Unable to flee abusive home because taxi refuses service dog

A woman from Saint-Ferréol-les-Neiges alleges that she was unable to escape a situation of domestic violence because a taxi company refused to take her and her assistance dog on board.

The Commission on Human Rights and Youth Rights (CDPDJ) sees this as discrimination based on disability or the means to compensate for this disability.

She asks the Human Rights Tribunal to take action against the driver and main shareholder of Taxi Multiservice Côte-de-Beaupré, Normand Lachance, for facts dating back to spring 2023.

Post-traumatic stress

The complainant in this story, Marie-Claude Émond, suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, panic attack disorder and severe agoraphobia.

To help her overcome her disability, she has recently used an assistance dog, we can read in the application initiating proceedings filed by the lawyers of the CDPDJ.

Engaged in a violent marital relationship, the resident of Saint-Ferréol-les-Neiges says she lives in a state of constant fear which prevents him from working.

Even though she was the owner of a vehicle at the time, Ms. Émond frequently felt unable to drive. This is particularly the case when she experiences anxiety episodes and takes medication.

Access denied

On March 23, 2023, she contacted Normand Lachance using her company’s Messenger platform to ask him if he would agree to take her animal on board in the event that she needed a transport service.

The co-owner of Taxi Multiservice Côte-de-Beaupré replied that his company’s operational policy prohibits the transport of animals. If we are to believe an exchange of text messages which was attached to the application instituting proceedings, Mr. Lachance would be allergic to animals and would like to avoid cleaning costs in the event of damage caused by them.

On April 11, 2023, Marie-Claude Émond tries to escape an episode of domestic violence, but she struggles to do so due to a lack of means of transportation. The complainant requires a taxi service […] but does not have access to it since the service was refusedwe can read in the lawsuit.

It should be noted that the court document does not specify whether Ms. Émond was refused the services of Taxi Multiservice Côte-de-Beaupré that day, or whether she attributes the refusal to the text messages she exchanged with Normand Lachance the previous month.

Furthermore, there is nothing to suggest that Mr. Lachance was aware that Ms. Émond was trying to flee a violent home.

Isolation

Never mind: in the eyes of the CDPDJhe violated the rights of Marie-Claude Émond protected by the Charter of Human Rights and Freedoms.

The independent organization accuses Normand Lachance in particular of having violated article 10 of the Charter, which prohibits any distinction, exclusion or preference based on […] disability or the use of a means to compensate for this disability.

The complainant felt isolated, alone, vulnerable and without means of transportationmove forward CDPDJ.

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She adds that the limited transport offer in Saint-Ferréol-les-Neiges prompted Marie-Claude Émond to move to an urban center in order to have a backup solution in the event that her security was compromised again. .

$6500 claimed

The Commission asks the Human Rights Tribunal to order Normand Lachance to pay it the sum of $6,500 in moral and punitive damages, and to order it to stop refusing its taxi transportation services to people accompanied by a assistance dog.

The CDPDJ also asks the court to order Mr. Lachance to ensure that his company modifies its operational policy excluding the transport of animals in order to provide an exception for service animals, and modifies the signs on its vehicles which indicate animals prohibited by adding the mention except for service animals.

With the collaboration of Yannick Bergeron