'It's an awful feeling': Blind woman denied Uber ride twice due to her service dog
A blind woman is speaking out after she says she was denied an Uber ride twice because of her guide dog.
Veronika Kanya called to get an Uber ride in Winnipeg on Sunday. When it showed up, Kanya said the driver told her he wouldn’t drive her and her service dog.
Then, when a replacement Uber came, the same thing happened again.
“I love this guide,” Kanya said. “I love all my guide dogs and it's just painful. Very frustrating when I get denied a service because of him.”
After waiting half an hour outside of her home, a third Uber finally agreed to drive them.
Kanya has been blind for more than two decades and says over the years she has been denied rides because of her guides, but it has been happening less and less.
“Just of nowhere I get these two in a row,” she said. "It’s an awful feeling.”
She says the drivers told her it was against Uber’s policy to have dogs in the vehicle, but Uber says this is not the case.
“We are disappointed by Veronika’s experience, and we share in her frustration,” the company said in an email to CTV News.
Uber also says a special team is looking into what happened.
“It is a contravention of someone’s human rights to deny them access to services on the basis of their service animal,” Karen Sharma, the executive director of the Manitoba Human Rights Commission said.
She says common reasons for people denying service are that they have anxiety about dogs, or that they have allergies. Sharma says without medical documentation, it is illegal to deny the service.
The Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB) says instances like Kanya’s often go unreported because people are typically in a rush and don't have the time to report it, or they did not get the driver’s information.
“Guide dogs belong everywhere,” CNIB Advocacy and Community Outreach Lead Viva Dabee said. “It is the law. Wherever a person working with a guide dog would have access to in a public space, they are allowed to go.”
Kanya wants others to be aware of what happened to her.
“I’m going to look at this as an opportunity for change. An opportunity for awareness and opportunity for education,” she said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Prince William says wife Kate is 'doing well'
Prince William said on Friday his wife Kate was 'doing well' in a rare public comment about the Princess of Wales as she undergoes preventative chemotherapy for cancer.
BREAKING Canadian Blood Services apologizes to LGBTQ2S+ community for discriminatory blood donation policy
Canadian Blood Services issued an apology on Friday to the LGBTQ2S+ community for what it now admits was a harmful and discriminatory blood donation policy that prevented sexually active men who have sex with men and some trans people from donating blood and plasma.
BREAKING 'Just wait': Toronto mayor hints that WNBA team is coming to the city amid multiple reports
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow says that she is hopeful an announcement could be made soon amid multiple reports that a WNBA team is coming to Toronto in 2026.
Magnitude 4.2 earthquake reported off Vancouver Island's west coast
A 4.2-magnitude earthquake was recorded west of Vancouver Island early Friday morning.
Ontario coroner to investigate death of man who suffered cardiac arrest while waiting in ER
A provincial coroner will be investigating the death of 68-year-old David Lippert, who suffered a cardiac arrest while waiting in a crowded emergency room in Kitchener, Ont.
'Irate male' assaulted Newfoundland officers with block of cheese, police say
Police in Newfoundland say patrol officers were assaulted Thursday by a "very irate male" wielding a block of cheese.
Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
Average hourly wage in Canada now $34.95: StatCan
Average hourly wages among Canadian employees rose to $34.95 on a year-over-year basis in April, a 4.7 per cent increase, according to a Statistics Canada report released Friday morning.
This iconic Canadian song is turning 50
Andy Kim's 'Rock Me Gently' is marking a major milestone, as it celebrates its 50th anniversary.