Accessible Canada Act (S.C. 2019, c. 10)

Marginal note:Power to enter

• 73 (1) Subject to subsection (7), the Accessibility Commissioner may, for a purpose related to verifying compliance or preventing non-compliance with any of sections 47 to 49, 56 to 58, 65 to 67 and 69 to 71 or any provision of regulations made under subsection 117(1), enter any place, including a conveyance, in which he or she has reasonable grounds to believe there is any record, report, electronic data or other document, or any information or thing, relevant to that purpose.

• Marginal note:Other powers

  (2) The Accessibility Commissioner may, for that purpose,

  • (a) open and examine any receptacle or package found in the place;

  • (b) examine anything found in the place;

  • (c) examine any record, report, electronic data or other document that is found in the place and make copies of it or take extracts from it;

  • (d) use or cause to be used any computer system at the place to examine any electronic data referred to in paragraph (c);

  • (e) reproduce any document from any electronic data referred to in paragraph (c), or cause it to be reproduced, in the form of a printout or other output;

  • (f) take the record, report or other document referred to in paragraph (c) or the printout or other output referred to in paragraph (e) for examination or copying;

  • (g) use or cause to be used any copying equipment at the place to make copies of any document;

  • (h) take photographs and make recordings and sketches;

  • (i) order the owner or person having possession of any thing to which any provision of regulations made under subsection 117(1) applies that is found in that place to move it or, for any time that may be necessary, not to move it or to restrict its movement;

  • (j) order the owner or person having possession of any conveyance that is found in the place to stop the conveyance, to move it or, for any time that may be necessary, not to move it or to restrict its movement;

  • (k) order any person in that place to establish their identity to the Accessibility Commissioner’s satisfaction, or to the satisfaction of the Accessibility Commissioner’s delegate, as the case may be; and

  • (l) order a person in that place to start any activity that is necessary for the purpose of the inspection or to stop any activity that impedes the inspection.

• Marginal note:Means of telecommunication

  (3) For the purposes of subsection (1), the Accessibility Commissioner is considered to have entered a place when accessing it remotely by a means of telecommunication.

• Marginal note:Limitation — place not accessible to the public

  (4) The Accessibility Commissioner who, by a means of telecommunication, accesses remotely a place that is not accessible to the public must do so with the knowledge of the owner or person in charge of the place and must be remotely in the place for no longer than the period necessary for the purpose referred to in subsection (1).

• Marginal note:Accompanying individual

  (5) The Accessibility Commissioner may be accompanied by any other individual the Accessibility Commissioner believes is necessary to help him or her exercise his or her powers or perform his or her duties or functions under this section.

• Marginal note:Entering private property

  (6) The Accessibility Commissioner and any individual accompanying him or her may enter and pass through private property, other than a dwelling-house on that property, in order to gain entry to a place referred to in subsection (1). For greater certainty, they are not liable for doing so.

• Marginal note:Consent required to enter dwelling-house

  (7) In the case of a dwelling-house, the Accessibility Commissioner may enter it only with the consent of an occupant.

• Marginal note:Assistance

  (8) The owner or other person in charge of a place entered by the Accessibility Commissioner or his or her delegate under subsection (1) and every individual found in the place must give the Accessibility Commissioner or the delegate, as the case may be, all reasonable assistance in the individual’s power and provide the Accessibility Commissioner or delegate with any information that the Accessibility Commissioner or delegate may reasonably require.