Review Panel
on the Lack of Accessible Housing in Canada

Background

Accessible housing enables people to live independently, with dignity, and free from discrimination—and is a core element of the right to housing. Canada’s third-ever review panel will examine the lack of accessible housing across the country and will focus on answering three main questions:

How is the lack of accessible housing affecting people in Canada?
What system-wide gaps, and what government actions and inactions, are getting in the way of Canada’s progress on the right to housing and the rights of persons with disabilities?
What actions and solutions should governments and communities lead to make better progress on the right to accessible housing for people with disabilities in Canada?

Written Submissions will be Accepted from March 26 to June 5, 2026.

Review Panel Members

As outlined in the National Housing Strategy Act, a review panel must consist of three members of the National Housing Council. The panel members should collectively bring human rights expertise, lived experience of marginalization, and lived experience of inadequate housing or homelessness.

The members of the accessibility review panel are:

Simon April (Chair)

Sam Watts

Teresa Goldstein

Overview of Review Panels

This review panel looking at the lack of accessible housing will be the third human rights-based review panel to ever be conducted in Canada. Review panels are critical human rights-based processes — first introduced in 2019 under the National Housing Strategy Act (NHSA) — designed to help address Canada’s growing housing and homelessness crisis.

The review typically consists of written and oral hearings where participants can share their experiences and submit evidence of systemic human rights violations within Canada’s housing system. This evidence will then be used by the review panel members to create human rights-based recommendations for the Government of Canada — the federal housing minister will then have 120 days to respond.

Learn more about review panels here.

Get Involved

Review panels consist of written and oral hearings. The written hearing portion of this review will take place March 26 to June 5, 2025.

People with lived or living experience of homelessness, organizations, housing and human rights experts, and other advocates in the accessibility space are encouraged to make a submission.

Here are some resources to help you get started:

National Housing Council:

Written Submissions FAQs

1. What is defined as "accessible housing?"

Accessible housing is defined as a home that is designed or adapted to remove barriers and enable safe, independent living for all people.

2. Why is this review panel focusing on accessibility?

Housing is a fundamental human right in Canada. That means everyone should have access to safe, affordable, and accessible housing where they can live with dignity.

When accessible housing is unavailable or inaccessible to those who need it most, people are often forced into unsafe or unsuitable housing, institutions, or isolation from their communities—undermining their independence, health, and quality of life.

In Canada, far too many people with disabilities cannot find housing that meets their needs. While 27% of the population—around 11 million people—live with a disability, our current housing system continues to leave them behind.

This gap raises serious human rights concerns and reflects Canada’s failure to fully uphold its commitments under international human rights law.

Read our information flyer to learn more.

3. Why should I participate?

Unlike most government consultations, the federal government cannot ignore the recommendations that come out of review panels—this is required under the National Housing Strategy Act (2019). Once the panel submits its final recommendations, the federal Minister of Housing must respond within 120 days.

Review panels are also one of the few formal mechanisms in Canada that centre the voices of people most affected by the housing and homelessness crisis. They are designed to hold the government accountable for its commitment to uphold housing as a human right for all—but this review process only works if people use them.

By sharing your experience, evidence, or ideas, you help shape the panel’s recommendations and strengthen accountability—pushing the Government of Canada to take meaningful action.

4. How do I participate in this review panel?

The written submission portion of this review will take place between March 26 and June 5, 2026. Stay tuned for the link to make a submission!

The oral submission portion will take place following the written hearing, which will be sometime in June 2026.

5. Where can I learn more about review panels more generally?

Check out our review panel page here.

6. Can I get more support to participate in this review panel?

Yes! Contact us and one of our team members can help guide you through the process and answer any questions you may have.

Also be sure to also check out our FAQs on our main review panel page here.