-facing website.

Status: Ongoing. We started posting digital versions of our brochures on our website in 2025. We will continue to add materials as they are created, ensuring that they are accessible.

5. Procurement of Goods, Services and Facilities

1. Goal: By June 2025, we will create a checklist that can be used to consider the accessibility of any given good or service being procured.

Status: Completed in April 2025.

6. Design and Delivery of Goods and Services

1. Goal: By June 2025, we will train local agents at regional meetings about provincial requirements for accessible customer service, and how to provide it.

Status: Completed in 2025.

1. Goal: By June 2026, we will develop advice and/or policies regarding accessible customer service that Atlas agents are expected to comply with.

Status: Upcoming. Due to resource constraints on our team, we have revised our timeline for completing this goal. We expect to develop our accessibility guidance for Atlas agents by June 2027.

Revised timeline: June 2027

1. Goal: By June 2026, we will explore the possibility of creating accessible (i.e. not PDF) digital forms to be made available to Atlas agents for their customers

Status: In progress. We currently use PDF and paper forms. We are continuing to explore options for how we can make them more accessible. Additionally, we are exploring possible alternatives to PDFs. We are also developing a new internal agent website, and we will post all our forms there when it is ready. We have revised our timeline for this goal in order to continue our work.

Revised timeline: March 2027 

1. Goal: By January 2027, we will engage Atlas World Group about creating an accessible alternative to the ways Atlas agents and staff use the AtlasNet website for handling paperwork.

Status: Upcoming. Resource constraints on our team and at our parent company have led us to extend our timeline for this goal.

Revised timeline: June 2027 

7. Transportation

1. Goal: By December 2025, we will engage Oakville Transit in a discussion about the possibility of modifying the bus route to increase safety and accessibility for Atlas staff who use public transit.

Status: Completed in March 2025.

Consultations

In preparing this report, we worked with the consulting firm Left Turn Right Turn (LTRT) to organize a focus group of people with disabilities to provide feedback on our progress. We asked the members of LTRT’s Accessibility Advisory Group (AAG) to review a draft of this report. Members of the AAG live throughout Canada and have a variety of disability types, backgrounds, and perspectives. On May 20, 2026, 9 members of the AAG gathered virtually to share their feedback. One other member was unable to attend but provided their feedback in writing. 

We asked the AAG members for feedback on the progress we have made toward our accessibility goals, what they felt was missing from the draft progress report, and what they liked about it. Overall, their feedback was very positive. They told us they liked the tone of the report and that it was written in plain English. They liked that we were honest about the goals we have not yet completed, and that we shared our plans for working toward completing them. They gave us suggestions for how we could explain some concepts more clearly, and they pointed out sections where we could provide more detail about our progress. 

We incorporated the AAG’s feedback into the final version of this progress report. We are grateful to the members of the AAG for helping us to make Atlas more accessible.

Feedback

Atlas has not yet received any feedback about our accessibility plan, our progress to date, or the accessibility of our organization. We invite feedback from customers, stakeholders, and members of the public about accessibility at Atlas.