BC’s whale-watching boats are erroneously blaming their insurance companies for an illegal move to ban service dogs onboard, a practice highlighted by one Ontario family’s recent experience.
 
A Toronto family says they will file a human rights complaint after three separate whale watching companies in Vancouver wouldn’t allow their autistic son’s service dog to go on their vessels.
 
“We’re well-traveled, we’ve gone to the Caribbean, we’ve gone to Europe, and this is the first time that this has happened, and it happened here at home, in Canada,” Adelina Cotognini told Global News.
 
Cotognini said all the companies gave excuses such as customer allergies to dogs and quoted one as saying, “he had never had a service dog and never will…and said his insurance policy backs him up on that.”
 
Laws for guide and service dogs in Canada allow them to go anywhere their human handlers can go.
 
“Under the Guide Animal Act, an individual with a disability who is accompanied by a certified guide dog has the same rights and responsibilities as a person without a dog. They must be allowed access to restaurants, taxis, buses or any other location where the general public is allowed,” states the government on the Ministry of Justice’s website.