canada disabilities
Toronto Public Library waives all charges for the disabled. What laws require (1) public bodies, (2) corporations to do the same?
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<p><a href="https://www.torontopubliclibrary.ca/accessibility/persons-with-disabilities-status" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Persons with Disabilities Status are exempt from:</a></p>
<ul>
<li>fines for holds not picked up</li>
<li>being referred to a collection agency for long overdue items or charges</li>
</ul>
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<h4>What <em>Canadian</em> laws require &lt;1&gt; public bodies, &lt;2&gt; private companies to exempt the disabled from charges + fees + fines — just like the Toronto Public Library does?</h4>
<p>Examples of public bodies are  — public hospitals that levy (parking) fees,<br />
— government ministries that levy health card + driver licence fees.</p>
<p>Examples of private corporations are — banks, credit unions that charge overdraft + NSF fees.</p>
<p>Above link adduces the <em>Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act,</em> 2005 (<em>AODA</em>). I know that</p>
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<p><a href="https://www.ohrc.on.ca/en/policy-ableism-and-discrimination-based-disability/8-duty-accommodate" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Under the [Ontario <em>Human Rights] Code</em>, employers and unions, housing providers and service providers have a legal duty to accommodate the needs of people with disabilities who are adversely affected by a requirement, rule or standard.</a></p>
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<p>But this <em>AODA</em> and <em>Human Rights Code</em> don't answer my question, because both don't outright waive fees for the disabled.</p>

<p>The <a href="https://www.ontario.ca/laws/statute/05a11" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act</a>, 2005, until the Supreme Court or the pertinent regulatory agencies deem that this accommodation is not required under the law. The statute requires that everybody establish accessibility standards so that no person with a disability is prevented from fully participating in all aspects of society because of his or her disability, therefore they must set out to removal barriers w.r.t. services etc. Fees are not specifically enumerated under the law, instead, the law is to be understood to refer to &quot;anything that constitutes a barrier&quot;. <a href="https://docs.ontario.ca/documents/4845/guidelines-to-iasr-english.pdf" rel="nofollow noreferrer">Here</a> is a larger government document that say in part what that means. §19 specifically requires public libraries to establish standards, and Toronto seems to have complied with that requirement.</p>
<p>In other words, the law allows the library to establish standards which it deems to be necessary in order to comply with the act. Nothing in current Canadian directly requires exemption from fees for other entities, but the courts could determine that an exemption is implicit in the requirement to remove barriers.</p>

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<p>What Canadian laws require &lt;1&gt; public bodies, &lt;2&gt; private companies to exempt the disabled from charges + fees + fines — just like the Toronto Public Library does?</p>
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<p>None. And Toronto Public Library does not do that. While disabled persons do not pay fines for holds not picked up and the library chooses to not refer to the matter to collection agencies, they are still expected to pay the library if they lost borrowed books and can be charged for using printing services for example. Disabled people still need to pay a restaurant to get food, pay a gas station to fuel the car (even if it is required for mobility), tuition fees still apply even in public universities. And of course income tax, GST/HST/QST/PST and property taxes still need to be paid.</p>
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<p>But this AODA and Human Rights Code don't answer my question, because both don't outright waive fees for the disabled.</p>
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<p>No general law waives fees or charges for people with disabilities.</p>
<p>However, as you have found, under human rights legislation, there is a requirement for goods and service providers to provide reasonable accommodation to individuals with disabilities to (attempt to) ensure equal access and treatment. For public governmental bodies, such obligation also results from section 15 of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.</p>
<p>But it does not explicitly mandate specific actions such as waiving fees. Whether a specific accommodation is required or reasonable in the context will depend on the circumstances.  A library which charges late fees but have a longer grace period for disabled persons would likely be still within the legal parameters.</p>
<p>In any case, organizations may choose to voluntarily waive fees or charges for individuals with disabilities as part of their policies or initiatives to promote inclusivity and accessibility, even if not necessarily mandated by law.</p>
<p>To be qualified as reasonable accommodation required under the law, it must be connected to the disability (or another protected ground), improve equality of treatment and access, and does not pose an undue burden to the service provider. A library may be legally required to accommodate the fact that some persons with disabilities are unable to pick up or return books on time, but it is not required to exempt disabled people from charges for losing library books since that is not connected to a disability. A accommodation must also be reasonable, the library could be required to have a collection  of books and media in alternative format, but is unlikely to be required to provide a personal assistant to read a book to a blind person.</p>
