NDPs Candidate in September 3 Scarborough West and Hamilton East Stoney-Creek By-Elections and Greens Candidate in the York-Simcoe By-Election Both Make All the Disability Accessibility Commitments that the AODA Alliance Requested

Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act Alliance Update

United for a Barrier-Free Ontario for All People with Disabilities

Website: www.aodaalliance.org

Email: aodafeedback@gmail.com

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NDPs Candidate in September 3 Scarborough West and Hamilton East Stoney-Creek By-Elections and Greens Candidate in the York-Simcoe By-Election Both Make All the Disability Accessibility Commitments that the AODA Alliance Requested

 

August 26, 2026

 

SUMMARY

 

On August 26, 2026, the AODA Alliance received the disability accessibility commitments from three more candidates in September 3, 2026 by-elections: Scarborough West NDP candidate Fatima Shaban, Hamilton East Stoney-Creek NDP candidate Monique Taylor and York-Simcoe Greens candidate Matt Pearce’s. Read their responses below. Theses candidates made all the commitments that the AODA Alliance sought.

 

Yesterday, we received commitments from the Green Party candidates in two other ridings in which by-elections are being held on September 3, 2026. We have heard nothing from the Ontario Liberals or PCs.

 

The non-partisan AODA Alliance is encouraging people with disabilities and their supporters to raise disability issues in the September 3, 2026 by-elections now underway in Scarborough Southwest, Hamilton East – Stoney Creek and York – Simcoe. The AODA Alliance’s August 20, 2026 By-Election Action Kit gives voters action tips on how to raise these issues. This includes pressing all parties and all candidates to make the accessibility pledges that the AODA Alliance has requested.

 

The AODA Alliance’s August 20, 2026 letter to the candidates asks them to make four commitments that are important to over 2.9 million Ontarians with disabilities, including

  • To support and not weaken the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act.
  • Support tearing down disability barriers in Ontario’s education system facing hundreds of thousands of students with disabilities including enacting an Education Accessibility Standard under the AODA.
  • To oppose the use of public money to create or perpetuate disability barriers, and
  • To support reforming the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario, and the process for enforcing human rights in Ontario.

MORE DETAILS

 

August 26, 2026 Letter to the AODA Alliance from Scarborough West NDP Candidate Fatima Shaban

 

  1. The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act requires the Ontario Government to become fully accessible to people with disabilities by 2025. Ontario made progress but failed to meet that legal deadline. The AODA remains on the books. The Government must achieve its goal as soon as possible after that deadline. Do you support that law and its goal as a Government priority, and will you oppose any efforts to weaken it or measures enacted under it?

 

A – Yes. The Ontario NDP Caucus has always supported not only the passage, but the full implementation of the AODA and have repeatedly raised how the Ford government has missed key markers, as well as warned previous governments that they were not on track to implement the law by its deadline.

As the Official Opposition we have been clear: we oppose any weakening of the AODA, and an NDP government would be committed to realizing the full implementation of the law.

 

  1. Over one third of a million students with disabilities continue to face serious disability barriers in Ontario’s K-12 and post-secondary education systems. For the past decade, all Ontario political parties have supported the Government creating an enforceable Education Accessibility Standard under the AODA. Yet none has been enacted. Ontario’s underfunded special education program is in crisis. Do you support the Government reforming education for students with disabilities in Ontario, including enacting an effective Education Accessibility Standard under the AODA to tear down disability barriers in Ontario’s education system?

 

A – We do! The Ontario NDP have been clear in calling on the Ford government to implement education accessibility standards, as was thoughtfully and thoroughly addressed by the work of the K-12 Education Standards Development Committee. Families of children with disabilities continue to experience disastrous gaps and oversights in the education of their children, and that buck stops with the government.

 

 

  1. Do you agree that the Ontario Government should implement effective action to ensure that public money is never used to create new barriers against people with disabilities, or to perpetuate existing barriers?

 

A – Marit Stiles, our Ontario NDP candidates, and caucus, are all committed to the principle that public dollars should never be used to erect or extend any barriers for people with disabilities.

Our focus is on removing those barriers, not strengthening them or creating new ones.

 

 

  1. When people with disabilities suffer unlawful discrimination, the dysfunctional, backlogged process for filing a human rights complaint and getting a hearing at the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario can take 5 years or more. The system is broken. It needs substantial reform. Do you agree that the process at the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario for enforcing human rights should be substantially reformed to recommend reforming the system and making it effective and timely?

 

A – Yes! The Ontario NDP Caucus have repeatedly called on the Ford government to stop the neglect and stacking the deck of the Tribunals system with agreeable appointees – including the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal – and to end the backlog so that Ontarians can have their concerns considered and ideally acted upon. Paramount to this should be fair and equitable access for Ontarians with disabilities.

 

 

August 26, 2026 Ontario Greens Candidate for York-Simcoe Matt Pearce’s response

 

Response:

 

  1. The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act requires the Ontario Government to become fully accessible to people with disabilities by 2025. Ontario made progress but failed to meet that legal deadline. The AODA remains on the books. The Government must achieve its goal as soon as possible after that deadline. Do you support that law and its goal as a Government priority, and will you oppose any efforts to weaken it or measures enacted under it?

= Ontario Greens fully support the Accessibility for Ontario with Disabilities Act as a government priority, and are committed to fulfilling all commitments in the Accessible Ontario Pledge. I will strongly oppose any efforts to weaken these commitments.

 

 

  1. Over one third of a million students with disabilities continue to face serious disability barriers in Ontario’s K-12 and post-secondary education systems. For the past decade, all Ontario political parties have supported the Government creating an enforceable Education Accessibility Standard under the AODA. Yet none has been enacted. Ontario’s underfunded special education program is in crisis. Do you support the Government reforming education for students with disabilities in Ontario, including enacting an effective Education Accessibility Standard under the AODA to tear down disability barriers in Ontario’s education system?

= Ontario Greens support strengthening and investing in special education and enacting an effective Education Accessibility Standard.

 

  1. Do you agree that the Ontario Government should implement effective action to ensure that public money is never used to create new barriers against people with disabilities, or to perpetuate existing barriers?

= Yes.

 

  1. When people with disabilities suffer unlawful discrimination, the dysfunctional, backlogged process for filing a human rights complaint and getting a hearing at the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario can take 5 years or more. The system is broken. It needs substantial reform. Do you agree that the process at the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario for enforcing human rights should be substantially reformed to recommend reforming the system and making it effective and timely?

= Yes, Ontario Greens support reforming the Human Rights Tribunal to ensure the system has adequate resources to address each concern in a timely and effective way.

 

 

August 26, 2026 Letter to the AODA Alliance from NDP Hamilton East Stoney-Creek Candidate Monique Taylor

 

  1. The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act requires the Ontario Government to become fully accessible to people with disabilities by 2025. Ontario made progress but failed to meet that legal deadline. The AODA remains on the books. The Government must achieve its goal as soon as possible after that deadline. Do you support that law and its goal as a Government priority, and will you oppose any efforts to weaken it or measures enacted under it?

A – Yes. The Ontario NDP Caucus has always supported not only the passage, but the full implementation of the AODA and have repeatedly raised how the Ford government has missed key markers, as well as warned previous governments that they were not on track to implement the law by its deadline. As the Official Opposition we have been clear: we oppose any weakening of the AODA, and an NDP government would be committed to realizing the full implementation of the law.

 

  1. Over one third of a million students with disabilities continue to face serious disability barriers in Ontario’s K-12 and post-secondary education systems. For the past decade, all Ontario political parties have supported the Government creating an enforceable Education Accessibility Standard under the AODA. Yet none has been enacted. Ontario’s underfunded special education program is in crisis. Do you support the Government reforming education for students with disabilities in Ontario, including enacting an effective Education Accessibility Standard under the AODA to tear down disability barriers in Ontario’s education system?

A – We do! The Ontario NDP have been clear in calling on the Ford government to implement education accessibility standards, as was thoughtfully and thoroughly addressed by the work of the K-12 Education Standards Development Committee. Families of children with disabilities continue to experience disastrous gaps and oversights in the education of their children, and that buck stops with the government.

 

  1. Do you agree that the Ontario Government should implement effective action to ensure that public money is never used to create new barriers against people with disabilities, or to perpetuate existing barriers?

A – Marit Stiles, our Ontario NDP candidates, and caucus, are all committed to the principle that public dollars should never be used to erect or extend any barriers for people with disabilities. Our focus is on removing those barriers, not strengthening them or creating new ones.

 

  1. When people with disabilities suffer unlawful discrimination, the dysfunctional, backlogged process for filing a human rights complaint and getting a hearing at the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario can take 5 years or more. The system is broken. It needs substantial reform. Do you agree that the process at the Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario for enforcing human rights should be substantially reformed to recommend reforming the system and making it effective and timely?

A – Yes! The Ontario NDP Caucus have repeatedly called on the Ford government to stop the neglect and stacking the deck of the Tribunals system with agreeable appointees – including the Ontario Human Rights Tribunal – and to end the backlog so that Ontarians can have their concerns considered and ideally acted upon. Paramount to this should be fair and equitable access for Ontarians with disabilities.