Accessibility Plan 2023-2025

CWB Financial Group (Inclusive of Canadian Western Bank and Canadian Western Trust)

This three-year accessibility plan is CWB’s continuation of our journey to achieve the Accessible Canada Act goal of a Canada without barriers by 2040. It sets out how we will continue to identify, remove and prevent barriers for persons with disabilities.

Glossary

Barrier: Anything that might prevent people with disabilities from fully and equally participating in society. Barriers can be based on attitudes, architecture, technology, information communication or the result of a policy or procedure.
Accessibility: The design of products, devices, services, environments, technologies, policies and rules to allow all people, including those with a variety of disabilities, to access and use them as independently as they wish.
Disability: An impairment, or difference in physical, mental, intellectual, cognitive, learning or communication ability. Disabilities can be permanent or temporary and may change over time.

Alternative Formats: You can request alternative formats of this accessibility plan, or the description of the feedback process, by contacting us from this accessibility page: cwb.com/en/about-us/accessibility.
We will provide alternative formats within these timelines:

Print: 15 days
Large print (larger text): 15 days
Electronic format that is compatible with adaptive technology to assist persons with disabilities: 15 days
Braille: 45 days
Audio (a recording of someone reading the text aloud): 45 days

Contact Information and Feedback Process

Contact: Accessibility officer.
Online: Feedback form on this accessibility page cwb.com/en/about-us/accessibility.
Email: [email protected].
By mail: The Accessibility Office, Suite 3000, 10303 Jasper Avenue Edmonton, Alberta T5J 3X6.
Social media: LinkedIn, Facebook , Twitter or Instagram.
Phone: 780-423-8888 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., MST, Monday to Friday excluding statutory holidays.

Introduction

Headquartered in Edmonton, Alberta, CWB Financial Group (inclusive of our federally regulated entities Canadian Western Bank and Canadian Western Trust), is a diversified financial services organization that provides specialized service across Canada in business and personal banking, equipment financing, trust services and wealth management.

For decades, CWB set itself apart by connecting with clients on a personal level; by being in the relationship business, not just the banking business. In recent years, the seemingly intangible qualities that made CWB extraordinary – caring, relationship building, fostering trust, anticipating our clients’ needs – have been captured in values that celebrate what’s inherent in our DNA. These values are our north star, and we’ve enriched our culture through transformative change by always practicing values-based leadership.

At CWB, we are focused on proactively finding ways to help all our clients succeed, and all of our employees thrive. The federal Accessible Canada Act envisions a Canada that is barrier free by 2040. This accessibility plan provides our three-year roadmap to continue moving toward that goal, with an updated plan to be published every three years.
CWB is committed to treating all people, including our clients, employees and applicants in a way that allows them to maintain their independence and dignity.
CWB is also committed to being an equitable employer and providing an inclusive environment for a diverse workforce, including but not limited to women, persons with visible and invisible disabilities, Indigenous persons, racialized persons, and individuals who identify as LBGTQ2S+.

We believe that inclusion has power. It is one of our core values.

We know that diverse teams unleash innovative ideas and perspectives to support everyone, and this accessibility plan forms a key part of our commitment.

Developing the CWB Accessibility Plan

Building on our strengths
CWB is proud of the steps we have taken to date to support accessibility. The goals of our accessibility program include:

Providing accessible customer service through online, telephone and in-person communication channels
Providing accessible (barrier free) buildings and spaces as required by accessibility legislation and local building codes
Supporting employees with disabilities to reduce or eliminate barriers they may have in the workplace
Treating customers and employees who have disabilities with equality and dignity in ways that support their independence

Over the period 2019-2022, we have accomplished many important milestones in pursuit of these goals. They include accessibility-focused enhancements to employee training, communication formats and supports, feedback processes, website and web content development, design of our public spaces as well as our employment practices.

Our continued focus on accessibility, removing barriers, and enhancing the employee experience with positive improvements has most recently included:

Introducing a role-specific accessibility training program
Enhancing our public website to be compliant with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0
Enhancing the enterprise accessibility feedback process
Revising and re-launching a toolkit for people leaders to support managing employees with disabilities
Introducing a technology solution that allows for live transcription of internal meetings to support those with hearing issues
Enhancing the support and linkage between the CWB Accessibility Officer team and a new CWB Employee Represented Group for employees who are disabled (Visible and Invisible Disabilities Advocates, or VIDA)
Creating a digital accessibility strategy
Developing guidelines for accessible printed materials
Exploring new ways to support clients with disabilities

Developing Our Next Steps

To develop this new accessibility plan, CWB obtained feedback from internal and external stakeholders by distributing two online surveys to:

Clients and general public
Employees
Internal stakeholders received the results from both surveys to help them identify targeted action items for this accessibility plan.

Consultations

Survey Consultations
To ensure quality survey results, CWB engaged a third-party market research firm having specific relevant industry experience in developing and analyzing accessibility surveys.

Clients and General Public Survey
CWB distributed the anonymous online survey to:

A selection of business and personal banking clients (approximately 16 per cent of CWB’s client base)
Disability organizations that operate in the communities where CWB does business
General populations in Ontario and Western Canada near CWB banking centres (consisting of individuals who identify as living with a disability, or who represent someone who is living with a disability)

Of the 1,200 surveys received, approximately 66 per cent of respondents said they are living with a disability or support a person living with a disability.

Employee Survey
All employees received the anonymous, online survey. Of the 410 surveys received, approximately 45 per cent of respondents said that they are living with a disability or provide banking services to clients with disabilities.

Employee Involvement in the Process
Members of VIDA (Visible and Invisible Disability Advocates), a CWB Employee Represented Group, reviewed the general survey and provided input to its design.

VIDA members, CWB employees with disabilities, and multiple CWB team members in various areas then provided their feedback and ideas, based on the survey feedback, to form the basis of this accessibility plan.

Areas Described Under Section 5 of the ACA

CWB’s accessibility plan is a three-year plan (2023 to 2025) that proposes actions to build on our progress across seven priority areas: employment; built environment; Information and Communication Technologies (ICT); communication other than ICT; procurement of goods, services and facilities; and design and delivery of programs and services.