Accessibility

Learn how the City is advancing accessibility as a foundation for a more equitable and inclusive community.

The City is committed to making our community more accessible for everyone. We are working to ensure that all people, with a focus on those who experience disabilities, can fully participate in civic life and feel a strong sense of belonging.

In line with the Accessible British Columbia Act, we have developed an Accessibility Plan to guide our efforts. This plan is a tool to identify, remove, and prevent barriers in how people access City services, spaces, and opportunities to participate. Accessibility is also a key part of the City’s strategies for Mobility, Community Wellbeing, Economic Development, and Climate and the Environment. It is reflected in major plans like the Curb Access Plan, and is shaping the upcoming Community Engagement Strategic Framework, where accessibility has been identified as both a guiding and design principle.

The Official Community Plan (OCP) also includes accessibility-focused policies throughout, especially in the Transportation and Community Wellbeing sections. We know that improving accessibility takes time and ongoing effort. We are committed to learning along the way and welcome feedback as we continue building a more inclusive city together.

Our Accessibility Plan

The City's Accessibility Plan helps guide our work to find and remove barriers that can make it harder—or even prevent people with disabilities—from accessing city spaces, services, and programs. While the plan meets the requirements of the Accessible BC Act, it’s also grounded in the simple idea that accessibility helps everyone. Features like clear signs, step-free routes, and easy-to-understand communication make a difference for many people—older adults, families with strollers, newcomers, and anyone facing short-term health challenges.

Highlights from the plan include:

We’re Listening: We’re creating more ways for people to tell us about barriers they face—so we can make real improvements together.
Accessible Services: We’re working to make City services and information easier to access for everyone, including offering alternative formats when needed.
Inclusive Spaces: We’re committed to designing public spaces that are welcoming and usable for all people.
Continuous Learning: We’re supporting staff learning as an ongoing part of how we improve City services and make them more accessible for everyone.

View the full Accessibility Plan (PDF) and learn more about the City’s goal to build accessibility into everything we do, and work to make North Vancouver a fairer, more welcoming place for all.

Please see the different formats of the plan below. If you require a copy of our accessibility plan in an alternative format, please contact us at accessibility@cnv.org and we will be happy to provide it.

Share Your Feedback

We welcome your thoughts and experiences to help us improve accessibility in the City. If you face a barrier when using City services, visiting a facility, or taking part in civic life, please let us know. Your feedback will be reviewed by the City’s Accessibility Working Group, which looks at possible actions to remove or reduce the impact of identified barriers.

How to Provide Feedback

You can share your feedback in any of the following ways:

North Shore Accessibility Advisory Committee

Since 1991, the City has supported a joint Accessibility Committee on the North Shore. now called the North Shore Accessibility Advisory Committee (NS AAC), the group includes community volunteers from the City and the Districts of North and West Vancouver.

In line with the Accessible British Columbia Act, the committee is made up primarily of people with disabilities, along with individuals who support them or represent organizations that serve people with disabilities on the North Shore. Together, members offer lived and professional experience that helps shape more accessible municipal policies and services.

The committee supports its three municipal partners by:

Identifying barriers that impact people with disabilities in daily life and when accessing services
Advising on how to remove and prevent these barriers
Reviewing municipal plans and projects through an accessibility lens

This regional approach supports shared learning and helps improve accessibility for residents, staff, and visitors across the North Shore.

Through its work with the NS AAC, the City has made meaningful improvements—from enhanced crosswalks and curb designs to more accessible parking and transportation. The committee also guided the installation of an Induction Loop System at the John Braithwaite Community Centre, the first City facility with hearing assistance technology that transmits sound directly to compatible hearing aids.

Contact Us

For assistance with accessing this webpage or the City's Accessibility Plan:
Email: accessibility@cnv.org