Essential Access
Ideal for smaller municipalities
$199,000CAD / year
3 payments
or
$597,000CAD
paid once, upfront
- Up to 20 hours / week of described video
- Grant becomes an endowment for future years
- Best efforts to staff locally
Built for the Canadian duty to accommodate
Canadian live described video for city halls, town halls, and legislatures.
LegislatureDV is a turnkey, fully-compliant described-video service for Canadian municipal councils, town halls, and provincial legislatures. Set it and forget it: a one-time charitable endowment grant to the registered charity Philanthropolis (since 2012) who operates the program, and we manage the service now and always to keep you compliant with human rights and the other applicable laws listed below. Typically bypasses the RFP process entirely.
24/7 ticketing support via our client portal.
- charitable grant
- 1×
- annual renewals
- 0
- years of coverage
- Unlimited
Live council broadcast
Audio description · low latency
- Narrator identifies each speaker as they take the floor.
- Sidebar silences are described so listeners stay oriented.
- Listeners in the chamber scan a QR code to hear the audio track on their phone.
Compliance covered
Charter §15 · Accessible Canada Act · AODA · CRTC 2025-344
Described video
A friendly narrator for public proceedings.
Described video is an accessibility service that fills in the visual gaps for anyone who can't comfortably see the screen, a visual impairment, recent eye surgery, a concussion, or simply forgotten glasses.
Real-time audio cues announce who's speaking, explain why the Speaker has gone quiet, and clarify when members interrupt each other, so every constituent can fully follow the conversation.
LegislatureDV delivers it three ways, all included: an on-site solution for guests seated in the gallery via a low-latency QR-code audio feed, a full white-label streaming portal carrying the described-video version of every proceeding, and broadcast integrations for legislatures and town halls with their own television channels, feeding the described-video track to SAP audio channels 3 & 4.
It's the law
Described video and the duty to accommodate.
Canadian councils, town halls, and legislatures already operate under a layered duty to accommodate: Supreme Court precedent, the Charter, federal case law, the Accessible Canada Act, CRTC 2025-344, and provincial accessibility statutes. LegislatureDV is built directly around those authorities, each linked below.
CRTC 2025-344
On December 17, 2025 the CRTC introduced new rules requiring described video on new original scripted programs and audio description on news and information programming by December 17, 2027, extending a consistent standard across television, streaming, and the council and legislative broadcasts LegislatureDV serves.
Read CRTC 2025-344(opens in a new tab)Supreme Court of Canada: Eldridge v. British Columbia (1997)
The Supreme Court held in Eldridge that failing to provide communication accommodations in public services is discrimination under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, a principle that reaches directly into how legislative and municipal proceedings are broadcast and informs the duty to accommodate.
Read Eldridge on CanLII(opens in a new tab)Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms, s. 15
Section 15 of the Charter applies to every level of government and prohibits discrimination on the basis of disability. Courts have used it to require proactive measures such as audio description, captioning, and interpretation in government communications.
Read s. 15 of the Charter(opens in a new tab)Federal case law: Canada (AG) v. Jodhan, 2012 FCA 161
The Federal Court of Appeal found in Jodhan that inaccessible federal websites breach the right to equal benefit of the law under s. 15 of the Charter, setting a benchmark for digital accessibility, including video, that public bodies are expected to meet.
Read Jodhan on CanLII(opens in a new tab)Bill C-19 and CRTC digital accessibility
Bill C-19 broadened federal commitments to accessibility by directing the CRTC to review and establish digital accessibility guidelines, extending live captioning and audio description expectations to online streams of legislative and municipal meetings.
Bill C-19 on LEGISinfo(opens in a new tab)Accessible Canada Act
In force since 2019, the Accessible Canada Act sets a proactive framework for a barrier-free Canada by 2040 and requires federal entities to remove communication barriers, including ensuring new videos of government meetings include captioning and audio description.
Read the Accessible Canada Act(opens in a new tab)Ontario: AODA & Integrated Accessibility Standards
The Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act and O. Reg. 191/11 (Integrated Accessibility Standards, s. 14) require public sector websites and video content to meet WCAG standards, including captioning and described video.
Read O. Reg. 191/11(opens in a new tab)British Columbia: Accessible British Columbia Act
The Accessible British Columbia Act and the Human Rights Code (BC) require public bodies to develop accessibility plans and report on barriers in communications, including audio and video produced for public meetings.
Read the Accessible BC Act(opens in a new tab)Manitoba: Accessibility for Manitobans Act
The Accessibility for Manitobans Act and the Information & Communication Standard require online content from public bodies to meet WCAG 2.0 Level AA, which includes audio description and captioning of video.
Read the AMA(opens in a new tab)Saskatchewan: Accessible Saskatchewan Act
The Accessible Saskatchewan Act, alongside The Saskatchewan Human Rights Code, signals forthcoming requirements for captioned and described digital communications from public bodies.
Read the Act on CanLII(opens in a new tab)Nova Scotia: Accessibility Act (2030 commitment)
Nova Scotia's Accessibility Act and Human Rights Act commit the province to full accessibility by 2030, with measures such as CART captioning and interpreter services already standard in public-facing communications.
Read the Accessibility Act on CanLII(opens in a new tab)New Brunswick: Accessibility Act
New Brunswick's Accessibility Act, with the Human Rights Act, aims for barrier-free access by 2040, including obligations that reach the audio and video output of public proceedings.
Accessibility in New Brunswick(opens in a new tab)Newfoundland and Labrador: Accessibility Act
The provincial Accessibility Act and Human Rights Act require public bodies to develop accessibility plans even as detailed technical standards continue to evolve.
Read the Accessibility Act(opens in a new tab)Quebec: Charter & Act respecting persons with disabilities
The Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms (Quebec), together with the Act to secure the exercise of the rights of handicapped persons, obligates public bodies to identify and remove barriers, with audio description, captioning, and interpretation becoming standard expectations.
Read the Act(opens in a new tab)Prince Edward Island: Human Rights Act
PEI is guided primarily by its Human Rights Act and is gradually moving toward more comprehensive accessibility practices for public communications, including video.
Read the Human Rights Act on CanLII(opens in a new tab)
Pricing
One charitable grant. Lifetime accessibility.
All amounts in Canadian dollars. Pay annually over three years or once upfront, either way, the endowment sustains your described video service into the future.
Complete Access
For medium-to-large cities and provinces
$349,000CAD / year
3 payments
or
$1,047,000CAD
paid once, upfront
- Up to 40 hours / week of described video
- Grant becomes an endowment for future years
- Best efforts to staff locally
Extended Access
Add hours to any plan
+$8,900CAD / year
/ year per hour
or
+$26,700CAD
per hour, upfront
- Per hour per week, added to Essential or Complete
- Stack as many hours as you need
- No RFP typically required
After three years you never pay again, the endowment's returns continue to cover your duty to accommodate on a best-efforts basis, so you can focus on governance instead of contracts. Talk to us about our endowment calculator.
The path of least resistance
One payment. Mandate fulfilled. Nothing to think about again.
For city halls and legislatures, the simplest way to satisfy the duty to accommodate is a one-time payment structured as a charitable grant. It is approved once, it generally does not trigger the procurement process, and the obligation under human rights legislation and other applicable mandates stays met with no further action required from council or staff.
One decision, one payment
Council approves a single charitable grant to Philanthropolis. No tender, no RFP, no annual renewal, and no budget line to defend every year.
The duty is met and stays met
The grant funds described video now and into the future, so your obligation under human rights legislation and other accessibility mandates is fulfilled without the file coming back to council.
Nothing to think about again
We operate, maintain, and manage the service for the life of the endowment. Your staff, legal department, and procurement office are not asked to re-approve, re-tender, or re-certify anything.
Why councils and legislatures choose LegislatureDV.
Bypasses the RFP process
Because Philanthropolis is a registered Canadian charity (since 2012), your council's contribution is a charitable endowment grant, not a procurement contract. That structure typically lets municipalities and legislatures skip the RFP entirely and fund described video permanently from a single approval.
Local economic impact
We make best efforts to hire local staff and contractors, so accommodation dollars stay in your constituency and strengthen the community you serve.
Proprietary low-latency apps
Attendees in the chamber scan a QR code and listen to description on their own earbuds, no FM receivers to rent. We can also host a fully accessible livestream or on-demand player at no extra cost.
How it works
Three steps to permanent accessibility.
Grant & endowment
Your three-year charitable grant to Philanthropolis becomes a permanent endowment. Returns cover described video, you pay once, and coverage continues.
Equipment & integration
We supply broadcast-grade hardware (a 1U rackmount server) and integrate with your webcast or TV channel, including secondary audio tracks where supported.
Evergreen accessibility
After three years you never pay again. The endowment continues to fund best-effort coverage, so your accommodation obligation stays met long term.
Live streaming & CDN
Accessible live streaming on our own CDN, white-labelled to your government.
LegislatureDV is more than a described-video track. Every plan includes a complete live-streaming platform, delivered over our own Canadian Content Distribution Network, so your city hall, town hall, or legislature can be watched and heard, by everyone, without buying a separate broadcasting solution.
Described-video live streams
Broadcast council meetings, question period, and town halls with a synchronized described-video audio track for blind and low-vision residents, included in your plan.
Our own Canadian CDN
Streams are delivered from our own Content Distribution Network with Canadian edge nodes, so residents get low-latency playback without depending on a third-party broadcaster.
White-label branding
Every player, page, and share link is white-labelled to your city, town, or province, your logo, colours, and domain, so residents see your government, not ours.
Free public access link
We provide a public link the public can use to stream proceedings free of charge, in an accessible player with captions, described audio, and keyboard navigation built in.
In-gallery QR audio
A low-latency described-video audio-only feed, served as a QR code posted in the gallery. Guests scan with any phone and listen live through their own earbuds, no app, no kiosk, no hardware to maintain.
On-site solution for the gallery
Post a single QR code at the entrance to your council chamber or legislative gallery. Guests seated in the room scan it and immediately hear the live described-video audio track on their own phone and earbuds, with very low latency, so the description stays in sync with what is happening in front of them. No app install, no special receiver, no hardware for your staff to charge or sanitize. Included free of charge with every plan.
What is included
No add-on fees. Streaming, hosting, bandwidth, the public access link, and the in-gallery QR audio feed are all part of the charitable endowment grant.
- Live and on-demand streaming
- Low-latency audio-only feed for the gallery
- QR code for in-room described audio
- Described-video audio track
- Closed captions and transcripts
- WCAG 2.1 AA accessible player
- Keyboard and screen-reader friendly
- Mobile, tablet, and desktop playback
- Your domain and brand on the public page
- Unlimited public viewers, no paywall
For your legal team
Draft agreement for cities, towns, and legislatures.
The clauses below are a plain-language starting point your clerk, solicitor, or legislative counsel can run through internal review. They reflect how LegislatureDV is actually structured: a charitable endowment grant to a registered Canadian charity, not a procurement contract.
For discussion purposes only. This is not legal advice and does not create a binding agreement.
1. Parties
This agreement is between [The Municipality / Town / City / Legislative Assembly of ____] (the "Client") and Philanthropolis, a registered Canadian charity (BN 820427284 RR0001) operating the LegislatureDV program (the "Charity").
2. Nature of the contribution
The Client's payment is a charitable endowment grant to the Charity, not a fee-for-service procurement. The Charity will issue an official Canadian donation receipt for the eligible portion and hold the contributed funds as a permanent endowment. Investment returns from that endowment fund the described-video service described below.
3. Services provided
The Charity will provide described video for the Client's public council, committee, or legislative proceedings, including: real-time narration by trained describers, broadcast-grade 1U hardware integrated with the Client's existing video chain, secondary audio tracks where supported, a low-latency in-chamber listening app accessed by QR code, and an optional accessible hosted livestream / on-demand player.
4. Term and continuity
Initial term: three (3) years of fully funded described-video coverage at the contracted weekly hours. After the initial term, the Charity will continue to provide the service on a best-efforts basis funded by the endowment's returns, for as long as the endowment can reasonably sustain it. No annual renewal or repeat procurement is required.
5. Procurement and RFP
Because the contribution is a charitable grant to a registered Canadian charity, the parties acknowledge that the transaction is typically not a procurement of goods or services under the Client's purchasing by-laws or trade-agreement thresholds, and an RFP is generally not required. The Client is responsible for confirming this with its own legal counsel and procurement office.
6. Accessibility & compliance commitments
The service is designed to help the Client meet its obligations under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms (s. 15), the Accessible Canada Act, applicable provincial accessibility legislation (e.g. AODA, Accessible BC, Accessible Manitoba, Accessible Saskatchewan, Nova Scotia Accessibility Act), and CRTC 2025-344 where applicable. The Charity will update its delivery to remain aligned with these standards over the life of the endowment.
7. Client responsibilities
The Client will: provide reasonable access to its broadcast feed and chamber network, host the supplied 1U hardware on a standard 15A circuit, share meeting schedules and order papers in advance, and designate a staff contact for the Charity's describers and engineers.
8. Local economic impact
The Charity will use best efforts to recruit, train, and contract describers and support staff from the Client's own community, so that accommodation spending is reinvested locally.
9. Privacy, recordings & IP
All proceedings remain the Client's property. The Charity processes audio and video solely to deliver described video and accessible playback, in accordance with applicable Canadian privacy law (PIPEDA and any provincial equivalent). The Charity retains ownership of its proprietary listening apps, software, and hardware designs.
10. Termination
Either party may terminate ongoing service for material breach on 90 days' written notice. The endowment principal is a completed charitable gift and is not refundable; remaining returns will continue to be applied to accessibility programming consistent with the Charity's mandate.
11. Governing law
This agreement is governed by the laws of the province or territory in which the Client is located and the federal laws of Canada applicable therein.
FAQ
Everything you need to know.
- A turnkey described video service from Philanthropolis, designed to help legislative bodies and municipalities meet their accessibility obligations. It includes on-site or remote description, proprietary low-latency listening apps, and optional hosted livestream or on-demand video, all funded by a one time charitable grant.
- Clients issue a one-time charitable grant to Philanthropolis. That grant becomes a permanent endowment whose returns cover described video service indefinitely, bypassing the need for recurring procurement.
- Beyond compliance, our model emphasises hiring local staff and reinvesting in your constituency, reducing administrative burden while supporting the local economy.
- Your one-time grant becomes a permanent endowment. Its returns fund described video for the initial three years and on a best-efforts basis thereafter, with no annual renewal needed.
- Pick based on weekly hours of coverage and community size. Our team can help you size Essential, Complete, or Extended Access, or stack additional hours.
- Broadcast-grade hardware, proprietary low-latency listening apps, and integration with both legacy and modern streaming or broadcasting setups.
- Our service is configured to meet and exceed current obligations, secondary audio tracks, on-demand video, and accessible hosted players keep you compliant as standards evolve.
What is LegislatureDV?
How is LegislatureDV funded?
How does it benefit my community?
How does the charitable grant model work?
How do I choose the right plan?
What technical support is included?
How do you stay aligned with accessibility law?
For broadcast engineers
Technical specs for broadcast engineers
LegislatureDV provides a 1U rackmount hardware unit that can seamlessly pass through your existing broadcast feed and embed described video audio. We've integrated with Ross, Grass Valley, Blackmagic, vMix, and TriCaster workflows, among many others.
Our system can combine Channel 1 and 2 into Channels 3 and 4 (or 5 and 6) for SDI output, RTMP, or SRT outputs. Alternatively, we can accept your program feed via SDI or HDMI and output the program audio with newly embedded described video audio. For total flexibility, audio can also be delivered via XLR, with optional AES embedding, leaving the final distribution up to you.
For typical operations, a basic internet connection with around 2.5 Mbps of upload and download is needed. Our rackmount server requires only a standard 15 amp power circuit. When local on-site audio description is required (such as for council chambers or legislative assemblies), we provide a low-latency (under half a second) URL or QR code, enabling attendees to listen via phone, AirPods, or similar devices.
If your current web streaming platform cannot carry multiple audio tracks, LegislatureDV will host an accessible web player or embedded described video player at no additional cost. You can easily embed our HTML into your site or simply share it with your audience.
Inputs & outputs
SDI or HDMI in; SDI, RTMP, or SRT out. XLR audio with optional AES embedding.
Audio routing
Combine channels 1 and 2 into 3 and 4 (or 5 and 6) for clean secondary-audio embedding.
Network & power
≈2.5 Mbps up/down for typical operations; a single 15 A power circuit.
On-site listening
Low-latency (<0.5 s) URL or QR code so attendees can listen on their own phones.
Get in touch
Book a visit to the LegislatureDV Labs.
Talk to our team about right-sizing your endowment, integrating with your existing broadcast setup, or scheduling a hands-on demo.
- 1-888-511-7223 (voice or TTY)
- Send a message using the form on this page
- 200 Fairbank Avenue, Suite SO001, Toronto, Ontario M6B 1G1