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19 · Wednesday, November 30, 2011 OAKVILLE BEAVER · www.insideHALTON.com Time to comply with AODA On Jan. 1 businesses will be required to comply with the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). Passed in June 2005, the AODA A maintains standards for accessibility. The first standards came into effect on Jan. 1, 2008, and, as of Jan. 1, 2012, every business in Ontario that provides goods or services to the public and has at least one employee must comply. There are a number of requirements businesses must follow to do so: Policies: Businesses must set up policies, practices and procedures for providing goods and services for people with disabilities. They also need to have a policy for people with assistive devices, so they can access the goods and services provided by the business. Communication: Businesses must communicate with people with disabilities in a way that takes into account his or her disability. Training: Training is necessary for those who interact with the public or other third parties who act on behalf of f the business as outlined in the Customer Service Standard. Also required is training of those who develop the policies, practices and procedures in providing goods or services. Service Animals: Allow people with disabilities to be accompanied by their guide dog or service animal in areas the public is invited into. Support Persons: Allow people with disabilities to bring their support person with them. If there is an admission fee, let the person with a disability know ahead of time, what, if any fee, would be charged for the support person. Temporary Disruptions: Let people with disabilities know when services they rely on will be temporarily disrupted. Feedback: Make sure people can provide feedback on how you provide services to people with disabilities and how you will respond to them. Businesses with 20 or more employees need to file regular compliance reports and can do so online. Businesses that don't comply, and have not returned to compliance after government inspection with assistance efforts could be fined as high as $50,000 per day for individuals and $100,000 per day for corporations. For most companies, the cost of f bringing in the AODA standard will be minimal, requiring an hour or less of f training per employee. The website Access ON is available to help businesses and offer suggestions and can be found at www.mcss.gov. on.ca. Oh Christmas Tree! Only $9.99 Tri-colour Poinsettia 9 9 . 9 1 $ m o r f r i F m a Bals All Fresh Wreaths & Garlands 30% Off All Hanging Ornaments Indoor Evergreen Arrangement Makes A Great Hostess Gift! $14.99 TERRA exclusive 30% off Makes A Great Hostess Gift! Fiberglass Planter Included! $60 Reg. $159.99 SAVE Fiesta Poinsettia Arrangement Holiday Style Amaryllis Arrangement $24.99 $19.99 Contemporary Evergreen Arrangement - Large Fiberglass Planter Included! Reg. $29.99 Only $99.99 OPEN 7 DAYS A WEEK: Mon. - Fri. 9am - 8pm, Sat. & Sun. 9am - 6pm All items while quantities last, subject to availability. Category offers exclude "TERRA Essentials" Sale period: Dec. 1st - 7th www.terragreenhouses.com Burlington Hwy #5 East of Brant St. (905) 332-3222 · Milton Britannia Rd.West ofTrafalgar (905) 876-4000 Waterdown Hwy #6 & 5th Concession E. (905) 689-1999 ·Vaughan Keele St. North of Kirby Sideroad (905) 832-6955