Calgary Taxi Driver Fired, Fined $700 for Refusing Blind Passenger With Guide Dog: Inspector | Toronto Star
Dave Balfour, who is legally blind, says he filed the complaint when he and his service dog were denied entry to a cab last week.
The Canadian Press, published January 14, 2016. Reprinted with permission.
From The Blind Canadian magazine, Volume 11, July 2016 (cfb.ca)
From the Blind Canadian editor: This is a perfect case example of what SHOULD happen when a blind passenger with a guide dog is refused service by a taxi driver. A definite and serious decision resulted. Calgary got it right! The BC Human Rights Tribunal should take a hard look at this Calgary case and revise its own decision regarding Graeme McCreath’s case in Victoria, BC. (See previous articles to learn more).
CALGARY—An inspector for the City of Calgary says a taxi driver has been fired and fined $700 for refusing to provide service to a passenger with a guide dog.
Mario Henriques, Calgary’s chief livery inspector, says there is no excuse for refusing a guide dog under municipal, provincial and federal legislation.
All taxis are equipped with CCTV cameras, so it was easy to review the video to get a full picture of what transpired.
The cabbie had only been licensed in Calgary for a little over a year.
Henriques says the issue is a key one covered in driver training classes, which the driver would have been required to take.
Dave Balfour, who is legally blind, says he filed the complaint after he and his service dog, McCoy, were denied entry to a cab last week.
“I was hanging out with a friend over at a local pub and called a cab to take us home, because it was very cold that night,” says Balfour. “The cab showed up, I went out to get in and he said, ‘no you can’t get in.’ I tried to reason with him a little bit, being as friendly as possible, trying to let him know this is the law and you can’t say no. And he still flat-out refused to let me in.”
Balfour says he’s had similar experiences before but on this occasion he was cold and tired and “that was the last straw.”
The 33-year-old called 311 and filed an official report with the city. Officials were quick to take action.
“The city takes these instances very seriously,” says Henriques. “It’s one of the reasons why we regulate taxis in the first place; to ensure everyone has fair equal access to transportation options.”
Balfour hopes the city’s strong and swift action will send a clear message to other drivers.
“Just awareness — it’s really all I ask for,” he says. “I’m not a vengeful person but at the same time, if I didn’t report it, it’s just going to keep happening and keep happening.”