Annual Light It Up! For NDEAM
On October 15, Canada Lights Up.
From city halls and office towers to community centres and local landmarks, organizations across the country will illuminate their buildings in purple and blue in recognition of National Disability Employment Awareness Month.
Join hundreds of organizations in demonstrating your commitment to disability-inclusive employment and help shine a light on the skills, talents, and contributions of people who have a disability.
One night. Hundreds of locations. One shared commitment to inclusion.
QUICK LINKS:
Submit locations | PR Kit | List of 2026 locations | Light It Up! For NDEAM Ambassadors League | Frequently Asked Questions
Why Light It Up?
More than 740,000 working-age Canadians who have a disability have work potential but are not currently participating in the labour force.
People who have a disability contribute valuable skills, perspectives, and experiences to workplaces across Canada. Yet many continue to face barriers to employment and career advancement.
Light It Up! For NDEAM™ shines a spotlight on the importance of creating workplaces where everyone has the opportunity to succeed. It is an opportunity for organizations to raise awareness, demonstrate leadership, and join a growing national movement supporting disability-inclusive employment.
When people who have a disability have the opportunity to contribute their skills and talents, communities become stronger, businesses gain access to a broader talent pool, and Canada’s economy benefits.
2026 Participating Locations and Communities
These are the 46 locations and 31 communities that have confirmed they’re participating in 2026:
Updated: Aug 19 , 2026 at 12:55 PM ET
NEWFOUNDLAND and LABRADOR — 10 locations | 6 communities
Grand Falls-Windsor
Town Hall
Happy Valley Goose-Bay
Town Hall
Port aux Basques
Town Hall
Springdale
Town Hall
St. Anthony
Town Hall
St. John’s
Avalon Employment Office
Cabot Tower at Signal Hill National Historic Site
City Hall
Confederation Building
St. John’s Convention Centre
PRINCE EDWARD ISLAND — 0 locations | 0 communities
NOVA SCOTIA — 0 locations | 0 communities
NEW BRUNSWICK — 0 locations | 0 communities
QUEBEC — 0 locations | 0 communities
ONTARIO — 16 locations | 15 communities
Amherstburg
Town Hall
Brampton
Brampton City Hall clock tower
Brant
Penman’s Dam
Burlington
Brant Pier Street
Hamilton
Hamilton Sign
Georgian Bluffs – Owen Sound
Township Building
Niagara
Niagara Sign
Kitchner
City Hall
Uptown Waterloo BIA – King Street
London
Fanshaw College
North Bay
Community Living North Bay Main Office
Prescott
CSE Consulting – South Grenville Office
St. Thomas
“Jumbo” Monument
Tecumseh
Town Hall
Toronto
3D Toronto Sign
CN Tower
Vaughan
City Hall
Whitby
Abilities Centre Windows
MANITOBA — 5 locations | 2 communities
Selkirk
Connections to Employment
Winnipeg
308-131 Provencher Blvd
Reaching E-Quality Employment Services
Red River College Polytechnic – Exchange District Campus – Roblin Centre and the Paterson Global Foods Institute
WASO Employment Services
SASKATCHEWAN — 0 locations | 0 communities
ALBERTA — 1 location | 1 community
Fort McMurray
Saline Creek Pedestrian Bridge
BRITISH COLUMBIA — 8 locations | 2 communities
Burnaby
City Hall
Guideway
Ladysmith
Ladysmith Signature Sign – Bob Stuart Park and 1st Ave
Nanaimo
City Hall
Okotoks
Municipal Building
Vancouver
Vancouver Convention Centre
Victoria
Legislative Assembly of BC — Ceremonial Entrance, Centre Fountain, Centennial (Back) Fountain, Confederation Park Garden and Waterfall
Williams Lake
City Hall
YUKON — 0 locations | 0 communities
NORTHWEST TERRITORIES — 5 locations | 2 communities
Inuvik
Inuvik Works
Town Hall
Tourism Centre
Yellowknife
Arthur Laing Building – Franklin Ave Side
Explorer Hotel
NUNAVUT — 0 location | 0 communities
How You Can Participate
Whether you’re illuminating a landmark, engaging employees, hosting a community activity, or sharing your support online, there are many ways to participate in Light It Up! For NDEAM™.
| Employers |
| Demonstrate your commitment to disability-inclusive employment by lighting up your workplace in purple and blue. Alternatively, your team can wear purple and blue. |
| Municipalities & Public Institutions |
| Help make disability inclusion visible across your community by illuminating municipal buildings, landmarks, bridges, public spaces, or community facilities. Consider issuing a proclamation or sharing campaign messages with residents. |
| Employment Service Providers |
| Lead local participation efforts by recruiting employers, municipalities, landmarks, and community partners. Promote Light It Up! For NDEAM™ within your network and help raise awareness of disability-inclusive employment in your community. |
| Community Organizations & Landmarks |
| Join organizations across Canada in raising awareness of disability-inclusive employment. Light up your building or landmark, share your participation online, and help inspire conversations about inclusion in your community. |
Participating in Light It Up! For NDEAM is easy
Use the resources in the Light It Up! For NDEAM PR Kit to get involved in lighting up the nation purple and blue on October 16! The Kit has all the resources you need to learn about the event, spread the word about it, submit lighting requests and show your support by wearing purple and blue the day of Light It Up! for NDEAM.
Access the PR Kit
Promotional Material
Post Cards
(All PDFs have printer’s marks for commercial printing; bilingual on reverse side)
- Generic Version
- Newfoundland & Labrador Version
- New Brunswick Version
- Prince Edward Island Version
- Nova Scotia Version
- Quebec Version
- Ontario Version
- Manitoba Version
- Saskatchewan Version
- Alberta Version
- British Columbia Version
- Nunavut Version
- Northwest Territories Version
Templates
- Lighting request email/letter template (Microsoft® Word)
- Member of Provincial Parliament/Member of the Legislative Assembly email template (Microsoft® Word)
Tip Sheets & FAQs
Graphics
- Apparel artwork (PDF, bilingual)
Accéder au kit RP
Matériel promotionnel
Cartes postales
(Tous les PDF ont des marques d’impression pour l’impression commerciale; bilingue au verso)
- Version générique
- Version de Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador
- Version de l’Île-du-Prince-Édouard
- Version de Nouveau-Brunswick
- Version de la Nouvelle-Écosse
- Version de Québec
- Version de l’Ontario
- Version de Manitoba
- Version de Saskatchewan
- Version de l’Alberta
- Version de Colombie-Britannique
- Version de Nunavut
- Version de Territoires du Nord-Ouest
Fiche-conseils et questions fréquemment posées
- 7 conseils pour prendre de superbes photos la nuit (PDF)
- Questions fréquement posées On illumine la nuit ! pour le MNSEPSH (PDF)
Graphisme
- Oeuvre de vêtements (PDF , bilingue)
Light It Up! For NDEAM Photo & Video Gallery
From the Terry Fox Memorial at Mile Zero in St. John’s, to the Vancouver Convention Centre on the West Coast, we’ve put together a collection of some of the best images of structures and landmarks around the country that have illuminated purple and blue for Light It Up! For NDEAM.
Visit the gallery
Watch and share these Light It Up! For NDEAM highlights videos:
- National highlights (2024)
- National highlights (2022)
- Atlantic Canada highlights (2021)
- Ontario highlights (2021)
- Western Canada highlights (2021)
Media & Interview Requests
For media inquiries, interview opportunities, campaign information, or requests to connect with participating organizations, please contact:
Pawrnaa Perinpanayagam
Communications Strategist
pperinpanayagam@odenetwork.com
Brief History: From One Night to a National Movement
What began as a one-night lighting event in Ontario has grown into a national movement that brings together employers, municipalities, community organizations, landmarks, governments, and Employment Service Providers to promote disability-inclusive employment across Canada.
-
2020
- 28 locations illuminated across 16 Ontario communities
- First-ever province-wide lighting event for National Disability Employment Awareness Month
-
2021
- Expanded nationally for the first time
- Over 300 locations participated across all 10 provinces and two territories
- Federal government participation begins
-
2022
- Nearly 440 locations participated nationwide
- Government of Ontario participates for the first time
- Light It Up! For NDEAM™ continues to grow beyond a lighting event into a national awareness movement
-
2023
- 641 locations illuminated across 147 communities
- 45 federal buildings participated nationwide
- Record participation and growing community engagement across Canada
-
2024
- 833 locations illuminated across 199 communities
- Participation in every province and territory
- 49 federal buildings and 21 provincial government buildings participated nationwide
-
2025
- 908 locations illuminated across Canada across 150 communities
- 55 federal buildings and 14 provincial government buildings participated nationwide
- Saskatchewan surpassed 200 participating locations, more than doubling participation from the previous year
- Participation in the Northwest Territories and Yukon doubled, reflecting growing momentum across Northern Canada
Today, Light It Up! For NDEAM™ is one of Canada’s largest disability employment awareness initiatives, engaging hundreds of communities and organizations from coast to coast to coast in a shared commitment to disability-inclusive employment.
Take the next step and submit your Light It Up! For NDEAM locations today!
YES, I want to submit a location now!
Have a question or need guidance?
- Our FAQs page answers key questions about how Light It Up! For NDEAM works
- Email us at info@odenetwork.com
