'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
Canadian gov't proposes new foreign influence registry as part of wide-spanning new bill
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's government is proposing a suite of new measures and law changes aimed at countering foreign interference in Canada, amid extensive scrutiny over past meddling attempts and an ever-evolving threat landscape.
Boeing Starliner capsule's first crewed test flight postponed
The long-awaited first crewed test flight of Boeing's new Starliner space capsule was called off for at least 24 hours over a technical issue that launch teams were unable to resolve in time for the planned Monday night lift-off.
Teacher charged in historical sexual assault of Calgary teenage girl
Calgary police have charged a teacher with the alleged sexual assault of a teenage girl more than 20 years ago.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Man banned from owning animals after fatal Calgary dog attack
The owner of three Calgary dogs that got loose and mauled a woman to death in 2022 has been ordered to pay a $15,000 fine within one year and banned from owning any animal for 15 years.
East-end Ottawa family dealing with massive rat infestation
Residents in Ottawa’s Elmridge Gardens complex are dealing with a rat infestation that just won’t go away. Now, after doing everything they can to try to fix the issue, they are pleading with the city to step in and help.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.
An El Nino-less summer is coming. Here's what that could mean for Canada
As Canadians brace themselves for summer temperatures, forecasters say a weakening El Nino cycle doesn’t mean relief from the heat.
Newfoundland and Labrador latest province to tighten rules on Airbnbs
Newfoundland and Labrador is the latest jurisdiction to bring in stricter rules for short-term rentals, with a coming set of regulations that will force operators to register with the provincial government.