Alberta, Canada Muslim Cab Drivers Refuse Passage to Woman and Service Dog
Here we go again… If you can’t do a job because of your religion get another job. I don’t care if your religion says that you can’t touch dogs. Sorry, but tough. If the law of the your new land says that you have to carry service dogs then you have to follow the law. If you can’t for ANY reason then get another job. Work somewhere else that won’t offend your religion.
In the meantime, if your job is to serve the public then you MUST obey the law.
Now I don’t care what religion anyone holds but people and service dogs are protected by the law. So if these Muslim taxi drivers won’t live up to their requirements then PULL THEIR LICENSES!!!!
How about suing these cab companies that aid and abet unlawful cab drivers? A couple of large punitive suits against these firms will change their minds fairly quickly.
For more information on this issue, check out previous blog posts on this topic:
St. Paul-Minneapolis Muslim Taxi Cab Drivers Refuse Service to People with Service Dogs and Alcohol
Minnesota Airport Authority Cracks Down on Muslim Cab Drivers Refusing To Carry Dogs
Australian Taxis Refusing Service to Service Dogs
London Taxi Refuses To Carry Blind Woman and Service Dog — Against His Beliefs
Thanks to the GlobeandMail.com for this article.
Taxis refuse blind woman accompanied by guide dog
CHUCK CHIANG
The Canadian Press
December 5, 2007FORT McMURRAY, ALTA. — The co-ordinator of an Alberta council representing the disabled says she was left with a sour taste in her mouth after being refused a ride by a line of taxis in Fort McMurray because she was accompanied by her guide dog.
Diane Bergeron’s plane was already five hours late when she arrived just before midnight Sunday.Tired, and with a 9 a.m. speaking appointment the next day, she tried to hail a cab to transport her to a hotel.
“There was a whole line of 10, 15 taxis waiting outside [the airport terminal],” said Ms. Bergeron, who is blind and is usually accompanied by her guide dog, Max. “Not one would take me because of my dog.”
A bystander at the airport eventually gave her a lift into town.
Despite provincial and municipal laws aimed at protecting the rights of people with guide dogs, Ms. Bergeron’s experience isn’t uncommon, said a spokeswoman with a national non-profit agency providing services to blind Canadians.
“It happens frequently, everywhere,” said Ellie Shuster, an Edmonton-based spokeswoman with the CNIB.
Ms. Shuster said provincial laws include the Blind Persons’ Rights Act, which says no one can be denied access because of a guide dog. A similar bylaw exists in the municipal codes of Wood Buffalo, the sprawling region which includes Fort McMurray.
“They’re not allowed to refuse,” said Jeanne Goudie, the region’s chief taxi inspector, adding that fines start at $100.
Fort McMurray is not alone in dealing with the issue. This summer, a taxi company agreed to pay a blind Vancouver man $2,500 after one of its drivers refused to pick him up because he was accompanied by his guide dog.
About a month earlier, a Calgary judge found a driver guilty of discrimination for the same reason and fined him $300 under the Blind Persons’ Rights Act.
Several Fort McMurray taxi companies said certain drivers will not carry dogs as passengers.
“We can’t make the drivers do it,” said Ron MacNeill, owner of Sun Taxi, who added some employees cite allergies or religious convictions as reasons for denying service.
Mr. MacNeill added that his company can accommodate guide dogs if notified in advance. Mustapha Hemeid, manager at Access Taxi, echoed Mr. MacNeill’s statements.
“Not every driver will do it,” Mr. Hemeid said about carrying the dogs. “But we do have optional drivers who can, and if you call ahead, we’ll do it.”
The policy at Fort McMurray Airport is to provide the service, said spokeswoman Sally Beaven.
“Their agreement [with the airport] is that they’ll not refuse any fares,” she said, adding that management has talked to cab companies about the issue. “This shouldn’t happen.”
Ms. Bergeron, the co-ordinator with the Premier’s Council on the Status of Persons with Disabilities, was in town to speak at a workshop on how hospitality and retail businesses can work with people with disabilities.
Follow this link to read the rest of the article.
Being a person who is disabled with a service animal, I find that disturbing that these “immigrants” choose to come to America and yet refuse to adhere to state and federal laws protecting citizens of this country. In my opinion, it’s bad enough that there are now drivers license tests given in 10 different languages; they can’t speak or communicate in English unless they are telling you how much money you owe them. I live in a neigborhood that is chock full of immigrants from eastern europe and the middle east. I used to hold respect for many of the immigrants; my parents having come from europe during WWII, I no longer, side or want to be around them because they come to this country, enjoy our freedoms and liberties and take advantage of the system to discriminate and give problems to AMerican citizens and the disabled. I have been victim of discrimination by these same immigrants because of my service dog, pretending they dont speak english, my ass! You don’t like our laws, get the hell out of town and back to your countries that you fleed for lack of rights!
Tell it like it is Bob and Pita !
this is outrageous ! a line of cabs & no one will give her a lift ? come on ! i ‘m not anti immigrant but if you can’t do your job or follow the rules …. just like me ….. you should be fired. hope they take this further & sue the company. Canada is known for welcoming immigrants & we are proud of our cultural differences ….. its what makes us Canadian …. being tolerant ….. i guess when you come from other courtries this concept is hard to accept …. mabe they should include teaching tolerance along with the oath of allegience.
It used to be because you were African American that you couldn’t get a ride. Could you imagine if you were African American with a Dog?? You would be walking in the snow
If you come to this side of the pond from an oppressed nation embrace the culture. That includes dogs.
No disabled person should be treated like that, if those taxi drivers have a religious or medical reason for not transporting a dog then they shouldn’t serve the airport, they should stay in the streets. This is ridiculous bordering on just plain stupid, but mostly it is sad and unfair.
“some of the drivers won’t do it” How about “The ones who won’t do it will have to find new jobs.”
I am utterly outraged. I agree with Bob–if you don’t like our rules and customs, go back to your own country. I’ll be posting this on my blog as well.
Clearly this happened in Canada, because if it was in the U.S. I have one word to say, LAWSUIT. The ADA requires fair treatment for people with disabilities and to deny a service dog access to a cab is outrageous. The airport should ban that company from being able to pick up passengers. I hope it doesn’t happen in the US……