The Ontario Small-Business Website Checklist: AODA, CASL, Privacy and More

Accessibility, anti-spam consent, privacy notices and French for Québec customers — the rules that genuinely affect a Canadian small-business website, in plain English.

Most small-business owners don't need a lawyer to launch a website — but a few Canadian rules really do shape what a good site looks like. Here's the checklist we work through for every Ontario client. (This is general information, not legal advice.)

1. Accessibility (AODA)

Ontario's Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act sets an accessibility standard for websites. Organisations with 50 or more employees in Ontario must make their public websites meet WCAG 2.0 Level AA. Even if you're smaller, building to that standard means more people can use your site — and it is far cheaper to do from the start.

What it looks like in practice: readable colour contrast, images with descriptions, forms you can use with a keyboard, and buttons that make sense to a screen reader.

2. Consent before you email (CASL)

Canada's Anti-Spam Legislation means you need consent before sending commercial emails. On your website that means a newsletter or "send me offers" box that people tick themselves — never pre-ticked — and a clear way to unsubscribe in every email.

3. A real privacy notice (PIPEDA)

If your site collects names, emails or phone numbers, federal privacy law expects you to say what you collect, why, and how people can ask to see or delete it. A short, plain-language privacy page linked from every form covers it.

4. Taxes shown properly at checkout

If you sell online, your checkout should add the right GST/HST — and PST or QST where it applies — based on where the customer is. Good e-commerce setups handle this automatically.

5. French for Québec customers

If you do business in Québec, the Charter of the French Language requires your commercial website to be available in French. If Québec is part of your market, plan a bilingual site.

6. Get found locally

Not a law, but just as important: set up and complete your Google Business Profile, keep your hours and phone number identical on your site and your profile, and ask happy customers for reviews.

Want it done for you?

Every website we build for Canadian clients follows this checklist by default. Run our free website check to see how your current site measures up.