Effective January 1, 2012, the Accessibility Standards for Customer Service (Customer Service Standard) made under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 (“AODA”) came into effect in Ontario, with changes to the legislation enforced on July 1, 2016. (“CannaPiece” or the “Company” or “We”) is pleased to share this policy, which demonstrates its commitment to these principles.

1- Purpose and Commitment

CannaPiece is committed to equal access and participation for people with disabilities. The Company will use reasonable efforts to ensure that its policies, practices, and procedures governing the provision of its services to persons with disabilities are consistent with the following principles:

• Goods and services are provided in a way that respects the dignity and independence of persons with disabilities.   
• Persons with disabilities are able to benefit from the same services, in the same place, and in a similar way as other clients.
  
• Persons with disabilities have opportunities equal to others to obtain, use, and benefit from the Company’s goods or services.

CannaPiece is committed to meeting its current and ongoing obligations under the Ontario Human Rights Code respecting non-discrimination and understands that obligations under AODA and its accessibility standards do not substitute or limit its obligations under the Ontario Human Rights Code or obligations to people with disabilities under any other law.

2- Definitions

For the purposes of this policy:

• Accessibility – Accessibility is the degree to which persons with disabilities can access a device, service, or environment without barriers. Accessibility is also a process; it is the proactive identification, removal, and prevention of barriers to persons with disabilities.
• Accessibility standards – Regulations or rules created under AODA that provide minimum levels for improving accessibility to meet the goals of AODA across the province. 
• Annual accessibility report – A report that a person or organization must file if an accessibility standard applies to the person or organization. 
• Assistive devices – Devices that a client or employee may bring with them to the building. 

Disability:

• Any degree of physical disability, infirmity, malformation, or disfigurement that is caused by bodily injury, birth defect, or illness and, without limiting the generality of the foregoing, includes diabetes mellitus, epilepsy, a brain injury, any degree of paralysis, amputation, lack of physical co-ordination, blindness, or visual impediment, deafness or hearing impediment, muteness or speech impediment, or physical reliance on a guide dog or other animal or on a wheelchair or other remedial appliance or device.
• A condition of mental impairment or a developmental disability.
• A learning disability or a dysfunction in one or more of the processes involved in understanding or using symbols or spoken language.
• A mental disorder.
• An injury or disability for which benefits were claimed or received under the insurance plan established under the Workplace Safety and Insurance Act, 1997. 

Goods and services – Goods are tangible things, while services are things that someone does for you but are not tangible.

Guide dog – a dog trained as a guide for a person who is blind or visually impaired.

Public sector organizations – These organizations include the Legislative Assembly, ministries of the provincial government of Ontario. and Ontario municipalities. Also included are most boards, commissions, authorities, and agencies.

Service animal – an animal for a person with disabilities where it is readily apparent that the animal is used by the person for reasons relating to their disability or where the person provides a letter from a physician or nurse confirming that he or she requires the animal for reasons relating to the disability.

Support person – in relation to a person with disabilities, another person who accompanies them in order to help with communication, mobility, personal care, or medical needs or with access to goods and services. 

3- Application of policy:

This policy applies to CannaPiece’s services that are provided externally to the public or third parties.

The policy applies to all employees of the Company, as well as agents, volunteers, clients, and visitors to the Company. All areas of the Company are accountable for providing accessibility to persons with disabilities.

4- Providing goods and services to persons with disabilities:

CannaPiece is committed to excellence in serving all clients, including persons with disabilities, and will carry out its functions and responsibilities by:

• Communicating with persons with disabilities in ways that take into account their disabilities;
  
• Serving persons with disabilities who use assistive devices. CannaPiece will provide its staff with training on how to use the assistive devices available on CannaPiece’s premises;
  
• Ensuring that persons with disabilities who are accompanied by their guide dogs or other service animals are permitted to enter the premises of CannaPiece with the animal and to keep the animal with them, unless the animal is excluded by law from the premises.
• Ensuring that persons with disabilities who are accompanied by a support person are permitted to enter CannaPiece’s premises with their support person. At no time will persons with disabilities who are accompanied by their support person be prevented from having access to their support person while on CannaPiece’s premises. 

5- Assistive Devices:

People with disabilities may use their personal assistive devices when accessing the Company’s services or facilities.

In cases where the assistive device presents a significant and unavoidable health or safety concern or may not be permitted for other reasons, other measures will be used to ensure that the person with a disability can access he Company’s services or facilities. 

6- Support Persons:

Persons with disabilities may enter CannaPiece’s premises with a support person and have access to the support person while on the premises. CannaPiece does not charge fees for support persons. If fees are charged for admission to the premises (e.g., special events), then CannaPiece shall provide notice of the amount in advance. 

CannaPiece may require persons with disabilities to be accompanied by a support person when on the premises but only if a support person is necessary to protect the health and safety of the person with disabilities or the health or safety of others on the premises. 

If support persons will be accompanying a client onsite at CannaPiece’s premises, then the support person will comply with any and all of CannaPiece’s policies and procedures regarding confidential information and may be required to sign a non-disclosure and confidentiality agreement. 

7- Service Animals:

A person with disabilities may be accompanied by a guide dog or other service animal when on Cannapiece’s premises. In the event that service animals are excluded by law from the premises,or certain areas of the premises (e.g., the GPP area), the Company will provide other resources or supports to enable the person with disabilities to access the services and goods offered by the company. 

8- Notice of temporary Disruption:

CannaPiece will notify the public in the event of a planned or unexpected disruption in the facilities or services usually used by persons with disabilities. This notice will include information about the reason for the disruption, its anticipated duration, and a description of alternative facilities or services, if and as available. 

The notices will be posted at all public entrances and service counters of the Company or communicated by such method as is reasonable in the circumstances. 

9- Training for Staff:

CannaPiece is committed to training all staff, volunteers, all persons who participate in developing the organization’s policies, and all other persons who provide goods, services, or facilities on behalf of the organization in accessible client service, other Ontario accessibility standards, and aspects of the Ontario Human Rights Code that relate to persons with disabilities. 

• The training will be provided as soon as practicable after a staff commences their duties and will include the following topics, as they pertain to their specific roles.
• The purpose of AODA and the requirements of the customer service standards.
  How to interact and communicate with persons with various types of disabilities.
• How to interact with persons with disabilities who use an assistive device or require the assistance of a guide dog, service animal, or support person.
• How to use or access the equipment or devices available on the Company’s premises or otherwise that may help with the provision of goods or services to persons with disabilities.
• What to do if a person with a particular type of disability is having difficulty in accessing the Company’s goods and services.
• The Company’s policies, practices, and procedures relating to the client service standard. 

CannaPiece will provide training on an ongoing basis when changes are made to the Company’s policies, the legislation, and practices and procedures governing the provision of goods or services to persons with disabilities. 

10- Feedback Process:

CannaPiece welcomes any feedback regarding the methods it uses to provide goods and services to persons with disabilities. Individuals may provide their feedback in person, by telephone, in writing, or by delivering an electronic message by email to [email protected] or otherwise to our President at [email protected]. 

Complaints may be made in writing to the President, which complaints will be reviewed and assessed when received. Where possible, the President will address the issues. If a complaint cannot be addressed, then the President will advise the complainant. 

11- Modifications to this or other policies:

Changes will not be made to this policy unless the impact of the changes on persons with disabilities has been considered.

Any CannaPiece policy that does not respect and promote the dignity and independence of persons with disabilities will be modified or removed. 

12- Questions about this policy:

If you have a question about the policy or do not understand the purpose of the policy, then please contact us at [email protected] or or otherwise to our president at [email protected] 

13- Maintenance of Documents:

CannaPiece will maintain documents describing its policies, practices, and procedures and, upon request, shall give a copy of a document to any person. The documents will include policies, practices, and procedures with respect to the following: 

• Use of support persons.
• Use of guide dogs or service animals.
• The steps to be taken in connection with a temporary disruption.
  
• The training policy, including a summary of the contents of the training and details of when the training is to be provided.
  
• Records of the training provided under this policy, including the dates on which the training is provided and the number of individuals to whom it is provided; and.
  
• The feedback process.
  

CannaPiece will notify persons to whom it provides goods and services of its policies, by posting the information on CannaPiece premises, on CannaPiece’s website, or by such method as is reasonable in the circumstances. 

When required under this policy to give a copy of a document to a person with disabilities, CannaPiece will provide the document or information in a format that takes into account the person’s disabilities.