Accessibility Plan
General
ABOUT NORTHWEST TANK LINES
Northwest Tank Lines (“Northwest”) has earned a stellar reputation for safely transporting bulk commodities throughout western Canada and the northwestern United States.
Servicing the pulp and paper, mining, chemical and oil and gas industries, Northwest transports bulk commodities including chemicals and natural gas liquid products.
We are a team at Northwest, but we are also a family. Our people are committed to each other, the company, and to exceeding our customers’ expectations daily. Our core values drive continuous improvement, from recruiting exceptional people to investing in state-of-the-art equipment and systems.
At every corner and every bend, Northwest is driven to be a world-class tank truck company and to continuously improve as an organization. Our strength isn’t just our commitment to safety or our state-of-the-art equipment, it’s our highly skilled people and the strong partnerships we have with our customers.
Our mission is simple: to provide exceptional tank truck services to our customers — safely and professionally.
Executive Summary
Northwest is committed to building a culture of inclusivity and accessibility. Northwest values all individuals and their many talents and believes in providing every individual access to whatever is needed to excel. We are committed to working toward a barrier-free environment by recognizing the accessibility framework that will support employees and the public we serve.
We know creating a barrier-free environment takes time and we are dedicated to the ongoing identification, removal, and prevention of barriers. Northwest will build on our current efforts through the development of our initial Accessibility Plan as required under the Accessible Canada Act. This Accessibility Plan will guide our organization in meeting our accessibility commitments.
To address gaps in these areas, it is important to recognize and understand the needs of those with disabilities. For this reason, this plan was developed in consultation with employees who identify as having a disability via 1-1 interviews. In addition, external organizations that serve people with disabilities were consulted in the development of this plan.
A SUMMARY OF INITIAL OPPORTUNITIES INCLUDE:
- Provide awareness to current and future employees as to our policy and commitment to those with disabilities.
- Create safety policies and procedures specific to those with disabilities.
- Evaluate our current built environment and create a plan to ensure that it supports accessibility.
- Improve the knowledge of our IT team and leverage the capabilities of accessibility features in current and future IT equipment, programs and systems.
- Ensure there is a process in place for all to request accessible formats for documents
- Provide training for current and future employees with knowledge of Diversity, Equity and Disability Awareness
FEEDBACK
Northwest Tank Lines welcomes feedback on our Accessibility Plan from the public, employees and our stakeholders. This feedback is valuable to us as it helps us break down accessibility barriers and build on our commitment to accessibility and inclusion.
If you have an inquiry or feedback, please use one of the contact methods below.
Contact: Director of HR
Mailing Address: 3415 29 Street Northeast, Calgary, AB T1Y 5W4
Email: Humanresources@nwtl.ca
Phone: (403) 216-7680
ALTERNATIVE FORMATS
Northwest’s Accessibility Plan can be requested in the following formats:
- Large Print
- Electronic
- Audio
- Braille
To make a request, please reach out to our Director of HR by email at Humanresources@nwtl.ca, or by phone at (403) 216-7680.
Reporting Our Plan
As required by the Accessible Canada Act (“the Act”), we will publish a status report every year that measures our progress against our commitments. We will also review and update our Accessibility Plan every three years. Progress Reports and updates to our accessibility Plan will be shaped by consultation with persons with disabilities.
Addressing Areas Identified in the Accessible Canada Act
Employment
Barrier #1:
Our policies on discrimination, anti-bullying, and sexual harassment are not posted for job candidates to review.
Actions:
- Develop and publish an externally-facing policy on anti-discrimination, bullying and harassment to be included in job advertisements and available through our social media platforms when job seeks may find us.
- Ensure that the HR team is aware of and promotes this policy verbally to new and existing employees.
Barrier #2:
There is a need to expand our understanding of the range and variety of accommodation options available to persons with disabilities interested in working for our company.
Actions:
- Develop and implement an accommodation request policy for new and existing employees to ensure employees are aware that accommodations are available.
- Management and finance determine and implement a budget to allow for adaptive equipment including researching possible funding and grant opportunities.
Barrier #3:
There is a need to promote and provide training to all People Leaders as to the importance and requirements of the Act as well as the commitments the company has agreed to in this plan.
Actions:
- Incorporate the Accessibility Plan and the commitments of Northwest into the annual leadership meetings
- Provide training on unconscious bias, disability awareness, and anti-discrimination to all People Leaders
- People Leaders will check in with all employees to ensure they know of any undisclosed disability or accessibility challenges.
Built Environment
The “built environment” area ensures that workplaces and the work environment are accessible to all.
Barrier #4:
Northwest has a safety policy and procedures to support safe evacuation however the plan does not currently include procedures to assist those with disabilities
Actions:
- Research, develop and implement safety policies and procedures to support the safe evacuation of people with disabilities who require mobility assistance, including designating and training floor wardens to support people with all types of disabilities in case of an emergency
Barrier #5:
There are currently no designated parking spots for those with disabilities
Actions:
- Develop a plan for implementing accessible parking spots in all locations
Information and Communication Technologies
“Information and communication technologies” are various technological tools used to send, store, create, share or exchange information.
Barrier #6:
Northwest utilizes their website to promote their company to suppliers and future employees through text, audio and video clips however these are not provided in any additional formats to assist those with communication challenges.
Actions:
- Update the main site and driver site with alternative text for all images and closed captioning on all audio and video clips.
Barrier #7:
There is currently no written policy or procedure for requesting digital accommodation in advance of training or meetings whether virtual or in person.
Actions:
- Develop a standardized procedure and policy for employees to make requests for digital accommodations in advance of virtual training and meetings.
- Where possible, implement universal design principles as standard practice based on the accommodation request we receive.
Communication Other Than ICT
This area requires that organizations provide barrier-free access for the public, clients and employees to all the communications that the Company provides for this audience.
Barrier #8:
Northwest Tank Lines does not have a consistent process to ensure alternate communication formats are made available to employees and provided in a timely manner.
Actions:
- Create a standardized procedure and policy for employees to request accessible formats of training materials and communicate plans (large print versions, symbols, pictures, audio files, sign language etc.)
Procurement of Goods, Services and Facilities
The “procuring (buying) goods, services and facilities” area ensures that accessibility is considered at the beginning of the buying process.
Barrier #9:
There is currently no formal procurement policy that incorporates accessibility standards into the procurement process, or the procurement of equipment and tools related to employee accommodation requests.
Actions:
- Develop and publish a Procurement Policy for purchasing accommodation-related equipment, tools and support
- Provide training on the new Procurement Policy to all employees working in procurement.
Design and Delivery of Programs and Services
When designing and delivering Northwest’s internal and external programs and services, accessibility considerations must be part of the process right from the very start.
Barrier #10
Accessibility considerations have not been promoted to employees at Northwest when dealing with third parties.
Actions:
- Develop a training plan to provide all customer-facing employees with knowledge on Diversity, Equity and Inclusion and Disability Awareness to inform employees on how they can support the removal of barriers in customer interactions and the broader workplace.
Timeline
The Plan encompasses actions that NWTL will take in the next three years (2024-2027) before reassessing.
Consultations
To align with Northwest Tank Line’s commitment to making our workplace environment accessible to all, we have developed our Accessibility Plan in consultation with our employees, including those with disabilities.
We gather feedback and input from our team members and external organizations in several ways:
- Company-wide survey
- Engaging with the BC Centre for Abilities (BCCFA), an external organization supporting persons with disabilities, to understand and seek recommendations for improving accessibility to the Company’s building, our programs and services.
CONSULTATION PROCESS
The BCCFA was provided a draft of our Plan as a Word document for their review. We followed this with a virtual session hosted on May 1, 2024, to discuss the impact and significance of our goals towards creating an accessible workplace and experience for our employees, association members, and the public.
The session was hosted virtually via Zoom and the consultation team from BCCFA was asked in advance about any accommodation that would be needed for the session.
During the session, participants had the option to turn on closed captioning. Each priority area of the Plan was discussed and was accompanied by a PowerPoint presentation for everyone to see.
CONSULTATION RESULTS
During the session, we reviewed each of the Northwest’s Accessibility Commitments and gathered feedback from the BCCFA. Overall, the BCCFA found the Plan to be clear and logical and that it shows a commitment to making a positive impact on the community through accessibility measures.
Most of the Commitments and corresponding action plans provide a coherent and logical progression. However, the BCCFA identified a couple of key areas where further elaboration on the actions was needed to provide a clear and meaningful commitment. Additionally, we adjusted some of the language used throughout the Plan to be more aligned with the social model of communication.