Help Visitors to Toronto Find your Responsible Business

As one of the most diverse cities in the world, Toronto has a reputation for being progressive and welcoming with visitors.

To support visitors in finding businesses that meet their needs, Destination Toronto launched its Certification Badges program. Through the program, badges are added to eligible business listings on DestinationToronto.com, representing those certified in eco-sustainability, accessibility, and 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusivity.

The Certification Badges program is an opportunity to celebrate the work of certified Toronto tourism businesses, and to encourage others to pursue certifications. It also provides a clear database to draw from when Destination Toronto has a sales bid, media engagement, or marketing project that calls for us to promote responsibly-minded stakeholders.

How can you qualify for a Certification Badge?

ECO-SUSTAINABLE BADGE

Toronto businesses with the eco-sustainable badge on their listing have been certified for positive environmental practices by one of the below third-party organizations:

Certification processes vary, but typically involve:

Filling out a questionnaire about your business’ policies and practices
Gathering and providing detailed evidence to back up any claims
A review of your evidence by a professional assessor
And, if a threshold score is met, you are awarded a certification

To inspire you, here are Five Historic Toronto Buildings Restored into Green and Accessible Venues. For help understanding which certifications would be the best fit for your business, please contact partnership-team@destinationtoronto.com.

ACCESSNOW BADGE

Toronto businesses with the AccessNow badge on their listing have been “Verified” by AccessNow, an accessibility mapping company that assesses businesses for their physical and sensory accessibility. This badge signals that the business’ listing has a detailed review by a professional AccessNow mapper, with information on its entrances, washrooms, barrier-free services, physical space, staff, and audio/visual experiences.

Your business does not need to be perfectly accessible to be Verified. Rather, having an accurate description of your accessibility makes it easier for travellers with disabilities to visit with confidence, knowing what to expect.

Getting Verified is a simple process:

AccessNow will coordinate a time to send one of their mappers to your location
You provide them access to the areas they need to assess
Once they have completed an assessment, you will receive a report on their findings, a Verified review on their website, and ongoing data from the community

The AccessNow verification process can help your business identify areas for improvement. Hear from five Toronto businesses on the learnings that came out of their assessment and how they’re working to resolve accessibility gaps. To learn more, review the details of the Verified program. To sign up, contact Jonathan Marriott, AccessNow’s Director of Partnerships, at jonathan@accessnow.ca.

2SLGBTQIA+ INCLUSIVE BADGE

Toronto businesses with the 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusive badge on their listing are either 51%+ owned and operated by members of the 2SLGBTQIA+ community or are CGLCC Rainbow Registered or IGLTA Accredited.

To become Rainbow Registered, businesses must:

Review the Application Guide and assessment standards here
Fill out the Rainbow Registered Application Form here
Gather evidence to support your application and share with your CGLCC assessor
Complete an interview with the assessor
And, if the assessment standards are met, you are awarded a certification

To inspire you, here are 6ix Toronto Venues that are Rainbow Registered and the CGLCC shares how businesses can get Rainbow Registered and tips for ensuring 2SLGBTQI+ inclusion.

To become IGLTA Accredited, businesses must:

Sign up for a IGLTA account
Fill out the IGLTA Accredited Application Form here
Gather and upload evidence to support the 8-point criteria
And, if the criteria are met, you are awarded a certification

If you already qualify for a badge, how can you get the badge on your listing?

Businesses that are eligible can alert Destination Toronto by updating their Partner Portal profile. Follow the instructions in the Partner Portal How-To Guide (pages 8-10) and upload any certificates through this form. Destination Toronto will review your submission and add relevant badges to any business listings that qualify.

If your business has been recognized for your environmental or inclusivity work in a way that is not currently included on the list of third-party accreditations, please contact partnership-team@destinationtoronto.com.