Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA) - Notice of Service Disruption
It is the practice of Girl Guides of Canada, Ontario Council (GGCON) to provide notice of service disruptions when any facility or part of a facility is temporarily unavailable or is expected to be temporarily unavailable in the near future.
The objectives of this procedure are to:
- Outline how a notice of disruption will be communicated and what information must be included
- Describe the process of providing notice of an expected, planned service disruption
- Detail the process of providing notice of an unexpected, unplanned service disruption
Procedures:
Meeting Spaces
Responsibilities of the User Space Coordinator (Heather Novak)
When the User Space Coordinator has been informed directly of a disruption of service, she (or her designate):
- Will inform the Unit Contact Guider by e-mail or phone that there is a disruption in service, the nature of the disruption and its anticipated length so that they can in turn notify their parents.
Responsibilities of the Unit Guider
At the beginning of the Guiding year:
- Contact the meeting facility’s office staff (by phone or in person) before the first unit meeting to establish how you will be notified about a disruption of service and where notification will be posted.
- Provide the facility with emergency contact numbers for the leaders.
- Ask the facility for an emergency contact number in case problems arise during a unit meeting
- Develop a communication plan to inform parents/girls of disruption to service. Include how they can expect to learn of planned and unplanned service disruptions. (see Service Disruption Notice Communication)
- If informed of a disruption of service:
- Notify parents of service disruption as soon as possible.
If you meet in a school please note that weather related School Board closures are frequently reported on local radio and television stations and on school board websites.
Before visiting any facility on a Unit outing you should contact them directly to find out if there are any disruptions of service and inform parents as necessary.
If you need to post the details of a service disruption use the Notice of Service Disruption form (see Appendix) and include the following information:
Type of disruption
- Reason for disruption
- Anticipated duration of disruption
- Description of alternate facilities, if any
- Contact information
Disruptions affecting GGCON property - Notice of Temporary Disruption
A notice of temporary disruption will be placed on the door at all public entrances of GGCON premises. The notice may also be on the location voice messaging service.
A Notice of Disruption must include the following information:
- Type of disruption
- Reason for disruption
- Anticipated duration of disruption
- Description of alternate facilities, if any
- Contact information
Planned Service Disruptions
It is possible that from time to time there will be disruptions in service such as an elevator under repair, renovations that limit access to an area or technology that is temporarily unavailable. If the disruption in service is planned or expected GGCON will provide reasonable notice in advance as follows:
The staff designate is responsible in such circumstances for:
- Drafting appropriate communication to affected users
- Preparing the ‘Notice of Temporary Service Disruptions’
- Contacting the appropriate staff person to distribute the communication, include the information on the voice messaging service and post the notice
Unplanned Service Disruption
Camps
It is the duty of the Custodian, or equivalent, responsible for the facility to communicate any disruption of service to the Property Business Manager (or her designate) who will be responsible for:
- Providing appropriate communication to the Property Booking Administrator for distribution by e-mail and phone to affected users
- Preparing the ‘Notice of Temporary Service Disruption’ and designating an individual responsible for posting it at the site.
Office Space
The designated staff person from each location is responsible for contacting her Manager to communicate any unplanned disruption of service. Following the Manager’s directions, the staff person will communicate with others using or scheduled to use the facility, include the information on the voice messaging service, and post a ‘Notice of Temporary Service Disruption’ at the site.
APPENDIX
Service Disruption general communication to parents - Sample
From time to time, temporary service disruptions may be experienced at our meeting place due to reasons beyond our control or knowledge. In the event of a planned or unexpected disruption to services or facilities, Unit Leader Name on behalf of the Unit name will make reasonable effort to notify participants promptly, recognizing that in the case of unplanned temporary disruptions advance notice may not be possible. This clearly posted notice will include information about the reason for the disruption, its anticipated length of time, and a description of alternative facilities or services, if available.
The notice will be placed at ______ (location to be determined by the facility). The steps to be taken in connection with a temporary disruption of service will be available at the location.