Accessibility at Pelican

Our accessibility contact is Emile Roy-Foster, Director, Operations & Systems. Phone 613-526-5229. Email hello@pelicanseafood.ca. Mail: Pelican Seafood Market & Grill, 1500 Bank Street, Ottawa, Ontario K1H 7Z2.

We serve people with disabilities in a way that respects their dignity and independence, that is part of the same service everyone gets, and that gives everyone an equal chance to buy, use and enjoy what we offer. When we speak or write to you, we do it in a way that takes your disability into account.

- Assistive devices. You are welcome to use your own wheelchair, cane, walker, communication device or other assistive device in our Seafood Market and restaurant. If an item is out of reach or the aisles are tight, ask any team member and we will help. Both the Seafood Market and the restaurant have a step-free entrance, and we have a wheelchair-accessible washroom. Some of our restaurant tables suit a wheelchair better than others: mention it when you book, or tell the host when you arrive, and we will seat you at one.

- Service animals. Guide dogs and other service animals are welcome in every part of the Seafood Market and restaurant that the public can enter, unless the law excludes them. If a service animal is excluded by law from an area, we will find another way to serve you.

- Support persons. If you bring a support person, you can stay together at all times. We will not charge an admission or booking fee for your support person. This includes School of Fish classes: please let us know when you book so we can set a place for your support person.

- Temporary disruptions. If a service or facility that people with disabilities usually use is not available (for example, an accessible entrance, a lift or an online ordering tool), we will tell people on our website, by a sign at the Seafood Market door, or both. The notice will say why, how long it will last and what you can use instead.

We welcome your comments on how we serve people with disabilities, and on how well this feedback process works.

You can tell us by phone at 613-526-5229, by email at hello@pelicanseafood.ca, in person at the Seafood Market counter, by mail to the address above, or by using the message form on our Contact page. You do not need to give a reason or a disability, and you can give feedback in the way that works for you, including by voice, in large print or with someone speaking for you.

We will tell you we have received your feedback within 2 business days, and give you our answer within 10 business days. If your message is a complaint, we will tell you what we are going to do about it. If it can't be fixed quickly, we will tell you when you can expect an answer. Feedback is read by our Director, Operations & Systems.

If you would rather give feedback in another format or with a communication support (for example, a sign-language interpreter, a printed or large-print form, or a person to write your message down), ask and we will arrange it, at no extra cost.

On request, we give you any of our documents, and the information in them, in an accessible format or with a communication support, at no more than the regular price, and in a timely way that takes your needs into account. We will ask you which format or support suits you best.

At the restaurant or counter, we can read a menu or document to you, or help you open it on your phone. For other formats, such as large print or plain text, call 613-526-5229 or email hello@pelicanseafood.ca and we will provide them within 3 business days, at no cost.

We have written documents on each of the following. A copy is available on request, in an accessible format or with a communication support:

- our accessibility policies, including those for serving customers (this page);

- how we deal with service animals and support persons;

- what we do when a service is temporarily unavailable;

- our accessibility training policy and the content of the training;

- our feedback process;

- our multi-year accessibility plan, which is also on this page below.

Ask any team member at the Seafood Market counter, call 613-526-5229, or email hello@pelicanseafood.ca.

We aim to make our website, our online store (pickup orders, School of Fish classes and Lobster Dinner To Go) and our email receipts work for everyone. The AODA requires our public websites to meet the international guidelines called WCAG 2.0, Level AA, and we work to that standard.

What we have done and tested: in October 2026, automated testing of every page type on the website and of the store, class and dinner checkouts found no failures of those guidelines at the A and AA levels. We have also gone through the website and the checkout using only a keyboard, on desktop and phone-sized screens. The text is readable at high magnification, and the colour contrast meets the guidelines.

What we have not finished: automated testing finds only about a third of possible problems. We have not yet tested the full checkout with a screen reader on a real phone. We plan to test it on an iPhone with VoiceOver and on Android with TalkBack by November 30, 2026, and we will publish the result here and fix anything we find.

Some content on our site comes from other companies: the Resy table-booking window, the Loopz gift-card window and YouTube videos. We do not control how they are built. If you cannot use one, call 613-526-5229 and we will book your table, sell you a gift card or describe the video for you.

If you find something on our site that you cannot use, tell us (see "Giving us feedback"). Tell us the page and what you were trying to do, and we will fix it or help you another way.

The ordering kiosk in our Seafood Market lets you order food ahead for pickup and pay by card. It is built with these features:

- A "Larger text" button on every screen, including the first one. It makes everything 125% larger, and the layout rearranges itself so nothing is cut off. It turns off for the next customer.

- Large controls: every button and control is at least 48 by 48 pixels, and the main buttons are 64 pixels tall. The "next" actions are always in one bar at the bottom of the screen.

- Pinch to zoom is allowed.

- Body text is large (20 pixels), and nothing a customer needs is smaller than 16 pixels. Colours meet the contrast requirement of WCAG 2.0 AA, and colour is never the only way we show something.

- A visible "Still there?" warning, also announced to screen readers, before the kiosk clears an order. It lasts at least 20 seconds, and a single tap of the screen keeps your order.

- Built for VoiceOver (the iPad's screen reader): every control has a name, headings are marked, and changes (such as items added or a countdown) are announced. We will test the kiosk end to end with VoiceOver and Switch Control by November 30, 2026.

- Visible keyboard focus, and support for a connected keyboard or switch.

- Animation stops if the iPad's Reduce Motion setting is on.

- The card reader is Square's. It takes tap, insert and swipe. If you can't use it, a team member will take your payment at the counter.

If you can't use the kiosk, any team member at the Seafood Market counter will take your order, at the same prices, and take payment there.

This plan describes how we will prevent and remove barriers and meet the AODA requirements. It is for the years 2026 to 2031, and we will review and update it at least every five years, and sooner if something changes.

- Policies and public notices (by November 2, 2026). Publish this page and the notice that documents are available on request; keep a printed copy at the Seafood Market counter.

- Feedback (by November 2, 2026). Run the feedback process described above; keep a log of what we receive and what we did; review it once a year.

- Training (by March 31, 2027, then for every new hire as soon as practicable). Train every employee, volunteer, and person who provides goods or services on our behalf in the AODA standards, in serving people with disabilities (including how to use the kiosk and the screen-reader and keyboard options) and in the Human Rights Code as it applies to people with disabilities. Keep a record of what was taught, when and to how many people.

- Website and online store. Keep meeting WCAG 2.0 AA. Check each new page type and each change to the store, class and dinner pages before it goes live. Run a full test with a screen reader on iPhone and Android before the next holiday season (by November 30, 2026), and again every year.

- Self-service kiosk. Keep the features above. Test with a person who uses VoiceOver, once a year.

- Information and communications. Give accessible formats and communication supports on request. When we make new documents (menus, class notes, receipts, forms), make them accessible from the start.

- Employment. Tell the public and job applicants that accommodation is available in recruiting (we say so on our careers page and in job postings). Tell new employees how we accommodate employees with disabilities. Have a written process for individual accommodation plans and for workplace emergency response information for employees who need them. Take accessibility needs into account in performance reviews, career development and return to work.

- Premises. Look at the Seafood Market and restaurant (entrance, aisles, tables, counters, washrooms and parking) with an eye to barriers once a year, and fix what we can.

- Procurement. When we buy self-service equipment, ordering software or kiosks, we will consider accessibility first.

- Accountability. Our accessibility contact reports on progress to the owners each year, and we file our accessibility compliance report with the Government of Ontario every three years (next due December 31, 2026).

To ask for this plan in another format, contact us as described above.

This page was last updated on November 2, 2026.