Progress report on accessibility
Loyal Express Group
At the Loyal Express Group, we are committed to making our organization and the services we provide accessible to everyone, including people with disabilities. All Canadians have the right to benefit equally from our services and those who work with us have the right to carry out their jobs without barriers.
Loyal Express Group aims to continue its progress in accessibility and to invest fully to improve its practices, by:
This report reflects the steps taken to increase accessibility at the Loyal Express Group for its staff.
The Loyal Express Group is committed to building a culture of inclusiveness and accessibility. Not only is this part of our corporate culture but opening access to all is imperative to our continued growth and competitiveness as an employer in the road transport sector. We will contribute to a barrier-free Canada for all by building an accessibility framework that supports employees and the public we serve to have the best possible experience with our services and facilities.
We know that creating a barrier-free environment takes time and we are dedicated to the ongoing identification, removal and prevention of barriers. The Loyal Express Group will build on our current efforts with our first Accessibility Plan as required by the Canadian Accessibility Act. Our Accessibility Plan and our progress reports will guide our organization in achieving our accessibility commitments and building a confident accessibility culture.
The Loyal Express Group published its first Accessibility Plan in July 2024 in accordance with the Canadian Accessibility Act and its regulations.
When the Accessibility Plan was published, the Loyal Express Group committed to accessibility and to making it a priority. This progress report provides an update on the progress made and describes the dialogue that the Loyal Express Group is maintaining with people with disabilities, in order to continue to take into account their experiences and needs when interacting with us.
This progress report sets out the Loyal Express Group’s vision and the measures it plans to take to improve accessibility in its policies and workplace. The report demonstrates how Loyal Express Group is implementing the plan’s activities, which cover seven priority areas set out in the Canadian Accessibility Act.
The Loyal Express Group continues to make significant progress on its commitments. The Loyal Express Group is also committed to adapting its plan based on the evolving experience and feedback of people with disabilities.
The Loyal Express Group strives to have a workforce that reflects the diversity of people with disabilities in Canada and to create an inclusive workplace. In doing so, it recognizes that barriers to accessibility persist in the workplace. The Loyal Express Group aims to better understand accessibility issues, all types of disabilities and the challenges faced by employees with disabilities in the workplace.
The Consultations and Feedback sections present the comments received, enabling the Loyal Express Group to assess its progress and improve its action plan.
Loyal Express Group’s employees must be able to do their jobs without barriers. The Accessibility Plan and feedback process represent the Loyal Express Group’s commitment to recognizing barriers and taking concrete steps to eliminate them.
When the Accessibility Plan was published, the Loyal Express Group committed to promoting accessibility and making it a priority. This progress report takes stock of the progress made since the initial publication of the plan (the last 12 months: from July 2024 to July 2025) and demonstrates the progress made by the Loyal Express Group in the 7 areas listed in its accessibility plan.
The Loyal Express Group’s objective is to eliminate barriers and will make the necessary changes to avoid the appearance of new barriers. Loyal Express Group employees with disabilities will be able to participate fully and equally in an inclusive and barrier-free environment. Everyone will be able to fulfil their potential and have a sense of belonging.
This progress report assesses each objective set out in the accessibility plan and provides an update on each one. A consultation was also carried out with employees, including those with disabilities and/or who have close links with people with disabilities, to validate progress and, where necessary, make improvements to the plan.
For the Loyal Express Group to be fully accessible, accessibility must be part of everything it does. The entire organization must make it a mission.
About Loyal Express
The Loyal Express Group is the transportation and warehousing solution. Our team of dedicated and passionate professionals continually work together with their best efforts to meet the unique transportation, distribution and warehousing needs of our valued customers.
At the Loyal Express Group, it is the strength of our people that set us apart from the competition. Our team of enthusiastic professionals consistently deliver quality results in the most efficient manner. You can trust our dedicated team to positively promote your company’s image.
We embrace innovation while promoting a dynamic environment to inspire our team to evolve and grow within our organization.
We strive to consistently exceed our customer’s expectations. Our dedicated fleet is equipped to manage all of our customer’s specialized freight and shipping requirements. From dry and reefer to flatbed and bulk product equipment requirements, we deliver the best solutions to meet our customer’s diverse and ever-changing needs.
The federally regulated portion of the Loyal Express Group is made up of our truck driver-only transportation divisions. To be authorized to drive commercial vehicles, drivers must be eligible to receive specific driving licenses in accordance with the rules established by the SAAQ. Our federal divisions under the Accessibility Act are Loyal Express Transport, Transport F. Lussier Inc, Transport & Entreposage Paradis, Zac-Tranz Transport and Loyal Express Global Logistics Inc. All of our office, warehouse and garage staff are part of our provincially regulated divisions.
About accessibility
The Canadian Accessibility Act came into force on July 11, 2019. Its goal is to create a barrier-free Canada by 2040. Under the Act, federally regulated businesses, including transportation companies, must identify, remove and prevent barriers to accessibility in Canada.
In accordance with this law, Loyal Express Group:
Our commitment to improving our accessibility practices is reflected in this progress report. It sets out the measures we are taking to progressively eliminate barriers by focusing on the following seven areas:
Contact us
The Loyal Express Group welcomes feedback on our Accessibility Plan and progress reports from the public, employees and our stakeholders. We value this feedback as it helps us to remove barriers to accessibility and reinforce our commitment to accessibility and inclusion.
If you have a question or comment, please use the contact methods below. We will respond to all comments in a timely manner. If you require assistance in providing feedback, please let us know and we will do our best to accommodate your needs.
Tanya Mitchell, HR Director
Human Resources Department
514.636.4672
hr@loyalexpress.com
https://groupeloyalexpress.com
To obtain the accessibility plan or report and the description of the feedback process in another format, such as large print, braille or audio, please contact us at hr@loyalexpress.com.
Your comments and suggestions may be made anonymously. For all feedback received, other than that submitted anonymously, an acknowledgement of receipt will be sent to you, via the same communication channel you used to give us your feedback, within a reasonable period of time.
In this section, the Loyal Express Group explains how it is working towards its goal of becoming a barrier-free organization by 2040. The Loyal Express Group provides details on how it is removing barriers in the priority areas set out in the Canadian Accessibility Act.
The Loyal Express Group also provides an update on each of the activities in the three-year Accessibility Plan. Some of these activities will be completed by the end of 2025, while others will continue into 2026. Some initiatives are ongoing and are now part of day-to-day work. All activities are carried out jointly to achieve the vision and desired results. Just as people with disabilities may experience changes in their situation, removing barriers is also a constant improvement effort that will continue over the years.
The “employment” area ensures that candidates and employees with disabilities and those who experience barriers are supported throughout the entire employment lifecycle.
Barrier #1: There is a need to expand our understanding of the range and variety of accommodation options available to persons with disabilities.
Actions:
Progress to date
Commitments by July 2026:
Barrier #2: Our organization continues to experience competition for employees and is currently not attracting a high volume of qualified candidates from underrepresented populations such as persons with disabilities.
Actions:
Progress to date
Commitments by July 2026:
Barrier #3: Improve awareness opportunities for candidates to request reasonable accommodations during the recruitment process.
Actions:
Progress to date
Commitments by July 2026 :
We are committed to creating an inclusive, barrier-free workplace right from the selection process. If you require accommodation at any stage of the assessment process, please contact Human Resources at rh@loyalexpress.com. All information received will be treated as confidential.
The “built environment” area ensures that workspaces and the work environment are accessible for all.
The Loyal Express Group is highly regulated under an agreement with C-TPAT (Customs Trade Partnership Against Terrorism) and does not allow free entry at any of our locations. All visitors are escorted around our buildings by one of our team members inside of Loyal Express Group’s locations. Should a visitor have a mobility impairment, our team members will assist them, while on the premisses of the Loyal Express Group.
Although, the Loyal Express Group’s buildings are provincially regulated and are not in the scope of this plan, we will conduct a built environment audit to assess all physical barriers that may be present and require correction.
Progress to date
The Health & Safety committee will be adding a section on accessibility-related risks to facility inspection forms. This means that members of the Health and Safety Committee, when inspecting workspaces, will also pay particular attention to possible risks for people with disabilities, with a view to eliminating barriers by July 2026.
“Information and communication technologies” are various technological tools used to send, store, create, share, or exchange information.
Barrier #4: Accessibility technology.
Actions:
Progress to date
No progress to report on this objective. It will be reviewed, analyzed and completed by July 2027. However, IT department employees are available to provide specific support to employees if required.
Commitments by July 2026 :
Barrier #5: Tools and software accessibility capabilities.
Actions:
Progress to date
No progress to report on this objective. It will be reviewed, analyzed and completed by July 2026.
Barrier #6: Meaningful participation for attendees in meetings.
Actions:
Progress to date
The Loyal Express Group wants to extend this objective, i.e. to ensure that accessibility features are activated on all meeting platforms at the Loyal Express Group and not limit them to in-house training.
The Loyal Express Group has also launched Microsoft Teams for all its employees who have access to an office workstation. This includes the option of subtitling.
The Loyal Express Group will produce guides and best practices for accessible and inclusive meetings by July 2026.
The Loyal Express Group has begun migrating to Microsoft Office 365. This model makes the Loyal Express Group’s working environment more inclusive thanks to its many accessibility features.
This area requires that organizations provide barrier free access for the public, clients, and employees to all the communications that the Loyal Express Group produces for this audience.
Barrier #7: Alternate formats of communication.
Actions:
Progress to date
No progress to report on this objective. It will be reviewed, analyzed and completed by July 2026.
The federally regulated divisions of the Loyal Express Group do not coordinate any procurement of goods, services, and facilities. This means that standards for procurement of goods, services, and facilities are not in the scope of this plan.
Progress to date
No progress to report on this objective.
When designing and delivering the Loyal Express Group’s internal and external programs and services, accessibility considerations must be part of the process right from the very start.
Barrier #8: Programs, processes and services accessibility.
Actions:
Progress to date
No progress to report on this objective. It will be reviewed, analyzed and completed by July 2026.
The Loyal Express Group does not coordinate a transportation system, or a fleet of transportation vehicles as defined in the Accessible Canada Act. This means that standards for transportation are not in the scope of this plan.
Progress to date
No progress to report on this objective.
The contribution of people with disabilities is essential to improving accessibility practices at the Loyal Express Group. For this reason, we listen to all our employees and adapt our various initiatives to their needs.
To prepare this report, a survey was conducted to obtain feedback on their experience within the company. All comments were considered and contributed to the creation of this report.
The findings remain mostly the same as last year. The most frequently mentioned obstacles are the need for awareness and knowledge on the subject of disability and accessibility. Better and more regular communication about what is available at Loyal Express Group could help many people.
Survey results:
Suggestions made by an external organization:
Loyal Express Group reviews the feedback received and uses it to develop future accessibility plans and brings serious recurring problems to the attention of the Loyal Express Group’s senior management.
In 2025-2026, we will continue our efforts to consult the people who work for the Loyal Express Group, as well as external organizations, in order to continue our progress on accessibility. Aware that people experiencing accessibility issues are in the best position to explain them to us, the Loyal Express Group is committed to continuing to consult people with disabilities in order to better meet their needs.
Since the publication of our Accessibility Plan, we have received only a few comments on Loyal Express Group’s accessibility measures. As a result, Loyal Express Group plans to further encourage its employees to submit their feedback.
The lack of comments received reminded us of the need to continue to monitor our progress and improve the way we involve people with disabilities in these improvements.
The Loyal Express Group is aware that the feedback process should be optimized. The company will therefore optimize the main internal feedback tools and promote their use to make it easier to obtain continuous feedback for better reporting in future progress reports. A communications campaign will be run to raise awareness of basic accessibility concepts and the feedback channels available for raising an issue with people employed by the Loyal Express Group.
The Loyal Express Group is committed to making the organization inclusive and accessible to all. Progress has been made over the past 12 months. More is underway to improve our policies, programs, and work environment. The Loyal Express Group will continue to learn and find ways to improve.
The Loyal Express Group is committed to consulting with employees, customers, stakeholders and the public to identify and remove barriers to accessibility, and to prevent new barriers from being created. The Loyal Express Group understands the importance of ongoing consultation with employees, stakeholders and the public to identify, remove and prevent barriers to accessibility in order to continue its commitment to accessibility.
Accessibility
Refers to the needs of persons with disabilities being intentionally and thoughtfully considered when products, services and facilities are built or modified so they can be used and enjoyed by persons of all abilities.
Barrier
The Accessible Canada Act defines a barrier as “anything—including anything physical, architectural, technological or attitudinal, anything that is based on information or communications or anything that is the result of a policy or a practice—that hinders the full and equal participation in society of persons with an impairment, including a physical, mental, intellectual, cognitive, learning, communication or sensory impairment or a functional limitation.”
Disability
The Accessible Canada Act defines a disability as “any impairment, including a physical, mental, intellectual, cognitive, learning, communication or sensory impairment—or a functional limitation— whether permanent, temporary or episodic in nature, or evident or not, that, interaction with a barrier, hinders a person’s full and equal participation in society.”