TIMES COLONIST, SEPTEMBER 23, 2017
Re: “Taxi driver has rights in dispute with passenger,” letter, Sept. 21.
Guide dogs can greatly increase accessibility for the blind, but
unfortunately they can also result in them being discriminated against and refused services. As a result, governments have passed legislation (e.g.,
Guide and Service Dog Act) to explicitly protect the rights of the blind and to prohibit anyone from denying them access to public buildings or public services. There are no exceptions or exemptions in the legislation.
While I sympathize with individuals who have allergies to dogs, it is incorrect to portray this as an example of competing legal “rights.”
One does not have a legislative right to be a taxicab driver or a server in a restaurant. As he is blind,