Ministry of Seniors and Accessibility

Last updated
Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility
French: Ministère des Services aux aînés et de l’Accessibilité
Ont-Gov-Shield-Logo.png
Arms of the Government of Ontario
Ministry overview
Formed2018
Preceding Ministry
  • Ontario Seniors' Secretariat and Accessibility Directorate of Ontario
Headquarters777 Bay Street
Toronto, Ontario
Ministers responsible
  • Raymond Cho, Minister for Seniors and Accessibility
  • Daisy Wai, Parliamentary Assistant to the Minister for Seniors and Accessibility
Website www.ontario.ca/page/ministry-seniors-accessibility

The Ministry forSeniors and Accessibility is a ministry of the Government of Ontario responsible for issues relating to seniors and persons with disabilities in the Canadian province of Ontario. The Minister responsible is Raymond Cho. [1]

Contents

Mandate

The mandate of the ministry is stated to be: [2]

The Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility supports the health, well-being, and barrier free participation of people with disabilities and older Ontarians. The ministry works to improve quality of life by changing perceptions and promoting the social and economic benefits of a diverse, inclusive, and accessible Ontario—one where everyone is respected and empowered to contribute.

Agencies, boards and commissions

The ministry oversees the Retirement Homes Regulatory Authority (RHRA) and the Accessibility Standards Advisory Council. [3]

Criticism

In 2023, an independent review [4] of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act identified a "lack of accountability" with regard to the implementation of the act, and noted that legislative enforcement did "not exist". [5]

David Lepofsky, chair of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance, stated "The report found that Ontario is far behind schedule and has no effective action plan to lead this province to become accessible by 2025 or by any time in the future," [5] with the ministry stating "We believe Mr. Donovan's report warranted time spent on a thoughtful analysis and response to his recommendations and that is what we have done". [5] [6]

References

  1. ↑ Callan, Isaac; D'Mello, Colin (2025-03-19). "Ontario Premier Doug Ford's new cabinet unveiled with changes in major portfolios". Global News . Archived from the original on 2025-03-19. Retrieved 2025-10-13.
  2. ↑ "Expenditure Estimates for the Ministry for Seniors and Accessibility (2025–26)". ontario.ca. 2025-06-04. Archived from the original on 2025-10-13. Retrieved 2025-10-13.
  3. ↑ Wells, Nick (2024-11-14). "Ontario retirement home's abrupt closure shows need for regulators to step in, advocates say". The Globe and Mail . Archived from the original on 2024-11-15. Retrieved 2025-10-13.
  4. ↑ Donovan, Rich (2023-06-05). "Independent 4th Review of the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA)" (PDF). ontario.ca. Archived (PDF) from the original on 2025-08-12. Retrieved 2025-10-13.
  5. 1 2 3 Balintec, Vanessa (2023-12-18). "Ontario accessibility in 'crisis,' says report quietly released by Ford government". CBC News . Archived from the original on 2023-12-18. Retrieved 2025-10-13.
  6. ↑ Balintec, Vanessa (2024-01-04). "Ontario's accessibility legislation is failing. Advocates say lack of enforcement, complaints process to blame". CBC News . Archived from the original on 2024-01-04. Retrieved 2025-10-13.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.