PlanetHoster's 2024 Accessibility Plan Progress Report

Submitted to:

MM. Mina Shenouda and Normand Lemay

By Louis Roy, senior technical writer

May 29, 2025

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Overview

This Accessibility Progress Report applies to PlanetHoster and has been prepared in accordance with the requirements of the Accessible Canada Act (ACA) (S.C. 2019, c. 10) and its regulations.

Principles

In preparing the accessibility plan, PlanetHoster was guided by the following principles set out in Section 6 of the Accessible Canada Act:

1. all people must be treated with dignity, regardless of their impairment;
2. all people must have the same opportunity to lead the life they can and wish to lead, regardless of their impairment;
3. all people must have barrier-free access to full and equal participation in society, regardless of their impairment;
4. all people must have meaningful options and be free to make their own choices, with support if they wish, regardless of their impairment;
5. laws, policies, programs, services and structures must take into account people's impairments, the different ways in which people interact with their environment, and the multiple and intersecting forms of marginalization and discrimination that people face;
6. people with impairments must be involved in the development and design of laws, policies, programs, services and structures; and
7. the development and revision of accessibility standards and the establishment of regulations must aim to achieve the highest level of accessibility for people with impairments.

Please visit https://www.planethoster.ca/en/plan-accessibilite, where our accessibility plan is posted.

Feedback Process

PlanetHoster has a process for receiving and responding to feedback, including any feedback on how services are provided to people with disabilities.

Our accessibility plan, progress report and a description of our accessibility feedback process are available in print, large print, electronic or other agreed formats.

Our feedback process allows the public to comment on the development of PlanetHoster's initial accessibility plan and any accessibility barriers they may have encountered when accessing PlanetHoster's website or ordering, installing or using PlanetHoster's services.

The feedback process includes the following:

• Comments can be provided by either of these methods:
  1. by telephone at [+1.514.802.1644];
  2. by completing the online form at https://www.planethoster.ca/fr/Contact; or
  3. by mail at 4416, rue Louis-B.-Mayer, Laval, QC H7P 0G1.
• Comments may be submitted anonymously.
• PlanetHoster will acknowledge receipt of any feedback received, unless it is anonymous.
• Alternative Formats - This description of PlanetHoster's feedback process may be available in print, large print, Braille, audio, and electronic formats compatible with adaptive technologies designed to assist persons with disabilities, or in any other format we may agree to provide. To obtain the feedback description, please send your request using one of the methods described in points 1 to 3 above.

For more information, please visit https://www.planethoster.ca/en/plan-accessibilite, where our feedback process is maintained.

The person who receives feedback on accessibility at PlanetHoster is the Senior Technical Writer (Louis Roy).

Management summary

Internal discussions between PlanetHoster's CEO and Senior Technical Writer have taken place for the initial accessibility plan. PlanetHoster will also consult with people with disabilities to prepare improved versions of this plan.

No feedback has been received from PlanetHoster employees or customers since the inception of the accessibility plan.

Progress in key areas

This progress report is aligned with the key areas outlined in our accessibility plan, and provides an update on the steps we have taken to date to move the accessibility agenda forward. It also includes additional learnings and challenges that we have recognized and intend to address over time as part of our ongoing, long-term efforts.

To ensure a balanced and focused approach in each key area, responsibilities for prioritizing, acting on and removing barriers to accessibility are divided between the project manager and the CEO. Their efforts are guided by employees and, where appropriate, focus groups, to ensure that we achieve our objectives.

This approach also provides more flexibility to consult with people with accessibility needs to get direct feedback on how we can improve in each key area. Focus groups include our employee resource group at PlanetHoster, our customer base and others who can provide information about their positive and negative accessibility experiences with many different companies, including PlanetHoster.

As our plan is new, a continuous improvement approach is adopted.

Employment

PlanetHoster may currently employ people with disabilities. If this is the case, the company will take care not to create barriers to accessibility and will strive to remove any existing barriers.

Here is an overview of the immediate steps we have taken and the short-term progress we have made:

• A survey of employees to ascertain whether any have disabilities is planned.

The built environment

PlanetHoster's offices are located in a rented building. PlanetHoster also has access to data centers around the world. These infrastructures are not accessible to the public.

If disabled employees are hired, PlanetHoster will endeavor to remove any barriers to accessibility, provided that the proposed solutions comply with the limitations imposed by the building owners.

Here is an overview of the immediate steps we have taken and the short-term progress we have made:

• Not applicable at present.

Information and communications technology (ICT)

PlanetHoster provides web hosting services that are sold online at www.planethoster.ca. PlanetHoster ensures that its website contains no barriers to accessibility. To this end, PlanetHoster carries out regular automated and human audits of its website and mobile application to identify and remove barriers. In addition, PlanetHoster consults with the designer, who is an expert in website accessibility, to provide guidance to its software team, so that accessibility is integrated right from the design stage. PlanetHoster's efforts to improve accessibility are based on the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG). PlanetHoster will continue these efforts as the website and other platforms evolve.

Here is an overview of the immediate steps we have taken and the short-term progress we have made:

• Website redesign underway, taking ergonomic considerations into account.
• IT tools to standardize design.

Non-ICT communications

When PlanetHoster sends communications to its customers, they are sent in machine-readable format.

Here is an overview of the immediate steps we have taken and the short-term progress we have made:

• Not applicable at this time.

Procurement of goods, services and facilities

As described above, PlanetHoster's services are purchased online via www.planethoster.ca.

Here is an overview of the immediate measures we have taken and the short-term progress we have made:

• Not applicable at this time.

Design and delivery of programs and services

The design and delivery of PlanetHoster's programs and services comply with CRTC policies and regulations. Our website meets accessibility requirements and, upon request, visually impaired persons may request alternative formats for bill management and quality of service information. Those wishing to obtain alternative formats should complete the online form on our website [https://www.planethoster.ca/fr/Contact]. Please indicate “Accessibility Plan” in the subject line of the e-mail message or form.

Accessible customer support is provided in accordance with the following CRTC requirements:

• Customer service is accessible to the point of providing reasonable accommodation to persons with disabilities by:
  • training customer service representatives to handle requests from persons with disabilities and familiarizing them with PlanetHoster's products and services for persons with disabilities; and
  • making interactive voice response systems accessible.
• When customer service functions on websites are not accessible, people with disabilities do not incur costs or are not disadvantaged if they use another customer service channel to access these functions. PlanetHoster makes accessible all customer service functions that are available only on the website.
• Billing statements, billing inserts and information on rates and other terms of service must be provided in an alternative format to blind subscribers who request them.

Here is an overview of the immediate steps we have taken and the short-term progress we have made:

• Employees have been notified of the policies.

Transportation

PlanetHoster does not provide any services, internal or external, related to transportation.

Here is an overview of the immediate measures we have taken and the short-term progress we have made:

A contingency plan will be put in place to provide for the eventuality of one of our employees becoming disabled (accident, etc.), to avoid them losing their job.

Consultations

Since the development and publication of our accessibility plan, we have continued to learn a great deal about each of our priority areas through research.

We intend to consult directly with people with disabilities. These consultations will help us to recognize and understand the impact of the barriers they face. The following disabilities will be considered:

• Visual impairments. Some users have a visual impairment that prevents them from seeing clearly or perceiving color contrasts. This is particularly true of blind or color-blind users. For them, audio descriptions or accessible color combinations can be used.
• Hearing impairment. Users with hearing impairments may be deaf or have partial hearing loss. Captioning audio content can offer these users a more accessible experience.
• Physical disabilities. Some people have mobility problems that can affect their dexterity and ability to make precise movements, which can make using a mouse difficult. The website must be properly coded for assistive technology devices to provide accessible content for users with such physical impairments.
• Cognitive impairments. Some users may suffer from cognitive impairments such as dyslexia, dementia or auditory processing disorder. The use of a specific font may be considered. All audio content must be accompanied by a transcription for people with auditory processing disorders.
• Mental disabilities. Some employees and users may suffer from mental disorders. These mental deficiencies can cause cognitive impairments. Special policies to assist them at work must be put in place if their condition interferes with expectations.

Strategies:

• Ongoing engagement with our advisory committee at PlanetHoster to obtain feedback and suggestions on how we can improve accessibility in our recruitment and accommodation request processes, employment opportunities, products and services, and more. Those consulted will be asked to provide feedback on our accessibility plan and progress report.
• Organization of virtual consultation sessions and interviews with people with disabilities across the country, in partnership with a leading accessibility provider. This includes direct feedback on our products and services, customer service options, digital communications channels, built environments, hiring and employment practices, as well as general feedback. All comments will be forwarded directly to management.
• Participation in Canadian Telecommunications Association sessions to learn more about topics of interest to PlanetHoster.
• Consultations should reinforce the need to remove some of the barriers already identified, helping us to prioritize action. If new barriers are identified, we will take them into account as part of our organizational efforts to improve accessibility.

Comments

No feedback has yet been received from PlanetHoster's employees or customers since the implementation of the accessibility plan.

Settlement Conditions

As required by section 51(1) of the ACA, we will need to establish the precise applicable conditions and provisions. This will be done during 2026, in accordance with our plan.

Conclusion

The preparation of our accessibility plan will enable us to make significant progress in our ongoing commitment to improve the accessibility of products, services, employment practices, the built environment, ICT, procurement and non-ICT means of communication.

We are at the beginning of the project to implement the required practices. The preliminary project plan has been completed. When the project is completed, an ongoing program will be in place, in line with our accessibility plan, available at https://www.planethoster.ca/fr/plan-accessibilite.

Our next progress report will be published no later than May 31, 2026.

Appendices

Not applicable.