What does Quebec’s SGQRI 008 3.0 standard require of municipal websites?

Source: official page of Quebec’s web accessibility standard (SGQRI 008 3.0), Ministère de la Cybersécurité et du Numérique, Québec.ca, consulted October 2026.

Quebec’s web accessibility standard, SGQRI 008 3.0, in force since April 29, 2024, targets WCAG 2.1 level AA with two exceptions, plus three AAA criteria and seven WCAG 2.2 criteria. It also requires an “Accessibility” link on every page. It applies to public bodies covered by Quebec’s information resources governance act, and serves as the benchmark for any public website in Quebec.

A resident looking for a boil-water notice or a permit form should find it, whether they navigate by keyboard, with a screen reader or on an old phone. This article sums up the standard for municipalities preparing a website redesign. For hands-on support, see our page on accessible websites for municipalities and public bodies.

Who the standard applies to

The standard applies to public bodies covered by section 2 of Quebec’s Act respecting the governance and management of the information resources of public bodies and government enterprises. It stems from the government policy on access to documents and services for people with disabilities.

For a municipality, the exact scope depends on its situation: confirm it with the Office des personnes handicapées du Québec or the municipality’s legal counsel. In practice, SGQRI 008 has become the reference for public websites in Quebec. The safest course is to adopt it as a target from the design stage.

It applies to all new web content and to significant changes to existing content. A full redesign is therefore the best time to reach compliance.

The requirements

WCAG 2.1: the core

WCAG 2.2: seven added criteria

The “Accessibility” page

Every page must link to an “Accessibility” page that includes a link to the official standard, the name and version of each assistive technology used to check compliance, a description of each icon used on the site, and an offer of assistance.

Exemptions and exceptional circumstances

Some content can be exempted, such as third-party content, social media, live video, dynamic interactive maps, raw open data and image-scanned documents, provided it carries a notice and an accessible version or assistance is offered on request. Urgent content, for instance on health or safety, can be published immediately even if not compliant, with an offer of assistance.

What usually needs attention on a municipal site

• PDF documents such as minutes, bylaws and public notices. An image-scanned PDF can’t be read by a screen reader.
• Online forms for permits, registrations and requests: labels, error messages, keyboard navigation.
• Interactive maps, often exempt but needing an alternative.
• Council meeting videos, which need captions when prerecorded.
• Colour contrast on brightly branded city sites.
• Carousels and pop-ups, often hard to use by keyboard.

Fixing a site after the fact costs more than designing it accessibly. Colours, heading structure, button sizes and menus are decided at the mockup stage.

The steps to compliance

1. Audit with automated tools and manual testing, by keyboard and screen reader.
2. Plan what can be fixed and what needs a redesign, prioritizing the services residents use most.
3. Design mockups checked for accessibility before development.
4. Build compliant code and plain-language content, with accessible documents.
5. Verify before launch, using the assistive technologies declared on the Accessibility page.
6. Train the teams who publish news and notices.
7. Monitor new WCAG versions, as the standard requires.

In a call for tenders

A municipality can specify SGQRI 008 3.0 compliance as a requirement rather than an option; expected deliverables such as an audit report, the Accessibility page and a pre-launch test report; the assistive technologies used for checks; and team training and post-launch support. Proposals can then be compared on a common basis.

FAQ

Does SGQRI 008 3.0 replace the previous version? Yes, for new content and significant changes since April 29, 2024. Existing content remains under the previous version until it’s redesigned.

Do we need to reach level AAA? No. The general target is AA, with only a few specific AAA criteria required.

Are PDF documents covered? Yes. Downloadable documents must be structured and readable by a screen reader, or offered in an accessible format.

Are automated tools enough? No. They catch only part of the issues. Manual testing by keyboard and with a screen reader is essential.

An accessible public website isn’t one more constraint. It’s a service to every resident, without exception.

Preparing a redesign or a call for tenders? Let’s talk. Book a meeting