About DP World Canada
DP World is a leading provider of smart logistics solutions, enabling the flow of trade across the globe. Wherever we operate, we integrate sustainability and responsible corporate citizenship, striving for a positive contribution to the economies and communities where we live and work. We do this by building and growing long-lasting relationships – with governments, shippers, traders, and other stakeholders along the global supply chain.
DP World Canada’s head office is in Burnaby, BC, and we operate terminals in Vancouver, Prince Rupert, Surrey, Nanaimo, and Saint John. We are Canada’s largest container terminal operator. This Plan focuses on our Vancouver entity.
Please see below the links to view our Accessibility Plans for our Fraser Surrey, Nanaimo, Prince Rupert, Saint John and Shared Services entities:
2025 Progress Report
GENERAL
Summary
DP World has made significant progress toward most of the goals set in our Accessibility Plan. Our Accessibility Plan consisted of 9 goals with 19 associated actions, of which we have:
- Completed 5 action items
- Made progress on 8 additional action items
- Identified 2 goals as ongoing actions
- Put 1 goal on hold
- Have 3 pending action items
In our commitment to accessibility and providing a barrier-free work environment, 2 of the goals we set in 2023 have become established processes that will be ongoing business practices. Additionally, the goals that we have not started are dependent on the completion of the goals in progress.
Accessibility Statement
DP World Canada is committed to recognizing and tackling obstacles and limitations that hinder the complete engagement of people with disabilities by executing our Accessibility Plan.
We will continue to seek input from the general public, our workforce, and experts in relevant fields, including people with disabilities, to ensure that we do not introduce new barriers in future business practices.
Accessibility Committee
An Accessibility Committee will be established as a subcommittee within a broader Diversity & Inclusion Committee. Our current Accessibility Plan project group includes:
Kim Macey
VP, People
Michael Chafe
Director, Health, Safety, Security, and Environment
Liz Collins
Senior Manager, People (Parental Leave)
Kelly Proulx
Senior Manager, People
Samantha Mincher
Manager, HSSE
Feedback Process
DP World Canada is committed to providing an open and transparent feedback process. For more information, to provide feedback, or to request alternative formats of this Plan, please contact DP World Canada through one of the following methods:
Contact: HR & HSSE Support (Accessibility)
Email: [email protected]
Direct mail: Suite 1500, Metrotower II, 4720 Kingsway, Burnaby, BC V5H 4N2
Telephone: 604-252-2473
Alternative Formats
DP World Canada’s Accessibility Plan is available in the following formats:
- Large Print
- Electronic
- Audio
A Braille copy of DP World’s Accessibility Plan may be requested by email at [email protected] or by phone at 604-252-2473.
PRIORITY AREAS
Area 1: Employment
Our Accessibility Goal
DP World Canada is dedicated to fostering a workplace culture that fully embraces and actively promotes Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) for people with disabilities throughout all aspects of our employment policies and practices.
Actions
Commitment 1: To create a barrier-free and inclusive recruitment strategy that is accessible for all job applicants by:
1.1 Writing and publishing a Diversity Statement to be included in all job ads by June 2024.
Status: Complete
2023/2024 Actions: DP World’s recruitment team has made explicit the inclusion of persons with disabilities in our Equal Employment Opportunity Statement. The statement reads:
“DP World is committed to the principles of Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO). We strongly believe that employing a diverse workforce is central to our success, and we make recruiting decisions based on your experience and skills. We welcome applications from all members of society irrespective of age, gender, disability, race, religion or belief.”
The EEO is our public-facing statement; however, additional information regarding Bullying and Harassment and Anti-Discrimination policies can be provided upon candidate request.
1.2 Providing a formal process, including a feedback mechanism, at each stage of interviewing for candidates to request accommodation by June 2024.
Status: Complete
2023/2024 Actions: The DP World recruitment team has started asking each candidate if they require accommodation throughout the recruitment process.
Amendment: We have received feedback from both the recruitment team and candidates that asking about any required accommodation at each stage of the recruitment process (application, screening, interview, assessment, and onboarding) was excessive. Given the feedback, we discussed the accommodation process during the consultation process with the BC Centre for Ability. We confirmed that going forward, we will only need to ask for accommodation requests at the beginning of the recruitment process and during new employee onboarding.
1.3 Investigating options for expanding candidate outreach to include job boards dedicated to supporting people with disabilities starting in 2024.
Status: Ongoing
2023/2024 Actions: DP World’s recruitment team is in the process of identifying additional job boards and potential community-based agencies that provide more accessible application processes and that actively seek to support people with disabilities in finding jobs matched to their skill set.
2024/2025 Actions: This goal has become an ongoing project for our recruitment team. Our team aims to make sure that our job postings on popular job boards such as LinkedIn and Indeed are an inclusive application process, while also researching new opportunities to post jobs on community-specific boards, including boards specifically for people with disabilities.
Commitment 2: Provide DP World Canada employees with a safe and barrier-free work environment:
1.1 Incorporating our accommodation process into the onboarding process to allow new employees the opportunity to request accommodation starting in 2023.
Status: Complete
2023/2024 Actions: The HR team at DP World has incorporated an accommodation request step into the onboarding process. This proactive measure is now part of the pre-boarding phase to ensure that all accommodations are ready for employees on their first day. Thus far, DP World has not received any accommodation requests.
Commitment 3: Develop a more inclusive culture that promotes inclusivity and accessibility to highlight DP World Canada’s Seven Priorities of Responsible Business Practices, especially Safety, Wellbeing, Ethics, Community Engagement, and People Development by:
1.1 Establishing accessibility and unconscious bias training as part of our DEI training for leaders and hiring managers starting in 2024.
Status: In Progress
2023/2024 Actions: DP World’s HR team has started developing new training materials related to unconscious bias as part of the overall DEI training strategy. The new training modules are targeted to launch in 2024 and will first be rolled out to leadership and hiring managers. Ultimately, training will be provided to all of DP World’s Canadian employees.
Additionally, before launching the training program, we plan to engage people with lived experience to review the materials and provide feedback based on our desired outcomes.
2024/2025 Actions: The new Unconscious Bias training program was rolled out in November 2024. The program includes three modules covering:
- Understanding Unconscious Bias
- Unconscious Bias in the Workplace
- Mitigating Unconscious Bias
The program has been rolled out to all employees and is now a required course for all new employees joining DP World Canada.
Commitment 4: Plan an employee communication campaign starting in 2023 to inform employees of new accessibility policies and services available to them. Communications will include awareness of disability definitions and common barriers to accessibility.
Status: In Progress & Ongoing
2023/2024 Actions: When DP World’s Accessibility Plan was first published in 2023, the Plan and Feedback Process were shared with employees. As policies and processes are being updated with new accessibility considerations, we have actively shared details with employees to ensure full transparency.
2024/2025 Actions: Communication about our Accessibility Plan and related initiatives is an ongoing priority. We regularly share updates on new programs, policies, and actions to ensure all employees are aware of the services and support available to them.
Area 2: Built Environment
Our Accessibility Goal
DP World Canada wants to make sure that both employees and customers can access our facilities easily and safely. Our long-term goal is to improve accessibility by upgrading our facilities. In the short-term, we need to understand what changes are possible and how they will impact the roles of different people who use the facilities.
Actions
Commitment 1: To develop a priority plan and budgets for the assessment and incorporation of accessible design into the future development of DP World Canada’s built environment by:
1.1 Creating a list of possible accessible upgrades by June 2026.
Status: In Progress
2024/2025 Actions: We are building a new short sea shipping facility that will include a single office, a lunchroom, and a single washroom. We are not currently planning on adding a ramp to this facility because it will serve a relatively small group of employees who are required to perform labour-intensive work.
Employees on our operations team are dispatched to specific jobs based on their tenure, expertise, and suitability for a job. Should an employee need an accommodation, there are alternative roles they can be dispatched to make sure that they can continue meaningfully contributing to the workplace.
Most of our Vancouver facilities are relatively new, and the main office is equipped with accessibility features throughout; however, as we upgrade different areas, we will continue to evaluate what accessibility features need to be included in the build.
1.2 Establishing a budget for future accessible upgrades, if required, by June 2026.
Status: Not Started
Area 3: Information and Communication Technologies (ICT)
Our Accessibility Goal
DP World Canada wants to make sure that all employees and customers, including those with disabilities, have access to Information and Communication Technology and tools that allow them to engage fully with DP World Canada without any barriers getting in the way of communication.
Actions
Commitment 1: Understand and make available existing accessibility features available through our 3rd-party ICT providers by:
1.1 Developing a questionnaire and assessment to identify accessibility features in 3rd-party accessibility tools by June 2024.
Status: Complete
2023/2024 Actions: The BC Maritime Employers Association has provided an industry-wide Digital Accessibility Assessment tool which was developed in consultation with the BC Centre for Ability. DP World will be using the assessment tool to review their 3rd-party ICT tools.
1.2 Establishing a priority list of 3rd-party ICT tools to assess for accessibility features by June 2025.
Status: In Progress
2024/2025 Actions: The DP World Canada IT team has started looking at the full list of tools that our team uses across all locations to identify the most widely used. We are on track to be able to prioritize these tools by the end of June 2025.
1.3 Starting the roll-out of accessibility features for our top priority 3rd-party ICT tool to employees starting in 2026.
Status: Not Started
Commitment 2: Begin establishing a plan and timeline for ensuring that our public and customer-facing website meets accessibility standards by:
1.1 Establishing budgetary requirements for working with our 3rd-party web development team to begin planning by June 2024.
Status: In Progress
2023/2024 Actions: DP World Canada is in the process of migrating our stand-alone homepage to our global DP World site, dpworld.com, which is operated out of Dubai. Part of this migration will be to consider accessibility features that can be incorporated without impacting the overall structure and functionality of the global webpage.
2024/2025 Actions: DP World Canada has migrated all our web content to the DP World Canada-specific page, dpworld.com/Canada. However, we are moving to a new website platform that will use geolocation, i.e., using the viewer’s location, to display content relevant to where the user is, rather than using a separate page. The new platform will allow us to provide more specific information to our customers and the general public.
1.2 Working with our 3rd-party web development team to establish a timeline and request budget for future upgrades to ensure our public-facing website meets AA-level Web Content Accessibility 2.2 standards by June 2026.
Status: On Hold
2023/2024 Actions: We have put the work on our website on hold while we complete the transition to our global site. We will continue to identify opportunities for improving accessibility on our website, however possible.
2024/2025 Actions: This action continues to be on hold until we have fully migrated to the new web platform.
Area 4: Communication, other than ICT
Our Accessibility Goal
DP World Canada is committed to removing communication barriers both internally and externally by incorporating accessible design into our communication strategies.
Actions
Commitment 1: Identify any barriers that are preventing inclusive communication norms at DP World Canada and address opportunities to improve how information is communicated by:
1.1 Working with subject matter experts around communicating with people with disabilities to establish a best-practices guide for the development and dissemination of key communications to ensure accessibility (e.g., plain language, formatting, alt-text for images, etc.) by June 2025.
Status: In Progress
2023/2024 Actions: DP World’s Communication team has worked to establish communication standards that prioritize the use of plain language that can be easily understood. We are still developing a written best practice guide, but are on track to have it completed and shared with the team by next year.
2024/2025 Actions: We are in the process of finalizing our guide to inclusive communication. We are working with a 3rd party vendor that specializes in communications and that has a strong foundation of diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEIB), including offering an internal resource group for employees with disabilities.
1.2 Providing training opportunities to all employees responsible for communication, including Marketing, HR, and Communications, on using accessible communication standards, best practices, and plain language starting in 2025.
Status: In Progress
2024/2025 Actions: A new inclusive communication e-learning program is being developed to provide employees with a foundation for respectful and accessible communication. We are on track to launch this training program in 2025. This training will be required for all employees reporting to DP World Canada.
Our Communications team is regional for North America. We are currently looking into what training we can make available to those employees reporting into our US regional offices who serve our Canadian entities.
Area 5: Procurement of Goods, Services, and Facilities
Our Accessibility Goal
DP World Canada believes that creating a barrier-free Canada extends beyond the work we do internally. We know that our procurement process is an opportunity to make sure we and our vendors are committed to accessibility. DP World is committed to understanding how accessibility can become part of our standard procurement process.
Actions
Commitment 1: Evaluate how DP World Canada will promote accessibility and accessible design in the relationship we have with our external vendors by:
1.1 Assessing the feasibility and ability of DP World Canada to incorporate accessibility standards and design practices into our procurement policy by June 2025.
Status: In Progress
2024/2025 Actions: Our Procurement team is currently in the process of looking for ways to incorporate accessibility in our Request for Proposal (RFP) process. In alignment with our Environmental, Social, and Governance (ESG) standards, adding accessibility would allow us to identify vendors owned and operated by people with disabilities, vendors that actively employ people with disabilities, and vendors that promote inclusive practices.
1.2 Providing all employees in procurement with training on any changes to our procurement policy that incorporate accessibility starting in 2026.
Status: Not Started
Area 6: Design and Delivery of Programs and Services
Our Accessibility Goal
From the point of sale to interacting with ship captains, DP World Canada aims to identify the accessibility needs at each point of contact with our customers and their employees throughout the delivery of our current programs and services.
Actions
Commitment 1: Provide a barrier-free, accessible experience for our customers by:
1.1 Incorporating an accommodation request process into our customer orientation and customer visitation process by June 2024.
Status: Complete
2023/2024 Actions: We have added a statement to our customer orientation that informs them of available accommodations that they may request while on site. Additionally, accessibility features, including our refuge areas, have been added to our customer orientation tour.
1.2 Identifying employee groups that interact with customers regularly and assessing the need for accessibility training by June 2026.
Status: In Progress
2024/2025 Actions: We are in the process of identifying specific roles that interact with customers regularly. In the meantime, all employees at our Vancouver terminal have been assigned to complete our Unconscious Bias Training Program and will be assigned to complete the Inclusive Communication Training when it is ready for distribution.
Area 7: Transportation
The Accessible Canada Act identifies transportation as the seventh priority area of accessibility. While we acknowledge our involvement in the transportation industry, it should be noted that DP World Canada is not responsible for the transportation of members of the public. We have included transportation as a priority area as per the requirements of the Act; however, by definition, it falls outside the purview of DP World Canada.
FEEDBACK
In the first two years following the publication of DP World’s Accessibility Plan, we have not received any feedback from employees, customers, or the public through the formal feedback process. In 2024, however, receive feedback from candidates and employees regarding the accommodation process during recruitment. We have incorporated this into Commitment 1.1 under Employment.
Since we have not received feedback, we are taking this opportunity to identify ways in which we can be more proactive in getting feedback on the plan and our progress. Our HR team is working on creating a feedback mechanism that will encourage more regular and direct feedback from our employees and customers.
CONSULTATIONS
Summary
DP World Canada recognizes the importance of the principle “Nothing About Us Without Us,” which emphasizes the need for persons with disabilities to be actively involved in shaping initiatives that impact them. In line with this commitment, DP World Canada collaborated with the British Columbia Centre for Ability (BC CFA) throughout the review and development of our Progress Report, ensuring that lived experience informed our approach to advancing accessibility within our environment.
Consultation Process
We provided the BCCFA with a draft of our Progress Report as a Word document for their review. We followed this with a live session on May 2, 2025, to discuss the impact and significance of our actions towards our accessibility commitments.
The session was hosted virtually on Zoom and the consultation team from BCCFA was asked in advance about any accommodation that may be needed for the session.
During the session, participants had the option to turn on closed captioning. Each priority area of the Progress Report was discussed and accompanied by a PowerPoint presentation for everyone to see.
Results
During the consultation session, we reviewed each of DP World Canada’s goals and the actions we have taken since implementing our Accessibility Plan. We asked the members of the BCCFA team the following questions about each action:
- Is the action written clearly and easily understood?
- What are your initial impressions of the actions we have taken?
- Do you feel that the actions adequately address the needs of people with disabilities?
- Will the action taken have a positive impact?
- Is there an alternative action that would have a better impact?
- Are there any additional actions that you would suggest we take at this time?
The BCCFA’s overall feedback was very positive and confirmed that the plan and progress actions are clearly laid out and easily understood. They were impressed with DP World Canada’s commitment to providing unconscious bias and inclusive communication training for all levels. This will provide a solid foundation for more cultural change across the organization.
They had a few suggestions on how to continue progressing accessibility forward, including:
- Look into government job boards for recruitment, as both jobbank.gc.ca and workbc.ca provide an accessible experience for people with disabilities to browse job openings, apply for jobs, and promote themselves.
- Create an RSS feed for our Careers page, as many community organizations that support job seekers with disabilities will use RSS feeds to monitor job boards for suitable opportunities for their clients and network.
- Review our e-learning design for accessibility, including the use of plain language, descriptive audio, inclusive design principles, and screen reader compatibility.
- Add DP World Canada’s Accessibility Statement to our Requests for Proposal to further highlight our dedication to improving accessibility in all areas of our business.
We have not made any immediate adjustments to our Accessibility Plan based on these recommendations; however, we are working with our HR, Training, and Procurement teams to look into implementing these actions over the course of the next year. If it is not possible in that time, they will be considered for our next Accessibility Plan.
Future Consultations
Future versions of DP World Canada’s Accessibility Plan will place greater emphasis on conducting a more comprehensive consultation process to fully align with the concept of "Nothing Without Us". Our goal is to engage broader mechanisms for consultation of organizations, employees, and customers through testimonials and storytelling, feedback surveys, and facilitated consultative sessions. We recognize that the more robust our consultation phase is in future republications of our plan, the more likely it is that barriers will be identified and meaningful progress on accessibility and DEI will be achieved.