ACCESSIBILITY POLICY

Coldstream Helicopters Ltd. is firmly dedicated to promoting equitable access and participation for individuals with disabilities. Our company is devoted to treating persons with disabilities in ways that respect their dignity and independence, and we firmly believe in fostering an inclusive environment. We are committed to addressing the challenges of accessibility barriers and ensuring that the needs of all individuals are met. To achieve this, we pledge to comply with the guidelines established in the Accessible Canada Act (the Act).

POLICY

Coldstream Helicopters Ltd. is dedicated to ensuring equal access in all aspects of our organization for individuals with disabilities and fulfilling the requirements outlined in Part 3 of the Act. To achieve this, we will implement the following measures:

The formation of an accessibility committee,
The development of an accessibility plan, and
The establishment of a comprehensive feedback mechanism.

Coldstream Helicopters Ltd. also commits to:

A comprehensive review of all programs, services, and new initiatives, ensuring they are fully accessible to all individuals; and
Ensuring effective communication with persons with disabilities by providing accessible information and communication support tailored to the unique needs and circumstances of each individual.

Accessibility Committee

Coldstream Helicopters Ltd. recognizes the importance of ensuring that accessibility committees represent the diversity of Canadians, including persons with disabilities and Indigenous representation, as outlined in the Act.

Where feasible:

at least 50% of committee members will comprise
- persons with disabilities or
- represent disability-serving organizations.
membership may also include individuals from both within and outside the organization to provide a range of perspectives and expertise.

Accessibility Plan

The implementation of Coldstream Helicopters Ltd.'s accessibility plan will adhere to the following guiding principles:

Every individual must be treated with dignity, respect, and equality.
Every individual must have the same opportunity to lead the life they desire and are capable of.
Every individual must be able to fully and equally participate in the company.
Every individual must have meaningful choices and the freedom to make their own decisions, with appropriate support if necessary.
All policies must consider and address the various barriers and forms of discrimination that exist.
Persons with disabilities must be actively involved in the development and design of policies, programs, services, and structures.
Accessibility standards and regulations must be created to achieve the highest level of accessibility for all individuals.

To fulfill its commitment to accessibility, Coldstream Helicopters Ltd. will undertake the following actions:

Prepare and publish accessibility plans: The company and the accessibility committee will create accessibility plans that identify, remove, and prevent barriers in our policies, programs, practices, and services, with priority given to the most critical areas. These plans will be updated every three years or as necessary, and persons with disabilities will be consulted during the creation and update process. This plan will also cover key areas of accessibility, employment, built environment, technology, service and culture.
Set up a feedback process: The company will establish a mechanism to receive and address feedback on accessibility to ensure that individuals with disabilities can voice their concerns or suggestions.
Prepare and publish progress reports: The company will regularly prepare and publish progress reports describing the actions taken to implement their accessibility plans. These reports will include information on feedback received and how it was taken into consideration. People with disabilities will also be consulted during the preparation of these reports.

Employment

Coldstream Helicopters Ltd. acknowledges that persons with disabilities represent a significant portion of the Canadian workforce. In support of this, Coldstream Helicopters Ltd. is committed to enhancing the recruitment, retention, and promotion of employees with disabilities. The following initiatives have been identified to create a workplace that is inclusive and welcoming to job seekers with disabilities.

Objective	Short-Term Action	Medium-Term Action	Long-Term Action
Analyze and benchmark hiring, promotion, and retention rates for employees with disabilities.	● Continue annual analysis of employment equity data of our workforce to identify underrepresented occupational groups.	● Clarify staffing options to with all hiring managers to address underrepresentation
Improve opportunities for employees and potential employees with disabilities.	● Review recruitment, assessment and selection processes and procedures and modify to notify potential employees and the public on the availability of accommodation.	● Notify job applicants, when they are in an assessment or selection process that accommodations are available upon request in relation to the materials or processes to be used.	● Training materials for colleagues responsible for recruitment, assessment, selection and on-boarding to ensure compliance with accommodation.
Make accessibility considerations part of the onboarding process	● Cover duty to accommodate and accommodation process for new employees during onboarding (rights and obligations).	● Create a process to check in with new employees who self-identified with a disability at 1, 3, and 6 months post-hire to ensure their needs are met. Managers will be informed if additional tools are required.
Have documented individual accommodation plans	● For those employees who require individual accommodation due to a disability, the company is committed to documenting individual accommodation plans. Individual accommodation plans will include individualized workplace emergency response information (where required), and will identify any other accommodation including accessible formats and communications supports provided.	● Individualized workplace emergency response information will be provided to employees who have a disability as soon as practicable, if the disability is such that the individualized information is necessary, and if the company is aware of the need for accommodation due to the employee’s disability.	● Training for managers and other colleagues responsible for supporting the individual accommodation plan

Built Environment

Coldstream Helicopters Ltd. strives to make their work locations barrier-free for the full participation of employees with disabilities. The company will ensure that all buildings, where practicable, meet the accessibility codes and standards. Any barriers that have been identified during consultations for the Accessibility Plan will be rectified with retrofits to the extent practicable and a major consideration of new builds to remove barriers and ensure compliance. Based on existing and planned capital projects, we will renovate prioritized offices to be more accessible in collaboration with key stakeholders such as airport authorities and building owners.

Objective	Short Term Action	Medium Term Action	Long Term Action
Assess the feasibility of an accessible boardroom for employees with visual, audible and mobility disabilities.	● There is an accessible ground level boardroom for employees with disabilities.
Update parking policies.		● Review policies to meet obligations for employees and visitors.
Make space in lobbies more accessible at office buildings.	· There is seating in lobbies to accommodate employees with mobility issues.
Explore the possibility of wider doors for mobility devices.		● Study door size for large wheelchairs.
Update the accessibility of the office building with ramps to meet accessibility standards	● Identify areas needing improvement, making sure to consult people with disabilities
Update fire alarms with visual warnings like flashing lights	● Fire alarms have visual warnings such as flashing lights

Culture, Education, and Awareness

Coldstream Helicopters Ltd. recognizes the importance of a positive workplace culture and its impact on employee performance, job satisfaction, and engagement. The company is committed to creating a healthy and equitable workplace environment where employees are valued and have access to equitable employment opportunities and will establish a safe space where employees can freely express and advocate for themselves. To foster an inclusive and accessible workplace, the company will focus on addressing awareness and attitudinal barriers through the following:

Objectives	Short-Term Actions	Medium-Term Actions	Long-Term Actions
Ensure all employees have access to accessibility knowledge and training tools	● Post policies and procedures, including the Accessibility Plan	● Provide training to employees in the internal documents library
Strengthen understanding of accessibility, empathy and respect for employees with disabilities	● Enhance participation in National AccessAbility Awareness Week ● Provide education about disabilities	● Communicate on accessibility matters and supports
Ensure events and meetings are accessible	● Provide accommodations for accessible events/meetings
Provide training to employees on accessibility and human rights legislation as it pertains to people with disabilities; as well as serving people with disabilities	● Provide training to employees on accessibility and human rights legislation	● Provide training to employees on serving people with disabilities ● Policy regarding service animals and support persons

Technologies

Making information and communication technologies accessible is crucial to enable everyone to interact with technology effectively. To achieve this, we must ensure accessibility for users with disabilities, injuries, or ergonomic needs. This will ensure equal participation and contributions to fulfilling the company’s mission. The following initiatives are proposed to achieve this at Coldstream Helicopters Ltd.

Objective	Short-term Action	Medium-term Action	Long-term Action
Ensure new systems meet accessibility and security standards. Integrate accessibility into the review process.			● Provide training in accessibility, job accommodations, and adaptive technology for employees that are building or procuring information technology ● Provide hands-on support and accessibility evaluations for applications and websites.
Make software accessible		● Ensure all software is WCAG 2.0 compliant and compatible with assistive technologies.
Consult with people with disabilities to learn about barriers they face that impact their ability to access information and communication technologies	● Consult with people with disabilities to learn about barriers they face that impact their ability to access information and communication technologies
Update existing software for accessibility.		● Consider accessibility gaps in current user-facing technologies when prioritizing software updates or replacements.

Communication

Clear and direct communication benefits all audiences, and to achieve this, it's important to consider that people communicate in different ways, such as speech, writing, sign language, and pictures. To remove communication barriers and create a more inclusive environment, the following initiatives have been identified:

Objective	Short-term Action	Medium-term Action	Long-term Action
Use plain language in communications.		● Launch a plain-language awareness campaign.
Make all communication accessible by default, both internal and external.	● Include accessible document creation in onboarding and improve templates for briefing notes, presentations, agendas and other documents. ● When asked, commit to providing alternate formats such as large print, audio, braille, as soon as possible.	● Promote WCAG 2.0 compliant communication practices and provide training and support for creating accessible content. ● Train current employees and provide tools and guidance for creating accessible internal and external documents.
Accessible intranet and internet sites.			● Make intranet and internet sites accessible for all information posted.

Services

Coldstream Helicopters Ltd. is committed to ensuring barrier-free procurement by identifying and removing accessibility barriers in procurement requirements. To ensure inclusive and accessible products and services, accessibility criteria must be included in procurement requirements, and deliverables must incorporate accessibility features.

Objective

Short-term Action

Medium-term Action

Long-term Action

Consider accessibility needs at the start of procurement processes.

Provide accessibility training for procurement officers.
Promote awareness and provide resources for accessible procurement.

Ensure accessibility of the selection and purchase of goods and services

Consult with employees with disabilities before procuring furniture for common spaces.

Transportation

As a Transportation Service Provider, Coldstream Helicopters Ltd. is subject to the Accessible Transportation Planning and Reporting Regulations and is committed to identifying and removing barriers that could impact the accessibility of helicopter services. Employees with the responsibility of serving the public are subject to Personnel Training for the Assistance of People with Disabilities Regulations (ATPDR) and will be trained in respect of the following principles:

All persons must be treated with dignity regardless of their disabilities;
All persons must have the same opportunity to make for themselves the lives that they are able and wish to have regardless of their disabilities or how their disabilities interact with their personal and social characteristics;
All persons must have barrier-free access to full and equal participation in society, regardless of their disabilities; and
All persons must have meaningful options and be free to make their own choices, with support if they desire, regardless of their disabilities.

In addition to these principles, training will be provided to employees with an adequate level of knowledge in respect of:

the different types of barriers that may hinder equal access to transportation services;
the various types of assistance that may be needed by persons with disabilities and the duties of transportation service providers in relation to those needs, including: the type of assistance they must provide, the assistive devices that are commonly used, and the methods of communication that may be used by, or may facilitate communication with, persons with disabilities, such as sign language, augmentative or alternative communication systems, and clear, concise and plain language;
the communication requirements in the ATPDR and how to interact with persons with disabilities in a manner that respects their autonomy and dignity;
the role of a support person; and
the role and needs of a service dog.

Employees who are required to provide physical assistance to persons with a disability will receive training that provides them with adequate knowledge and skills to perform that function.

Employees will receive training that meets the requirements of the ATPDR within 60 days of assuming their functions and receive refresher training at least once every three years. Until they receive the training, they will be under the direct supervision of a person who has already completed the training.

Feedback Mechanism

Coldstream Helicopters Ltd. aims to create a barrier-free workplace for all employees by implementing the plan developed by the company and the accessibility committee under the guidance of this policy and the Act.

Any employee, customer or member of the public who has concerns or requests regarding accessibility should contact Human Resources by emailing lynda@coldstreamhelicopters.com.

Requests for accessibility accommodation will be discussed between Coldstream Helicopters Ltd. and the accessibility committee. Depending on the outcome of the discussion, the accessibility plan will be updated accordingly, and changes shall be communicated to every employee via updating the plan in the company documents library.

Training

Coldstream Helicopters Ltd. is committed to providing regular accessibility training and education to all employees, ensuring that the training is accessible to everyone and that employees have the necessary tools to become accessibility-confident.

The initiatives include the following:

Providing training on unconscious bias, accessibility, barriers, and inclusion to all managers, supervisors, team leaders, executives, and HR professionals,
Offering training to reduce attitudinal barriers,
Educating and providing support to managers on employees' performance evaluations, and
Providing training to all employees to improve the work environment for individuals with a disability.

Review of Policy and Plans

The accessibility policy and any associating accessibility plans shall be reviewed within 36 months from the date on which the last version of the accessibility plan was published or when deemed necessary by Coldstream Helicopters Ltd. and the accessibility committee. Progress reports will be published annually.

Posted

Our commitment to accessibility will be posted and available on our Company Document Library (i.e. CIRRO). Other formats will be made available upon request by emailing lynda@coldstreamhelicopters.com or calling (778) 475-6224.

May 31, 2024

Accessability feedback form