Accessibility
Accessibility Statement
At Haventree Bank we value and prioritize the dignity and independence of people with disabilities. Our commitment to accessibility and inclusivity for persons with disabilities aligns with the principles outlined in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
This Accessibility Plan outlines the measures we have taken and will continue to take to ensure accessibility and meet the needs and requirements of individuals with disabilities through our customer service and employment practices.
All policies and procedures at Haventree Bank have been developed to promote the respect, dignity, and independence of all individuals, including people with disabilities. Should anyone encounter a policy or procedure that impedes these principles, they will be reviewed, modified, or removed.
Message from the CEO
On behalf of Haventree Bank, I want to emphasize the importance of accessibility in our organization. As a bank, we are committed to creating an environment that welcomes and respects all individuals, including those with disabilities.
We recognize that accessibility is not only a legal requirement, but also a moral and ethical imperative. We believe everyone deserves equal access to our products, services, and facilities, regardless of their physical or mental abilities.
To achieve this goal, we are actively taking steps to identify and address any accessibility barriers in our organization. This includes conducting accessibility assessments, implementing policy changes, upgrading technology, making physical modifications, and providing employee training on accessibility issues.
However, we recognize that there is still much work to be done. We must continue to prioritize accessibility and ensure that it is fully integrated into our organizational culture, policies and practices.
I urge all employees and clients to join us in embracing accessibility as a core value and working together to identify and address accessibility barriers in all aspects of our day-to-day lives. By doing so, we can create a more inclusive and accessible workplace that promotes equal opportunity and respect for all.
Consultations
Haventree Bank is committed to taking steps to initiate formal consultations by conducting surveys and focus groups within the next six months. While the bank has not received any complaints regarding its handling of situations involving individuals with disabilities, we recognize the potential existence of barriers that require our attention and commitment to resolution. Moreover, the bank will proactively conduct accessibility assessments, research best practices, and provide employee training on accessibility issues. As part of informal efforts, the bank has encouraged employees with disabilities to come forward and share their experiences and recommendations to enhance their overall experience at the Bank.
General
The Accessible Canada Act and the Accessible Canada Regulations require federally regulated entities to prepare and publish an accessibility plan.
With approximately 200 experienced employees, Haventree Bank is a private Canadian Schedule 1 bank specializing in alternative mortgage programs and insured GIC deposits. We help hardworking Canadians from coast-to-coast achieve homeownership by offering flexible mortgage solutions. Our insured GIC deposits offer competitive rates and are available through a variety of wealth management platforms.
At Haventree Bank, we have been working diligently to ensure accessibility within our workplace, recognizing the importance of creating an inclusive environment for all employees. Some of the steps that have been taken include:
- We have ensured that all hiring practices and accommodation requests have been taken with accessibility in mind.
- Haventree Bank has invested in technology upgrades that provide employees with disabilities access to captioned chats, speech recognition software and alternative input devices.
- Our website and customer/broker portals comply with the Standard on Web Accessibility, which requires WCAG 2.1, ensuring that our sites are navigable using screen readers and accommodate users with visual, cognitive, and physical disabilities.
- All our offices have been designed to be accessible, with wide doorways, automatic door openers, and an available accessible restroom facility.
Haventree Bank will continue to enhance accessibility by conducting assessments to identify additional areas that may present accessibility barriers. Additionally, we will review all policies and technologies to explore new ways to provide accessibility.
Receiving feedback on accessibility is crucial for creating an inclusive and equitable environment for all individuals. This feedback allows us to identify opportunities to accommodate the needs of people with disabilities and make the necessary improvements to enhance their experience. It can also give us a better understanding of the diverse needs and perspectives of our clients and employees, which can ultimately lead to better service and experiences for everyone. Therefore, we actively seek feedback on accessibility and approach it with an open mind, a willingness to learn, and a commitment to take action.
The Chief Human Resources Officer is responsible for receiving feedback on behalf of Haventree Bank. This feedback can be sent via email, mail or telephone:
Email:
accessibility@haventreebank.comAddress: Accessibility Feedback, Haventree Bank, P.O. Box 1160 STN TD, Toronto, ON M5K 1P2
Toll-free:
1.855.272.0051Clients and employees who wish to provide feedback on how Haventree Bank provides information, communications, or access to services for people with disabilities can:
- Phone, email or mail the Chief Human Resources Officer.
- Direct Haventree Bank in providing the individual with the most effective and reasonable method of communication to accommodate their needs and requirements in order to address their questions, concerns, feedback, or complaint.
All feedback will be acknowledged and reviewed, and we will take appropriate actions to improve the Bank’s policies, practices, and procedures while respecting personal privacy.
For our latest accessibility report please
click here. This feedback, as well as a request for a copy of the Bank’s accessibility plan, progress report, can be sent via email, mail, or telephone.
Complaints will be addressed promptly and efficiently. Haventree Bank will provide feedback and responses in a format that is accessible to the complainant. The feedback process includes an evaluation of how individuals with disabilities are accommodated, including the actions to be taken by Haventree Bank when receiving a complaint.
Areas Described Under Section 5 of the Accessible Canada Act (Act)
Our mission for accessibility in the workplace is to ensure equal employment opportunities and foster a fully inclusive and accessible environment. We are committed to cultivating a work environment that promotes diversity, inclusion and equity for all employees, regardless of their physical or mental abilities.
Employees with disabilities, or living with individuals with disabilities, have been invited to provide input into defining barriers that exist. By combining their feedback and the self-identified concerns, we have identified the following barriers:
- Training
There are identified opportunities to incorporate accessibility training into our onboarding and ongoing training. By increasing the level of awareness of our employees about the challenges individuals with disabilities may face, we can improve the experience of both our employees and clients. Haventree Bank promotes an inclusive and welcoming environment, and we are developing training programs to increase the awareness and understanding of individuals with disabilities or the barriers they may face.
We will continue to consult with our employees to develop our approach to addressing barriers in the workplace and to identify areas of improvement.
Haventree Bank wants to ensure that all employees, including those with disabilities, can easily access our offices without any barriers. While clients do not currently use our offices, we remain committed to providing an accessible environment within our workplace.
- Office Design
Both our Toronto and Calgary offices have been designed with accessibility in mind, including the installation of physical access door openers, barrier-free corridors, and the availability of an accessible washroom in the Toronto office. We will work with the Calgary office to ensure that a plan is available for access to an accessible washroom in the building. All future office designs will maintain or exceed these accessibility standards.
By leveraging information and communication technology we can provide our employees and clients, including those with disabilities, with tools to enhance their capacity and efficiency.
We will continue to ensure that accessibility is a key component of any future technology and work with our current providers to improve the technology we currently use.
Employees and clients must be able to engage and communicate with all departments at the bank in a method that best suits their individual needs, in a language and format they can easily use and understand.
We will continue to consult with our clients and employees to ensure our understanding of these needs and to allow us to implement solutions that will improve their ability to communicate. We are developing a list of identified sources that can provide materials and alternative methods other than written documentation.
Additionally, we continue to focus on utilizing plain language in all our written documents.
Haventree Bank will work to ensure that accessibility capabilities are a requirement when evaluating any goods, services, or facilities from a third party.
Haventree Bank understands that people with disabilities have unique requirements when it comes to their user experience. We will continue to focus on designing, developing, and delivering our products and services with this in mind.
To ensure we meet these objectives, we will work with employees and clients to identify these needs. Disclosing disabilities in the workplace is a voluntary choice for our employees and for our clients. Therefore, we will continue to look for alternative ways to identify these needs, enabling us to recognize barriers and implement solutions that enhance the experience for people with disabilities.
This section is not applicable.