The verdict in three sentences
A WCAG 2.2 AA audit costs 3,500 to 8,500 CAD (about 2,500 to 6,000 USD) for a corporate website, and remediation 7,000 to 35,000 CAD depending on technical debt. Between Québec's SGQRI 008 standards, the federal Accessible Canada Act and the European Accessibility Act in force since 28 June 2025, accessibility is no longer a public sector topic only. Publishing an honest accessibility statement, even with partial conformance, is the first step to reduce legal and commercial risk.
Who is affected in Montréal in 2026?
Montréal is home to public bodies, federally regulated companies (banks, telecoms, transport), exporters and service firms. Obligations differ by status.
| Organisation type | Applicable framework | Main obligations | Exposure |
|---|---|---|---|
| Québec public body | SGQRI 008 (based on WCAG) | Accessible sites and documents | Government audits, complaints |
| Federally regulated company (bank, telecom, airline) | Accessible Canada Act | Accessibility plan, feedback process, progress reports | Penalties up to 250,000 CAD |
| Company selling to EU consumers | European Accessibility Act | WCAG 2.1 AA via EN 301 549 | National market surveillance, sanctions |
| Ontario-facing company with 50+ staff | AODA | WCAG 2.0 AA, compliance reporting | Fines up to 100,000 CAD per day |
| Private Québec SME, local market only | No specific web law | Recommended, human rights complaints possible | Litigation risk |
WCAG 2.2 AA adds 6 success criteria to version 2.1 (focus visibility, target size, accessible authentication). Auditing against 2.2 covers the requirements of all the frameworks above.
What do the audit and remediation cost?
Cost depends on the number of page templates, existing code quality and content (PDFs, videos, forms). The ranges below are 2026 estimates for Montréal corporate websites.
| Service | 2026 range | Lead time |
|---|---|---|
| WCAG audit on 10 to 15 page sample | 3,500 to 5,500 CAD | 2 to 3 weeks |
| In-depth audit (20 pages, screen reader testing) | 5,500 to 8,500 CAD | 3 to 4 weeks |
| Fixes on a recent site (under 3 years) | 7,000 to 14,000 CAD | 3 to 6 weeks |
| Fixes on an older site or heavily customised CMS | 17,000 to 35,000 CAD | 2 to 4 months |
| PDF remediation (per long document) | 110 to 420 CAD | Variable |
| Captions and transcripts | 4 to 11 CAD per minute | 1 to 2 weeks |
| Re-audit after fixes | 1,700 to 3,500 CAD | 1 to 2 weeks |
| Content editor training (1 day) | 1,300 to 2,100 CAD | 1 day |
Above 35,000 CAD of fixes, an accessible-by-design rebuild is often the better deal: accessibility adds 5 to 10% to a new site's budget, versus 30 to 60% when retrofitted.
The most common failures
In audits run in 2025 and 2026, five defects account for most failures: insufficient colour contrast, images without meaningful alt text, form fields without associated labels, dropdown menus that cannot be used by keyboard, and scanned PDFs unreadable by screen readers. The first three are fixed in a few days. Keyboard navigation and PDFs take more work. In a bilingual Montréal context, also check that the language attribute switches correctly between French and English content.
Subscription accessibility overlays (widgets promising automatic compliance) do not make a site WCAG conformant. They can even degrade the experience for screen reader users.
Mini case study
Need a professional website?
Kolonell builds websites that attract clients, optimized for the Sénégalese market. Free quote in 2 minutes.
Camille, digital lead at a Montréal professional services firm, runs a 400-page bilingual WordPress site launched in 2021, with 30% of revenue coming from European clients. No accessibility statement is published.
- WCAG 2.2 audit on 15 pages: 5,300 CAD, result 46% of criteria met.
- Fixes to theme, menus and forms: 13,300 CAD over 5 weeks.
- Remediation of 25 priority PDFs at 210 CAD: 5,250 CAD.
- Re-audit: 2,500 CAD, result 88% of criteria met.
- Total: 26,350 CAD (about 19,000 USD) over 3 months, with a published roadmap to full conformance and EU tenders no longer at risk.
FAQ
Is an accessibility statement required even if the site is not compliant?
Under the EU framework and the Accessible Canada Act, yes in practice: you must document conformance level and a contact channel. It costs under 1,000 CAD to draft and sharply reduces complaint risk.
How many pages need auditing?
A representative sample, usually 10 to 20 pages covering every template. A 500-page site built on 8 templates can be audited on 15 pages.
Does the European Accessibility Act apply to a Canadian company?
Yes if you sell covered services (e-commerce, banking, transport tickets, e-books) to EU consumers. Microenterprises under 10 staff and 2 million EUR turnover are exempt for services.
Can we audit in-house?
Automated free tools catch 25 to 35% of issues. A credible audit requires manual testing and screen readers by a trained auditor.
How long does compliance last?
Re-audit after every major redesign and plan 2,000 to 4,000 CAD a year for checks and training.
Let's scope your project. Send us your site URL and deadlines and we will price the WCAG audit, fixes and re-audit, usually between 10,000 and 45,000 CAD over 1 to 4 months. Detailed quote within 48 h. WhatsApp +221 77 596 93 33.
Mohamed Bah
Fondateur, Kolonell
Passionate about digital and entrepreneurship in Africa, Mohamed has been helping Sénégalese businesses with their digital transformation since 2020. Founder of Kolonell, he believes every SME deserves a professional and accessible online présence.
