Bill 17 as currently written would shift the focus from protecting access rights for people using guide dogs to catching impostors at the expense of law-abiding blind individuals, according to the Canadian Federation of the Blind.

“Taxis often won’t take us,” says Graeme McCreath of Victoria, who has frequently been refused service because he is accompanied by his guide dog Adrienne. “We wanted the province to clarify and strengthen enforcement of our access rights. Instead, they’re forcing us to jump through more bureaucratic hoops and creating the false presumption that we are perpetrating fraud until we prove otherwise.

Oriano Belusic, first vice-president of the Canadian Federation of the Blind and a guide dog user for more than 35 years, is waiting to see what the legislature does before deciding whether to replace his dog, Hillie, who recently died. “I love the speed and ease of movement I have always had with my dogs, but it’s not worth it if every shopkeeper, restauranteur and cab driver can demand to see my credentials. Current law presumes I have a right to go about my business. Bill 17 will force me to prove, over and over again, that I have rights. Proponents say certification is like a driver’s license, but it’s not; the police only ask to see a license when a driver appears to be doing something illegal. This bill would mean that anybody could demand to see my certification before they even let me in the door.”

The Federation estimates there are approximately 80 guide dogs in the province. “We haven’t encountered problems with people pretending to be blind in order to bring phony guide dogs into public places,” Belusic states. “For guide dog users, this proposal is a draconian solution to a nonexistent problem.”

Dr. Paul Gabias, a blind university professor in Kelowna who has trained six guide dogs, knows certification offers no protection for the public against badly behaved dogs. “Certification only proves that a team worked correctly on the day the certification was issued. I’ve seen people from fully accredited schools who have ruined dogs. I’ve seen dogs whose work has deteriorated because of trauma. I’ve also seen privately trained dogs that have worked beautifully. The law already requires that dogs be kept under control at all times and permits any business to remove a badly behaved guide dog.”

“Why is the province punishing us for the behavior of impostors without disabilities?” asks McCreath. “Why not make it an offense to misrepresent a pet as a service dog, require community service for violators, and leave our access rights intact? That’s simpler, much cheaper, and far more just than creating a new bureaucracy.”

Gabias agrees. “People determined to commit fraud will find ways to fake certification documents,” he says. “I would much rather tolerate a few bad actors than impinge upon access rights.”

“There are some very fine access improvements in Bill 17,” says Belusic. “Even so, if the focus isn’t changed from catching phonies to protecting blind people, we’ll be better off if it does not pass.”

Canadian Federation of the Blind
Tel: (250) 598-7154
Email: info@cfb.ca

About the Canadian Federation of the Blind

The Canadian Federation of the Blind (CFB) is a grassroots nonprofit organization made up of blind people working together and supporting one another to improve the quality of lives of the blind in Canada. The CFB’s goal is not only to change and improve the quality of blind Canadians’ lives, but also to educate sighted Canadians by changing the negative stigma that society has attached to blindness. The CFB is unique because it involves blind people teaching other blind people, builds on the individual strengths of each blind person, and teaches that blindness does not have to define an individual.

The organization consists of members from a diverse range of cultural and professional backgrounds, ages and ethnicities, and has a wealth of experience and information about blindness to share with the public. CFB programs are determined by membership vote and directed by an elected executive. All voting members, including all members of the executive, are blind.