Ontario Liberal Party Candidate in the September 3, 2026 Hamilton East-Stoney Creek By-Election Makes 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

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Ontario Liberal Party Candidate in the September 3, 2026 Hamilton East-Stoney Creek By-Election Makes the Disability Accessibility Commitments that the AODA Alliance Requested

 

September 3, 2026

 

SUMMARY

 

Today, Ontario by-elections are taking place in three ridings: Scarborough Southwest, Hamilton East – Stoney Creek and York – Simcoe. Today, the AODA Alliance received an email, set out below, in which Ontario Liberal Party Candidate Heino Doessing made the four accessibility commitments we have sought. They are running in today’s by-election in the Hamilton East-Stoney Creek Riding. That email is set out below.

 

In total, in the three ridings holding by-elections today, we received the four commitments from the three Green party candidates, two of the three NDP candidates, two of the three Liberal candidates, and none of the Progressive Conservative candidates. Apart from none from the Tories, we got no response from York Simcoe Liberal candidate Naomi Davison or from York-Simcoe NDP candidate NDP Bobby Nikmard.

 

 

MORE DETAILS

 

September 3, 2026 email to the AODA Alliance from Ontario Liberal Party Candidate Heino Doessing

 

Heino Doessing – Hamilton East-Stoney Creek

 

 

  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?

 

I fully support the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and its goal of making Ontario barrier-free. The failure to meet the 2025 deadline is unacceptable, and it is personally important to me that we treat accessibility not as an optional improvement but as a legal and moral obligation. The AODA must remain strong, enforceable, and central to government decision-making. I will oppose any attempt to weaken the Act or the measures created under it. People with disabilities deserve timely action, and consistent consultation so there is nothing about them without them.

 

  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?

 

I strongly support comprehensive reform of Ontario’s education system to ensure students with disabilities can learn, participate, and thrive without facing systemic barriers. For over a decade, all parties have agreed that an Education Accessibility Standard is needed, yet it still has not been enacted. That delay has real consequences for students and families. As someone who believes deeply in equitable access to education, I will advocate for an effective, enforceable Education Accessibility Standard under the AODA and for meaningful investment in special education. Students with disabilities must be partners in shaping these reforms.

 

  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, I agree that public funds should never be used to create new disability barriers or reinforce existing ones. Accessibility must be built into every publicly funded project from the start whether it involves infrastructure, digital services, education, health care, or community programs. This is both a matter of fiscal responsibility and human rights. When we invest public dollars, we must ensure those investments expand access, not restrict it. People with disabilities must be involved in evaluating and designing these systems so that barriers are identified and eliminated early.

 

  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?

 

I agree that the current Human Rights Tribunal of Ontario process is far too slow and inaccessible. Waiting five years or more for a hearing is effectively a denial of justice. The system is broken and requires substantial reform to ensure timely, fair, and effective enforcement of human rights. I support a full review and modernization of the Tribunal’s processes, resources, and structure. People with disabilities must be meaningfully involved in shaping these reforms, so that the system reflects their lived experiences and delivers justice when it is needed, not years later.