Skip to main content

2025 Progress report

Download our 2025 progress report (PDF)

General

Summary

Terrestar Solutions Inc. (“Terrestar”) has made significant progress towards most of the goals set in our Accessibility Plan. Our Accessibility Plan consisted of 6 goals with 13 associated actions. Of these, we have:

  • Completed 9 action items
  • Made progress on 2 action items
  • Have 2 pending action items

In our commitment to accessibility and providing a barrier-free work environment, we are committed to regularly reviewing and refining our accessibility efforts. One of the goals we set in 2024 (Built environment) has become established processes that will be ongoing business practices. Many of the goals that we have not started are dependent on the completion of the goals in progress. Most in-progress activities are now in the communication and implementation phase (for example, our DEI plan is complete, and the training will start in September). Goals not yet started are scheduled for future implementation, such as the new feedback mechanism, which will be incorporated into the employee survey by the end of 2025. However, we will ensure that even these future actions are integrated into our ongoing work to maintain momentum towards a fully accessible environment.

Terrestar’s Accessibility Statement

We are committed to adopting a proactive approach to identify, prevent, and eliminate obstacles faced by people with disabilities in all spheres of our business. We aspire to create an environment where all Canadians, regardless of their abilities, can communicate freely with each other and with the world around them, without hindrance or barriers.

Thus, in preparing our plan, we have been guided by the fundamental principles outlined in the Accessible Canada Act (ACA):

  • Respect for the dignity of every individual, regardless of their disability, by ensuring fair and respectful treatment;
  • Ensuring that all individuals, regardless of their disabilities, have equal opportunities to thrive fully;
  • Commitment to providing barrier-free access and promoting full and equal participation in all aspects of society for every individual, without distinction;
  • Recognition of the right for every person, with or without assistance, to make decisions for themselves autonomously and meaningfully;
  • Integration of the needs and experiences of people with disabilities in the creation and implementation of laws, policies, programs, services, and structures;
  • The importance of enabling the active participation of people with disabilities in the development and design of laws, policies, programs, services, and structures.

By committing to upholding these principles, we strive to create an inclusive environment where everyone can contribute fully and benefit from all the opportunities offered by our society.

Accessibility Committee

The members of Terrestar’s Accessibility Committee, which is responsible for the preparation and execution of this Accessibility Plan, are:

Feedback Process

Terrestar is committed to providing an accessible, receptive, and transparent feedback process. Our feedback process and anonymous feedback form are hosted on our website following the Level AA Web Content Accessibility Guide (WCAG). We are committed to ensuring that all feedback submissions receive a timely response, unless feedback is provided anonymously.

We have a designated person and established feedback process to receive and deal with any feedback you may have for us about accessibility:

By using this contact information, employees, customers, and members of the public can send us:

  • A request to receive this plan in an alternative format (see Alternative Formats).
  • A request to receive the description of our accessibility feedback process.

Your feedback on accessibility

We actively encourage feedback and suggestions from our community, including those with disabilities, on the accessibility of our documents and services. We are committed to incorporating these insights into our ongoing efforts to enhance accessibility and meet the diverse needs of our audience. We will also prioritize conducting follow-up surveys to ensure continuous improvement.

Together, we can create an environment where everyone feels valued and included, where obstacles are minimized, and where opportunities are open to all, regardless of their abilities.

Alternative Formats

Terrestar’s Accessibility Plan and a description of our accessibility feedback process will be made available in alternative formats, including:

  • Print
  • Large print
  • Electronic format
  • Braille
  • Audio format
  • Other formats compatible with adaptive technology that are intended to assist persons with disabilities

Requests for print, large print, and electronic formats will be fulfilled within 20 days from the date of the request and requests for Braille and audio formats will be fulfilled within 45 days.

Alternative formats of Terrestar’s Accessibility Plan can be requested by email at accessible@strigo.ca, by phone at 514-843-0679, or through our online submission forms:

https://terrestarsolutions.ca/en/accessibility/accessibility-feedback-form

https://strigo.ca/en/accessibility/accessibility-feedback-form

For more information, please visit our website: https://terrestarsolutions.ca/en/.

Priority areas

Area 1: Employment

Our Accessibility Goal

By removing barriers to employment, our goal is to offer equal opportunities to all our employees, including persons with disabilities. We are dedicated to fostering a culture that values diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging while providing a secure and supportive work environment.

We are committed to providing appropriate resources and training to raise awareness among all our staff about the challenges and specific needs of people with disabilities. By fostering increased understanding and appreciation of diversity, we aim to create an environment where all individuals feel respected and supported in their professional journey.

We will also aim to work closely with external organizations that specialize in employing people with disabilities to leverage their expertise to achieve our accessibility and inclusion goals. By adopting a collaborative and results-oriented approach, we are confident that we can create fair opportunities for all members of our team, thus fostering a culture of excellence and innovation.

Commitment 1: Emphasize our ability and willingness to provide accommodations during the recruitment and onboarding process by:

1.1 Integrating the accommodation request process into recruitment and onboarding to make the option explicitly available to candidates and new employees.

  • Status: Completed
  • Actions: We have added a specific section in our onboarding process that asks new employees to communicate any accessibility requests. We will work with employees requiring accommodations to fully understand their needs and how we can improve accessibility at Terrestar for all people with disabilities to provide barrier-free access to employment and career development.

1.2 Developing and publishing a public-facing anti-discrimination policy to be included in all job ads.

  • Status: In progress
  • Actions: The policy has been completed. We are aiming to publish the policy by the end of June 2025.

Commitment 2: Ensure fair and equal access to employment and career progression by providing a thorough understanding and non-biased approach to performance management by:

2.2 Researching and creating a plan to provide training for managers and employees with a focus on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion that informs on accessibility and the removal of barriers in the workplace.

  • Status: In progress
  • Actions: We are collaborating with Elance, a well-known DEI consulting firm, to develop our DEI plan. This partnership aims to ensure the adoption of fair and unbiased practices across our processes. Our DEI plan is built around three main pillars:
    1. Leadership and Governance: Promote inclusive, empathetic leadership that embodies our core values.
    2. Talent Management: Foster a professional environment where every talent is supported, respected, and valued.
    3. Internal Communications: Encourage accessible and human-centred communication.

This plan includes specific, measurable (wherever possible) actions that will be implemented over the next year, with training for managers and employees scheduled to begin in September 2025.

Area 2: Built Environment

Our Accessibility Goal

We are committed to making our offices, buildings, and facilities accessible and barrier-free for people with disabilities. By collaborating with employees, external advisors, and accessibility experts, we will identify and remove barriers. We will also invest in physical modifications and specialized equipment to create inclusive spaces where everyone can participate and thrive.

Commitment 1: Enhance accessibility in our workplace by integrating accessible design requirements in our planned renovations by:

1.1 Ensuring that contractors follow applicable accessibility guidelines.

  • Status: Completed
  • Actions: To get ready for our office renovation in September 2024, we reviewed guidelines like the Rick Hansen Foundation’s resources on universal design and accessibility. We worked with our contractors to determine which improvements we could make based on the limitations of our lease agreement while still optimizing for accessible use.

1.2 Establishing accessibility criteria for office renovations.

  • Status: Completed
  • Actions: After the assessment, our contractor gave us design plans for the office renovation. The plans include features that make the space accessible, open, inclusive and inviting. This process has established guiding principles for any future renovation we may make to our office space.

1.3 Completing office renovations with accessible design where possible.

  • Status: Completed
  • Actions: We completed the renovation in September 2024. We made the following changes to our office to improve accessibility:
    • Added an automatic door for the entrance into Terrestar’s office.
    • Added texture to the entrance glass to assist visually impaired individuals.
    • Lowered the key fob access point to make it easier to reach.
    • Made one of the bathrooms fully accessible with an automatic door, a lower sink, and support bars.
    • Added a lower sink and support bars to the second bathroom.
    • Increased the common area space to accommodate wheelchairs, walkers and other assistive devices.
    • Provided adjustable tables in the common working area to accommodate different seat heights and standing options.

Area 3: Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)

Our Accessibility Goal

One way to achieve our accessibility goals is to remove barriers to ICT. To do so, we will identify and address barriers in our ICT systems, such as on our websites, networks, telecommunication systems, computer systems, and other technologies used in our business.

We are committed to ensuring the accessibility of our ICT systems, including our websites, networks, telecommunications systems, and computer systems, to ensure an inclusive experience for all users, including people with disabilities. To achieve this, we will seek to identify potential accessibility barriers. Based on these findings, we will implement corrective measures to eliminate these barriers and ensure technologies are accessible to all.

Furthermore, we are committed to integrating accessibility principles from the outset in the development of new technologies and updates to our existing systems. By removing barriers related to ICT, we aim to create an inclusive digital environment that enables everyone to fully participate in our business and services, regardless of their disability.

Commitment 1: Ensure employees are aware of accessibility features available to them through the various internal ICT systems and tools by:

1.1 Creating an “Accessibility Tools” guide for employees to be shared during onboarding and orientation.

  • Status: Completed
  • Actions: On our internal website, we have a comprehensive section dedicated to useful links for accessibility tools available on Teams, Apple, Microsoft, and Windows. We will also make the final version of the Terrestar and Strigo accessibility guide available in both French and English in the Accessibility section of our internal website.

Commitment 2: Increase accessibility across our social media platforms by:

2.1 Following accessibility standards on social media platforms and continuing to ensure our social media content can be accessed by all.

  • Status: Completed (ongoing)
  • Actions: To ensure compliance with accessibility standards, we rely on several recognized resources, including the guidelines from the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI), the practical handbook Accessibility 2 published by the Association of Registered Graphic Designers (RGD), and checklists provided by The A11Y Project, Guia-WCAG, Digital A11Y, Deque University, and WebAIM. We also refer to the detailed criteria outlined in the Web Content Accessibility Guide (WCAG) 2.2 standards. In addition, our digital and web agencies, Mutation and Adviso, support us with their specialized expertise in accessibility to help create a more inclusive digital environment.

For example, we have added text descriptions to all videos on the Terrestar and Strigo websites, as well as descriptive alt text for all images across our platforms.

Commitment 3: Ensure that our websites are compliant with the current WCAG standards by:

3.1 Working with external firms to assess the upgrade requirements needed for our website to be compliant with WCAG 2.2 AA.

  • Status: Completed (ongoing)
  • Actions: Our Marketing Director makes sure our websites always follow all new WCAG 2.2 AA accessibility standards. Our web development and digital marketing suppliers, Mutation and Adviso, perform regular monitoring of the latest advancements and implement them in all upcoming releases of our websites. Accessibility and compatibility are core elements of Mutation’s approach to web development.

Area 4: Communication, other than ICT

Our Accessibility Goal

Identifying and addressing barriers in all our communications, not just information and communication technologies, is important to achieving a barrier-free workplace. We will implement plans to ensure that our commercial documents, advertising materials, and documents related to our products and services meet accessibility needs.

We are committed to expanding our accessibility initiative beyond just the areas of information and communication technologies to include all of our communications. This includes our business documentation, advertising materials, and any materials related to our products and services.

To achieve this, we will seek to identify and eliminate potential barriers in our communications. This may involve reviewing our documents to ensure they are written in clear and easy-to-understand language, using accessible formats such as enlarged text or braille when necessary, and integrating audio descriptions for visual content in our advertising and promotional materials.

By incorporating accessibility practices into all of our communications, we aim to ensure that every individual, including those with disabilities, can access information fairly and efficiently, thereby contributing to creating a barrier-free work environment where all members of our community can thrive.

Commitment 1: Incorporate principles of accessible design into our formal communication and brand standards.

1.1 Revising Terrestar’s Communication and Brand Guidelines to improve accessibility standards, such as plain language wherever possible.

  • Status: Completed
  • Actions: The first version of the brand guideline, which outlines how to apply our graphic standards to ensure compliance with WCAG 2.2 AA web accessibility requirements, has been completed. This guide provides a general overview of the key standards to follow for any web-based interface, including internal-use platforms. The guide outlines standards for using plain language and built-in software tools to support employees in creating accessible Word, PowerPoint, and PDF documents.

This guideline will be reviewed and revised regularly, translated and then shared internally and posted on our internal website.

Area 5: Procurement of Goods, Services, and Facilities

Our Accessibility Goal

We are committed to addressing accessibility barriers in the procurement of goods, services, and facilities. As such, we will endeavour to communicate our accessibility needs to our current and future suppliers, so they understand our accessibility objectives and requirements. By working with suppliers and vendors that are aligned with our accessibility objectives, we can help remove accessibility barriers experienced by persons with disabilities.

We are committed to extending our accessibility efforts to our supply chain for goods, services, and facilities. With this in mind, we will seek to communicate our accessibility needs to our current and future suppliers. By raising awareness of our accessibility goals and requirements, we create essential collaboration to eliminate barriers faced by people with disabilities.

By working with suppliers who share our commitment to accessibility, we contribute to creating a more inclusive ecosystem. Together, we can integrate accessible practices and solutions at every stage of our supply chain, from design to delivery. This strengthened collaboration not only promotes the accessibility of the products and services we offer but also helps to foster a more inclusive culture within our network of business partners.

Commitment 1: Ensure good accessibility governance by implementing a formal procurement policy that integrates accessibility standards into the procurement process by:

1.1 Developing and publishing a new Procurement Policy that prioritizes the selection of goods, services, and facilities that offer barrier-free options or promote accessibility.

  • Status: In progress
  • Actions: The policy states that Terrestar is dedicated to identifying, removing, and preventing accessibility barriers, particularly for persons with disabilities. To achieve this, Terrestar will address accessibility procurement barriers by communicating our needs to current and future suppliers, ensuring alignment with their accessibility objectives. We will also train employees responsible for procurement on the new policy and how to identify accessible design. Some of our suppliers, such as SharePoint, Mutation (web agency), and WebRTC, already follow established standards. However, we are unable to commit to any vendor for the upcoming year, as we currently lack the necessary resources, such as clear contractual agreements on accessibility requirements, compliance monitoring tools, and dedicated personnel to coordinate with suppliers, as well as the appropriate collaboration mechanisms to ensure implementation.

1.2 Providing all employees responsible for procurement with training on the new policy and how to identify accessible design.

  • Status: Pending
  • Actions: The procurement policy will be communicated to all employees between June and September of 2025, and will be made available on our internal website by the end of September.

Area 6: Design and Delivery of Programs and Services

Our Accessibility Goal

We strive to ensure that our programs and services are equally accessible to all by addressing barriers that may be preventing our services’ accessibility. To achieve this goal, we will endeavour to make accessibility improvements to our systems, network, programs, and services to meet accessibility requirements.

To achieve this goal, we commit to undertaking specific measures to improve the accessibility of our systems, network, programs, and services. This involves implementing technologies and practices that meet established accessibility standards, as well as training our staff to ensure inclusive service delivery.

We will also strive to identify and eliminate potential barriers to accessing our programs and services by gathering feedback from users, including those with disabilities. By integrating these perspectives into our continuous improvement processes, we aim to create environments and services accessible to all, thereby fostering equitable and meaningful participation from our entire community.

Commitment 1: Provide guidance and support related to removing barriers in customer engagement through the delivery of programs and services by:

1.1 Researching and creating a plan to provide training focused on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion that informs on accessibility and the removal of barriers in the workplace for all customer-facing employees.

  • Status: Pending
  • Actions: We have created a standard training plan for all our employees. The plan is scheduled to start in September. Here is our training plan for all employees:
    • Chapter 1: The Fundamentals of DEI (Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion)
    • Chapter 2: Unconscious Bias
    • Chapter 3: Privilege

Inclusive Leadership Training is also planned to begin in September. Topics covered will include:

  • What is Inclusive Management?
  • Overview of Common Challenges and Biases
  • Tips & Best Practices for Inclusive Leadership

Area 7: Transportation

Terrestar does not provide transport for employees or members of the public. The standards for transportation under the ACA are beyond the scope of our accessibility plan. Accordingly, we have not identified any barriers related to transportation.

Therefore, our accessibility plan primarily focuses on aspects of our business that are directly under our control, such as our physical facilities, communications, technologies, and services. Although we do not currently transport staff or members of the public, we remain committed to eliminating barriers to accessibility in all aspects of our operations, per the ACA. If our business ever expands its activities to include the transportation of staff or the public, we will then review our accessibility plan to incorporate these new areas per the ACA standards.

Feedback

Since implementing our accessibility plan, we have not received any feedback. However, it is important to note that the absence of feedback does not imply that no accessibility issues exist. To take a more proactive approach, we are planning an employee survey in 2025. The survey will ask questions to gather their feedback on our accessibility plan and progress so far. We recognize that accessibility is an ongoing process, and we encourage open communication to identify areas for improvement.

Consultations

Summary

The concept of “Nothing About Us, Without Us” emphasizes that persons with disabilities must be involved in the development of new policies, processes, and systems. We consulted with the Action Committee for People Living with Disabilities (Comité d’action des personnes vivant des situations de handicap – “CAPVISH”) in the development of our Progress Report to support us in identifying opportunities to progress accessibility in the work that we do at Terrestar.

Consultation Process

A copy of Terrestar’s Plan was shared with CAPVISH in both English and as an MS Word document to allow font sizes to be adjusted and ensure screen reader compatibility. We provided CAPVISH with the flexibility to provide their own timeline for reviewing the Plan and returning their feedback to us.

Results

Overall, the consultation found that the plan is well-structured, professionally presented, and written in clear, accessible language, with effective use of headings and a consistent tone that supports readability and understanding.

CAPVISH provided several thoughtful recommendations to strengthen alignment with the Accessible Canada Act (ACA). In response, we have taken meaningful steps to integrate this feedback. We incorporated CAPVISH’s recommended language to more clearly reflect the foundational principles of the ACA, such as dignity, autonomy, inclusion, equal opportunity, and full participation, at the outset of the document and throughout key sections. To improve accountability and transparency, we identified areas where measurable outcomes and performance indicators could be added, and we are working to build these into our tracking processes. For future iterations, we plan to include timelines and target outcomes to further support progress monitoring.

We also recognize the importance of meaningful engagement with persons with disabilities. CAPVISH identified opportunities to strengthen this aspect of our plan, and we have highlighted where consultation has already occurred and where additional engagement will be prioritized moving forward. These changes reflect our dedication to creating a more inclusive and responsive accessibility strategy that continues to evolve through collaboration and feedback.

Conclusion

Terrestar Solutions Inc. remains firmly committed to building an inclusive and accessible environment. This progress report highlights the tangible steps we have taken toward achieving our accessibility goals across all key areas. While we have made excellent progress, we acknowledge that the work is ongoing, and we will continue to refine our approach to maintain progress in all areas. We are proud of the momentum we have built and the structural changes now embedded in our operations.

While some initiatives are still underway or scheduled for future execution, we recognize that accessibility is an ongoing journey, not a one-time checklist. We will continue to ensure that future phases of our plan are integrated seamlessly with ongoing operations to avoid any disruptions and maintain sustainable progress. Many of the remaining actions are deliberately sequenced to build on current progress, ensuring we maintain a thoughtful, sustainable, and integrated approach. Our team will continue to lead this work with transparency, collaboration, and accountability.

As we look ahead, we will continue to welcome feedback, invest in training, and partner with accessibility experts to ensure we are meeting—and exceeding—the standards outlined in the Accessible Canada Act. Together, we are creating a workplace where everyone can contribute fully and equitably, regardless of ability. We are excited about the future of our accessibility efforts and the positive impact they will have on our organization and the broader community.

Back to top
Contact us