Book Depot Inc. ("Book Depot," "we," "us," or "our") is committed to ensuring digital accessibility for people with disabilities. We are continually working to improve the accessibility and usability of our website to provide equal access to all of our users.
As a company headquartered in Ontario, Book Depot Inc. is committed to meeting its obligations under the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA). We have developed a multi-year accessibility plan that outlines our strategy to prevent and remove barriers to accessibility. This plan is available upon request. We will file accessibility compliance reports as required by the AODA.
We strive to ensure that our website is accessible to people with disabilities, including those who use assistive technologies such as screen readers, screen magnifiers, speech recognition software, and alternative input devices.
Our goal is to align our website with the principles of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA, which are internationally recognized standards for web accessibility. These guidelines explain how to make web content more accessible for people with disabilities and more user-friendly for everyone.
Book Depot takes the following measures to ensure accessibility of our website:
Include accessibility as part of our mission statement and company values
Provide ongoing accessibility training for our staff
Assign clear accessibility goals and responsibilities
Employ formal accessibility quality assurance methods
Conduct ongoing accessibility testing and monitoring
We have incorporated a number of accessibility features into our website design, such as keyboard navigation support and providing text alternatives for non-text content, to improve the user experience for all visitors. Our ongoing efforts focus on:
Clear and consistent navigation structure
Sufficient color contrast
Readable and understandable content
Resizable text without loss of functionality
Descriptive page titles and headings
We welcome your feedback on our accessibility efforts. You may also request a copy of our multi-year accessibility plan in an accessible format. If you encounter accessibility barriers or have suggestions for improvement, please contact us using the information at the end of this page. We aim to respond to accessibility feedback within 5 business days.
While we strive to ensure our website is accessible, we link to third-party websites (including our brand websites and our career portal hosted by ADP Workforce) that are beyond our control. We cannot guarantee the accessibility of content on external sites. Each of these sites maintains its own accessibility policies and practices.
Accessibility is an ongoing effort. We are continually seeking solutions to improve the accessibility of our website and bring it into compliance with accessibility standards. We review and update this Accessibility Statement as we make improvements.
Book Depot Inc. ("Book Depot") is an equal opportunity employer committed to creating and maintaining an inclusive and diverse workplace. We are dedicated to providing equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment.
This commitment means we provide equal opportunity without regard to any characteristic protected by applicable law. These protections vary by jurisdiction and include, but are not limited to, the following:
In Canada: Race, national or ethnic origin, colour, religion, age, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, marital status, family status, genetic characteristics, disability, and conviction for an offence for which a pardon has been granted or a record suspended, as protected under the Canadian Human Rights Act. In Ontario, protections also include citizenship, ethnic origin, ancestry, place of origin, creed, family status, and record of offences, as defined by the Ontario Human Rights Code.
In the United States: Race, color, religion, sex (including pregnancy, sexual orientation, and gender identity), national origin, age (40 or older), disability, and genetic information, as protected by federal laws including Title VII of the Civil Rights Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and the Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA). Protections may be broader under applicable state and local laws.
This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including but not limited to:
Recruiting and hiring
Compensation and benefits
Professional development and training
Promotions and transfers
Social and recreational programs
Layoffs and terminations
Disciplinary actions
All other employment-related activities
Book Depot prohibits discrimination and harassment of any kind. We are committed to providing a work environment free from harassment, intimidation, and coercion. All employees, applicants, contractors, and visitors have the right to be treated with dignity and respect.
Any employee found to have engaged in discriminatory or harassing conduct will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including termination of employment.
Book Depot is committed to engaging in a collaborative and interactive process to provide reasonable accommodations for disabilities and religious beliefs/practices to qualified individuals, unless doing so would impose an undue hardship on the business.
To initiate a request for accommodation, employees or applicants should contact our Human Resources department or Compliance Officer. We are committed to working with individuals to identify effective accommodations that enable them to perform the essential functions of their position or to participate fully in the application process.
Book Depot complies with all applicable employment laws, including but not limited to:
Canadian Human Rights Act
Employment Equity Act
Ontario Human Rights Code
Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA)
Provincial employment standards legislation
Title VII of the Civil Rights Act of 1964
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Age Discrimination in Employment Act (ADEA)
Equal Pay Act
Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act (GINA)
State and local fair employment practice laws
Employees or applicants who believe they have been discriminated against or harassed, or who have witnessed such conduct, are encouraged to report it immediately using the contact information at the end of this page.
Book Depot prohibits retaliation against any individual who reports discrimination or harassment or participates in an investigation of such reports.
Employment opportunities at Book Depot are posted through our career portal. All applicants are evaluated based on their qualifications and ability to perform the essential functions of the position, with or without reasonable accommodation.
This policy reflects Book Depot's commitment to equal employment opportunity and is applied consistently across all of our brands and operating companies, including Book Depot, Book Outlet, American Book Company, and Kidsbooks Publishing.
This report is made pursuant to Canada's Fighting Against Forced Labour and Child Labour in Supply Chains Act (the "Act"). This report outlines the steps Book Depot Inc. ("Book Depot") has taken during the financial year ending 2026 to prevent and reduce the risk that forced labour or child labour is used at any step of the production of goods by Book Depot or of goods imported into Canada by Book Depot.
Book Depot Inc. is a Canadian corporation headquartered in Thorold, Ontario, Canada. We operate a family of brands in the book retail and publishing industry across Canada and the United States.
Book Depot and Book Outlet:
Retail sale of bargain books, book subscription box services, and related products including games, toys, puzzles, and reading accessories
American Book Company:
Educational materials and publishing
Kidsbooks Publishing:
Children's book publishing, including the recent acquisition of Out of the Box Publishing, a UK-based publisher
Our supply chains include entities located in Canada, the United States, the United Kingdom, and other international jurisdictions. Key supply chain components include:
Publishers and book suppliers (domestic and international)
Printing and manufacturing partners
Paper and materials suppliers
Warehouse and logistics providers
Technology and service providers
Packaging and promotional material suppliers
As an importer and distributor of books and related products, we recognize that our international supply chain presents potential risks related to forced labour and child labour, particularly in regions with weaker labour protections.
Book Depot has zero tolerance for forced labour and child labour in our operations and supply chains. We are committed to conducting business ethically and responsibly.
We have implemented the following policies related to forced labour and child labour:
Code of Business Conduct:
Establishes our commitment to ethical business practices and respect for human rights
Supplier Standards:
Requires suppliers to comply with all applicable labour laws and prohibits the use of forced labour, child labour, or any form of modern slavery
Procurement Policy:
Incorporates human rights considerations into supplier selection and evaluation
Our due diligence processes to identify and address forced labour and child labour risks include:
Risk Assessment:
We conduct risk assessments of our supply chain based on geographic location, industry sector, and type of products sourced
Supplier Evaluation:
We evaluate potential suppliers' commitment to ethical labour practices before entering into business relationships
Contractual Requirements: We include contractual provisions requiring suppliers to:
Comply with all applicable laws relating to forced labour and child labour
Warrant that they do not use forced labour or child labour
Permit audits and provide information upon request
Supplier Communication:
We communicate our expectations regarding forced labour and child labour to our suppliers
Monitoring:
We monitor supplier compliance through various means, including questionnaires and risk-based assessments
Through our risk assessment process, we have identified the following areas as potentially higher risk for forced labour or child labour:
International printing and manufacturing of books and related products, particularly in jurisdictions with documented labour rights concerns
Raw materials sourcing (paper, textiles, plastics) from regions with higher prevalence of labour exploitation
Complex, multi-tier supply chains where visibility into lower-tier suppliers is limited
During the reporting period, we have taken the following steps:
Conducted a mapping exercise to identify higher-risk suppliers and geographies
Implemented a supplier self-assessment questionnaire to gather information about labour practices
Prioritized direct engagement with key suppliers to discuss our expectations
Enhanced contractual terms with major suppliers to include specific prohibitions on forced labour and child labour
Reserved the right to conduct audits of higher-risk suppliers
During the reporting period, we did not identify any instances of forced labour or child labour in our operations or supply chains.
Should we identify forced labour or child labour, our remediation process would include:
Immediate engagement with the supplier to understand the situation
Requiring the supplier to take corrective action within a specified timeframe
Providing support for remediation where appropriate
Terminating the relationship if the supplier fails to remediate or if the violation is severe
Reporting to appropriate authorities as required by law
We have not identified any loss of income to vulnerable families resulting from measures taken to eliminate forced labour or child labour during the reporting period.
Should such situations arise, we are committed to working with affected suppliers and other stakeholders to address income loss in a manner that does not increase vulnerability, such as:
Supporting transition to alternative, legitimate employment
Ensuring any remediation does not result in children being placed in worse situations
Working with local organizations and experts to design appropriate responses
During the reporting period, we have provided training on forced labour and child labour to employees involved in:
Procurement and supply chain management
Compliance and legal functions
Senior management
Training topics include:
Understanding forced labour and child labour indicators
Assessing supply chain risks
Our policies and due diligence processes
Reporting mechanisms for concerns
We are committed to expanding our training program to additional employees in future reporting periods.
We assess the effectiveness of our actions to prevent and reduce risks of forced labour and child labour through the following measures:
Supplier Engagement:
Tracking the number and percentage of key suppliers that have completed our self-assessment questionnaire and acknowledged our supplier standards
Contractual Coverage:
Monitoring the percentage of supplier contracts that include forced labour and child labour provisions
Training Completion:
Tracking completion rates for training programs
Risk Assessment Reviews:
Conducting periodic reviews of our supply chain risk assessment and updating it based on new information
Incident Tracking:
Maintaining records of any concerns raised and actions taken
Number of suppliers assessed for forced labour and child labour risks: [INSERT NUMBER]
Percentage of key suppliers with contractual provisions addressing forced labour and child labour: [INSERT PERCENTAGE]
Number of employees trained on forced labour and child labour: [INSERT NUMBER]
Number of supplier audits conducted: [INSERT NUMBER]
We recognize that assessing effectiveness is an ongoing process, and we are committed to refining our metrics and processes in future reporting periods.
This statement is made pursuant to Section 54 of the UK Modern Slavery Act 2015 and constitutes the slavery and human trafficking statement for Book Depot Inc. and its subsidiary Kidsbooks Publishing (including Out of the Box Publishing) (collectively, the "Group") for the financial year ending [INSERT DATE].
Book Depot Inc. is a Canadian corporation headquartered in Thorold, Ontario, Canada. Through our subsidiary Kidsbooks Publishing, we operate Out of the Box Publishing, a UK-based children's book publisher. This creates a UK business presence that requires compliance with the Modern Slavery Act 2015.
The Group operates across multiple jurisdictions, including Canada, the United States, and the United Kingdom, in the book retail and publishing industry.
The Group's business includes:
Retail sale of bargain books and related products (Book Depot, Book Outlet)
Book subscription box services
Children's book publishing (Kidsbooks Publishing, Out of the Box Publishing)
Educational publishing (American Book Company)
Distribution of books, games, toys, puzzles, and reading accessories
Our supply chains include:
Publishers and book suppliers (domestic and international)
Printing and manufacturing partners across multiple countries
Paper and materials suppliers
Warehouse and logistics providers
Technology and service providers
Packaging and promotional material suppliers
We recognize that our international supply chain, particularly printing and manufacturing operations, presents potential risks related to modern slavery and human trafficking.
The Group is committed to ensuring that there is no modern slavery or human trafficking in our supply chains or in any part of our business. We have zero tolerance for slavery and human trafficking.
We are committed to acting ethically and with integrity in all our business relationships and to implementing and enforcing effective systems and controls to ensure slavery and human trafficking is not taking place anywhere in our supply chains.
We expect all those in our supply chain and contractors to:
Comply with all applicable laws, regulations, and industry standards relating to slavery, servitude, forced or compulsory labour, and human trafficking
Provide workers with freely chosen employment
Not use child labour, forced labour, bonded labour, or involuntary labour of any kind
Provide safe and healthy working conditions
Treat workers with dignity and respect
Pay fair wages that meet or exceed legal minimum requirements
Respect workers' rights to freedom of association and collective bargaining
Maintain accurate employment records
Provide reasonable working hours
The Group undertakes due diligence when considering new suppliers and regularly reviews existing suppliers. Our due diligence processes include:
Conducting supply chain mapping to identify higher-risk categories (e.g., printing, manufacturing, raw materials)
Assessing geographic risk based on known prevalence of modern slavery
Evaluating sector-specific risks in the publishing and retail supply chain
Evaluating potential suppliers' commitment to ethical business practices and labour standards
Requiring suppliers to complete self-assessment questionnaires regarding their labour practices
Prioritizing engagement with key strategic suppliers to communicate our expectations
Implementing a risk-based due diligence framework that includes requiring contractual warranties of compliance with all applicable anti-slavery and forced labour laws
Reserving contractual rights to conduct independent audits of higher-risk suppliers
Including provisions allowing termination for non-compliance with modern slavery standards
Conducting risk-based assessments of supplier compliance
Investigating concerns or allegations related to modern slavery
Working with industry partners and third-party organizations to enhance monitoring capabilities
We include provisions in our supplier contracts that require compliance with applicable laws relating to slavery and human trafficking. We reserve the right to:
Request evidence of compliance with our standards
Conduct audits or inspections of supplier facilities
Terminate our relationship with any supplier found to be involved in modern slavery or human trafficking practices
We are committed to building awareness of modern slavery and human trafficking risks within our organization. We provide training to relevant employees involved in:
Procurement and supply chain management
Compliance and legal functions
Publishing operations at Out of the Box Publishing and Kidsbooks Publishing
Training covers:
Understanding modern slavery and human trafficking indicators and red flags
Our policies and expectations
Due diligence processes and risk assessment
Reporting mechanisms for concerns
We assess the effectiveness of our actions to address modern slavery and human trafficking through:
Supply Chain Transparency:
Percentage of key suppliers that have completed our ethical labour practices assessment
Contractual Coverage:
Percentage of supplier agreements that include modern slavery provisions
Training Metrics:
Number and percentage of relevant employees who have completed modern slavery awareness training
Risk Assessment Coverage:
Proportion of supply chain spend covered by risk assessment processes
Issue Resolution:
Documentation of any concerns raised and corrective actions taken
If we identify potential modern slavery or human trafficking in our supply chains, we are committed to:
Investigating the matter thoroughly and promptly
Requiring immediate corrective action from the supplier
Working with the supplier to implement sustainable remediation measures
Ensuring any remediation protects the interests of affected workers
Terminating the relationship if the supplier fails to adequately address the issue
Reporting to appropriate authorities as required by law
We recognize that preventing modern slavery and human trafficking is an ongoing effort. We are committed to:
Continuously improving our due diligence processes and risk assessment methodologies
Engaging with industry peers, civil society organizations, and stakeholders on best practices
Expanding our training and awareness programs
Enhancing our supply chain transparency
Strengthening our monitoring and verification mechanisms
Updating this statement annually to reflect our progress
If you have any questions regarding these policies or your other interactions with Book Depot Inc. please contact us at:
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 800-801-7193
Mail: Book Depot, Attn: Compliance 67 Front Street North Thorold, Ontario Canada, L2V 1X3