The Town's website has implemented best practices to make the accessibility features available to the user agent. Included on this page is a summary of the website's accessibility, categorized in the same way as WCAG.
During the development of this website, the best practice was to make accessibility features the default where and when practical. For example, all graphic elements and user interfaces have been designed to meet or exceed the contrast requirements for Level AAA and the text size is by default 1.125 rem (approximately 18 px for the default settings of most browsers). WCAG considers text that is 18 point (~24 px) and larger or 14 point and bold or larger (~18.67 px) as "large text."
If you encounter a web page or section that of the Town's website that is does not seem to be in compliance with WCAG, please contact us. Comments about ways that the accessibility of the pages could be improved are always welcome.
Using & Understanding Accessibility Features
Recommended Audience: Anyone looking to access or support access of accessibility features and those who are interested in the accessible features available on this website.
This website's accessibility features can be accessed in ways that should be intuitive and familiar with others accessible websites. Some websites may provide alternative ways to access items, such as the skip navigation links, or different keys for browsing through tab interfaces.
This section provides an overview about where and how specific accessibility features can be accessed.
Skip Navigation Links
In addressing Success Criteria for Guideline 2.4, specifically 2.4.1: "a mechanism is available to bypass blocks of content that are repeated on multiple web units," the Town's website has a link to skip the navigation menu. This links is presented as one of the first items for both users browsing via keyboard and using the tab input and users who are browsing with a screen reader or other similar technologies.
Keyboard Navigation
All elements on this website that are meant to be interactive (e.g., links, buttons, etc.) can be actioned with a keyboard interface.
Tips for navigating the website with only a keyboard:
The tab key moves from one interactive element to the next in a logical order
The Shift + Tab keys will go back to the previous element
The left and right arrow keys can navigate through tabbed content.
A tabbed component, such as the Website & Documents tabs on the search page can be navigated with a keyboard using the left and right arrow keys
Sliders/Carousels
Sliders/carousels are website components that navigate through a list of items. This website uses both automatically timed sliders that progress from slide to slide with a set time and a static slider that needs a user input to progress to the next slide.
To meet the criteria for Guideline 2.2, users can progress through a timed slider at their own pace by pressing either the slider dots or the slider buttons that navigate to the previous/next slide. Users are able to press the buttons with a mouse or locate the slider buttons through the tab key on a keyboard.
Text Size
To meet Guideline 1.4.4, this website already uses larger than normal text at 1.125 rem (~18 px) and has been tested to ensure text can be zoomed up to 200 percent without loss of content or functionality.
The easiest way to scale the text size is to increase your browser's zoom. A keyboard shortcut for this is to press the Ctrl key and the "plus" symbol (+).
In addition, rem units are used for the text size. REM is the size of the root element. On this site, visitors can change their preferred font size in their browser settings and this will increase/decrease the text size throughout this website. While the font size has been tested to scale up to 200% to keep the visual layout, font sizes above this may break the visual layout.
The font size setting in Google Chrome. Changing the font size here will change the font size on this and other similarly set up websites.
Multiple Ways
This website has multiple ways that visitors can navigate its content:
Search: visitors can enter keywords into the search bar or on the search page
Navigation Menu: the navigation menu contains almost all of the main pages on the website
Sitemap: The sitemap contains the structure of the website with all of the main pages. Additionally, the sitemap contains a complete list of all the site's links.
Breadcrumbs: visitors can use the breadcrumbs at the top of pages to navigate through the structure of the website
Related pages: Where appropriate, some pages contain links in a sidebar to related pages or items.
Technical Documentation
Recommended Audience: visitors who are interested in the specific implementations of the accessibility features. Some technical knowledge may be required in reviewing this section.
Principle 1 – Perceivable
Information and user interface components must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive.
1.1 Text Alternatives
Text alternatives (alt attribute) have been provided for all non-text content that requires it.
1.2 Time-based Media
This guidelines is used for media such as audio/video-only, audio-video, or audio and/or video combined with interaction. Likely the only media on this website that meets this criteria may be embedded videos from a live event (such as a Council Meeting) that will have the option to display captions. Media on this website is linked or embedded from other websites.
1.3 Adaptable
This website uses semantic tags (Nav, Main, Section, Article, Aside, etc) to order the elements and text on its pages.
Content is nested within appropriate headings in hierarchical order.
1.4 Distinguishable
Text is mostly avoided in images. Where it is not, the text in the images it not required for interpreting the visual and is instead for decoration or to provide a similar aesthetic to the visual branding.
Links and components receive a visual indicator when they receive keyboard focus
Contrast on this website should meet or exceed the Contrast requirement for Level AAA (contrast ratio is at least 10:1)
Resizing text: user agents can use zoom on web page to magnify pages up to 200% while preserving general structure of the website's layout, font sizes where practical use the rem measurement to allow another method of controlling the size of the fonts on the page by the user
This website does not use background audio
Text line-height is specified to be 150%
Principle 2 – Operable
2.1 Keyboard Accessible
This website is keyboard accessible. To navigate through pages with a keyboard, press the Tab key; pressing the Shift and Tab key will go back to the previous focused element. When navigating tabbed content, the left and right keys will go to the next/previous tab.
2.2 Enough Time
On this website, sliders/carousels and an occasional modal on the home page are components that need consideration for this requirement. A user can change a slider/carousel on this website from being timed to manual by pressing the forward/back buttons. The modal on the homepage provides a timer when the modal will close. There is a link to more information or to view the notice where there is no time limit on the modal.
2.3 Seizures and Physical Reactions
This website does not use any components that should flash more than three times in any one second period and does not violate flash thresholds.
2.4 Navigable
A 'Skip to Content' link is available on all pages of this website that have the navigation menu/bar or other types of repeated content. The link is accessed as one of the first items when using keyboard navigation (the Tab key) or when using a screen reader
Multiple ways of accessing content are available, including: the navigation menu, the search, breadcrumbs, related content, and more.
Links have anchor text that use call to actions or are believed to be descriptive about where they will redirect users
2.5 Input Modalities
Everything on the site should be able to be operated with a single press.
Labels have been included where appropriate. For elements with no text label, the attributes aria-label or aria-labelledby have been applied.
Principle 3 – Understandable
3.1 Readable
Most text is left-justified on this website, except for some components or sections that may be centre aligned
Links can be determined by the font colour and the visual underline received on hover/focus
Lang attributes have been set on this website
Jargon and technical terms are defined where appropriate
3.2 Predictable
The navigation menu's items always occur in the same relative order in all of its instances on this website. Other repeating elements also follow this same logical.
Components on this website have been designed to be similar if they have related functionality
Components on this website should behave in consistent ways
3.3 Input assistance
Primarily relating to form fields, a required field or require format is identified by a tooltip to the user. Acceptable values and formats are provided either in the input label or subsequent description as appropriate.
Principle 4 – Robust
4.1.1 Parsing
This site uses technology that follows best practices for writing clean, semantic HTML and CSS code.
4.1.2 Name, Role, Value
Attributes have been added to elements to help with accessibility. All elements have attributes required for WCAG 2.0, Level AA as required in AODA. Further efforts have been made to achieve WCAG 2.0, Level AAA where feasible and the new criteria for all levels in WCAG 2.1 where feasible.
Items Not in Compliance
If you have discovered any component or content on this website that seems to be out of compliance with the WCAG 2.0 Level A or AA, please contact us. We would also love to hear from you if you have recommendations about new accessible features you would like to see on this site.
Resources
Screen Readers
Do you think you or someone you know might benefit from a screen reader? A lot of browsers have extensions that allow a screen reader to be installed. Here are some specific options:
NVDA: free, requires PCs running Windows 7 SP1 and later. There is an older version available for Windows Vista & XP.
iOS: VoiceOver is a built-in feature that can be enabled in the accessibility features
Android: TalkBack allows you to interact with touch and receive spoken feedback. It describes your actions, gives you feedback about your location, and even has a braille keyboard to enter 6-dot braille on your screen
WCAG
Learn more about WCAG and the different standards that are recommended or in development to help make the web more accessible.
Council Resolution: We will allocate the necessary resources to develop and implement a strategic energy management plan that will reduce our energy consumption and its related environmental impact.
Vision
We exercise stewardship in our use of finite energy resources to demonstrate leadership, optimize our delivery of services, and enhance the overall quality of life in our community.
Policy
We will incorporate energy efficiency into all areas of our activity including our organizational and human resources management procedures, procurement practices, financial management and investment decisions, and facility operations and maintenance.
Goals
To continuously improve the energy efficiency of our facilities and processes in order to reduce our operating costs, our energy consumption and the concomitant greenhouse gas emissions.
Overall Target
We will reduce our consumption of fuels and electricity in all municipal operations each year between now and 2020.
Objectives
To implement energy audits on all municipal facilities during the next five years;
To convert all lighting in town facilities, parking lots and street lighting to LED.
We need reliable, low-cost, sustainable energy sources delivering energy to the most efficient facilities and energy-consuming technology feasible.
Stakeholder Needs
Internal stakeholders (Council, CAO, staff) need to be able to clearly communicate the corporate commitment to energy efficiency, and to develop the skills and knowledge required to implement energy management practices and measures. External stakeholders (the Province, community citizens and groups) need the municipality to be accountable for energy performance and to minimize the energy component of the costs of municipal services.
Municipal Energy Situation
Our assessment of organizational capacity for energy management with respect to energy policy; organizational structure; employee awareness, skills and knowledge; energy information management; communications; and investment practices indicates the following: The Town of Mono has pursued many measures to improve the energy efficiency of municipal equipment. Some of these measures include: Interior and exterior lighting upgrades at the town offices and Monora Park Pavilion Proposal to Council for conversion to LED street lighting Approved FIT project for solar photovoltaic applications at Town facilities. As the understanding of corporate energy consumption improves, staff will be equipped with the knowledge necessary to make informed decisions. This improved understanding will also reveal how simple actions like commissioning and maintenance procedures can improve existing equipment efficiency.
How We Manage Energy Today
The management of energy consumption and the energy performance of our facilities and equipment are the responsibilities of: Finance (cost management), Works Department (maintenance), Department managers (operations), the CAO for leadership.
Summary of Current Energy Consumption, Cost and GHGs
Summaries of energy consumption and greenhouse gas may be found in appendices to this plan.
Trends in Energy Consumption
Our energy consumption decreased due to efficiency created by upgrading our buildings with spray foam insulation, high efficiency furnaces and LED lighting retrofits. This trend will continue with additional upgrades and retrofits.
Summary of Current Technical Practices
Our assessment of operations and maintenance practices, facility and equipment condition, and energy performance indicators establishes the following priorities:
Development of standard operating procedures incorporating energy efficiency optimization,
Enhancement of preventative maintenance procedures,
Continuation of our retrofit of lighting system in Mono Centre Community Centre in 2015
Implementation of the LED Street lighting conversion in 2014.
Renewable Energy Utilized or Planned
The Town of Mono aspires to show leadership in the promotion and development of renewable energy systems that are compatible with our asset management and land use planning objectives. As a result, we have applied for and received approval to develop a solar photovoltaic system on the rooftop of the municipal garage/shop building, subject to capacity of the adjoining street hydro system to take the resultant additional current. The town will consider possibilities for additional roof top installations on municipal buildings.
As an integral component of the management structure, the energy management plan is coordinated with the municipality's budget planning process, preventative maintenance plans, environmental management plan, and the overall asset management plan.
We will develop criteria for the design and/or acquisition of new buildings that include energy performance factors and that use as appropriate the principles embedded in performance standards such as LEED and the Model National Energy Code for Buildings.
Business Procedures
We will carry out a comprehensive review of all business processes and modify them as necessary in order to incorporate energy efficiency considerations.
We will carry out the required development of business procedures and communication programs and implement them methodically according to the planned timelines within the resources constraints that apply.
Asset Level
We use department and facility energy team representatives to facilitate the implementation of facility level business procedures and communication initiatives, including energy performance reporting.
Overall Target: We will reduce our overall municipal energy consumption (from all facilities and streetlights) by 5% from 2014 (based on baseline data) to 2019. The baseline was determined by averaging the annual consumption in ekWh for 2011 and 2012 for all facilities reported under Regulation 397/11 plus streetlights as they are such a significant energy consumer.
Green House Gas Emission
Governments at all levels are moving to address emissions of greenhouse gases (GHGs), in light of scientific evidence on how human activities are affecting the world's climate. For more information on the science, see the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change. The combustion of fossil fuels in buildings is a major source of GHG emissions that fall under local government influence. Municipalities can lower emissions by improving energy efficiency of buildings and using more renewable energy. The Town of Mono is committed to both objectives through the development and implementation of this Energy Conservation and Demand Management Plan (CDM). We will continue to track and report on GHGs as part of our regular reporting on energy consumption and will evaluate progress in this area against our overall reduction target.
Cost
Summary of Current Energy Consumption, Cost and GHGs: The current energy usage by building is detailed in Appendix A. Our energy usage is updated monthly in the Energy Planning Tool (EPT) and reported annually to the Ministry of Energy.
Energy Consumption: We will review and evaluate our energy plan, revising and updating it as necessary, on an annual basis as based on the Energy Consumption Reports that are submitted to the Ministry of Energy on an annual basis as required under Regulation 397/11.
The Mono Community Policing Committee is run by volunteers who live and/or work in the Town of Mono and meets bimonthly to allow for feedback from committee members, individual residents, and the OPP Community Policing Officer. The committee also operates the Neighbourhood Watch program.
Tax certificates show the amount of money owing against a property. If you are buying a new property you can order a certificate to be sure there are no outstanding amounts owing when you take ownership. Anyone can purchase a tax certificate by submitting a letter requesting a tax certificate, along with the fee payable to the Town of Mono.
You may email a scanned PDF letter request and cheque copy to cathy.crawford@townofmono.com. The original letter along with payment should be placed in the mail the same date as the request.
