Accessibility Statement

Last reviewed: April 2026  |  We review this statement annually

Northern Stay Inc. is committed to making northernstay.com accessible to all visitors, including people with disabilities. This statement outlines our accessibility target, the steps we have taken, known limitations, and how to reach us if you encounter a barrier.

Our Accessibility Target

We aim for conformance with the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1, Level AA across northernstay.com. WCAG 2.1 AA is the widely recognized international standard for digital accessibility and the benchmark referenced by most Canadian accessibility frameworks.

What We Have Done

• Language attributes: Every page carries a correct lang attribute (lang="en" or lang="fr-CA" for French pages) so screen readers apply the correct pronunciation rules
• Heading hierarchy: Pages follow a consistent heading structure (h1 → h2 → h3) to allow screen reader users to navigate by heading
• Colour contrast: The primary design system — dark green (#1a3d2a) on white, and body text (#333) on white — meets WCAG AA contrast ratios for normal and large text
• Descriptive link text: We avoid generic link labels such as “click here” in page content
• Image alt text: Images used in content carry descriptive alt text; decorative images use empty alt attributes
• Consent-gated analytics: Our cookie consent system loads no third-party tracking scripts until the visitor explicitly accepts, reducing third-party script interference with assistive technology
• Responsive layout: Pages reflow and remain readable at 400% zoom without horizontal scrolling
• Keyboard navigation: Core navigation and interactive elements are reachable and operable by keyboard alone

Known Limitations

We believe in being honest about what is not yet complete. The following are known gaps we are actively working to address :

Skip-to-content link

A skip-to-main-content link is present on content pages but is not yet implemented site-wide. We are adding it to remaining page templates as part of ongoing site maintenance.

Third-party content on campground partner pages

Some campground partner pages may embed widgets or content provided by the campground operator or external platforms. Northern Stay does not control the accessibility of that third-party content. We encourage visitors who encounter barriers in those sections to contact us so we can follow up with the operator.

PDF documents

Where PDF documents are provided, we aim to supply an accessible HTML alternative. If you encounter a PDF without an accessible alternative, please contact us and we will provide one.

French interface elements

Some user interface chrome — including certain navigation tooltip strings — may not yet be fully translated on French-language pages. This is in progress and will be resolved in an upcoming update.

How to Report an Accessibility Barrier

Feedback and Formal Complaints

We welcome feedback on our accessibility — it helps us prioritize improvements. If you are not satisfied with our response, you may also :

• File a complaint with the BC Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner (oipc.bc.ca) regarding digital rights matters within BC jurisdiction
• Submit feedback through the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative contacts page, which maintains guidance on raising accessibility concerns with standards bodies

Technical Approach

northernstay.com is built with semantic HTML5, CSS, and minimal JavaScript. We do not use CSS frameworks that generate inaccessible markup. Pages are served from Cloudflare's global network with HTTPS and HTTP/2 for fast, secure delivery. We test pages using a combination of automated tools and manual review with keyboard navigation and screen reader spot-checks.

Ongoing Commitment

Accessibility is not a one-time project. We review this statement and conduct accessibility checks annually, and we incorporate accessibility evaluation into our process whenever new page templates or significant new features are introduced. We last reviewed this statement in April 2026.