Canadians demand Ottawa make air travel more accessible

OTTAWA – Canadians are urging Ottawa to repeal a regulation that can prevent people from travelling on airplanes with their power wheelchairs.

Veteran traveller Tim Rose first ran into the regulation back in May when Air Canada told him they couldn’t take his power wheelchair on a flight between Toronto and Cleveland because it wouldn’t fit through the cargo door.

“Stuff like this shouldn’t be happening in 2016,” he said. “The fact that I use a power mobility device instead of my legs should not preclude me from going on any flight.”

But airlines aren’t required to transport the power wheelchairs of their passengers on certain flights.

The Air Transportation Regulations state that if the plane carries fewer than 60 passengers and the design doesn’t permit the carriage of a mobility aid – like a wheelchair – an airline doesn’t have to carry it. They do have to tell passengers about alternative transportation for their aids.

“Whatever the law states, it should not trump in any way the Canadian Human Rights Act, which explicitly says nobody can be denied a service based on a disability,” said Rose. “Transportation law needs to fall in line with that.”

Ottawa resident Sarah Trick watched Rose’s story unfold. As someone who uses a power wheelchair, she says it was disturbing, but didn’t think it would happen to her.

“It was worrying for me in the long term…it seemed like it was just a few destinations or a few planes,” Trick said.

But when she wanted to bring her wheelchair on a flight from Ottawa to New York, she was told it wouldn’t fit on the plane. She was offered an indirect flight and other time options, none of which worked for her.

Her solution was to bring a manual wheelchair – a choice that means physical discomfort and no freedom.

Still, she’s worried what it means for the future.

“It makes me wonder how many places I won’t be able to get to in my power chair,” she said.

Ottawa isn’t taking any immediate action to change the law, deferring to a consultation on accessible transportation.

(Canadians who want to participate can do so here).

“It’s unacceptable that any Canadian be denied equal access on public transportation,” said Carla Qualtrough, Minister for Persons with Disabilities. “We are engaging with Canadians right now on how to best address systemic issues of exclusion and discrimination in federal areas of jurisdiction that includes transportation.”

Qualtrough said the end result would be regulations that ensure Canadians aren’t discriminated against. In the meantime, she said she would work with airlines to find solutions.

But advocates and the opposition are urging action now.

Bob Brown of the Canadian Council of People with Disabilities says he’s hearing from more and more members unable to fly because their wheelchair won’t fit.

“There are no requirements to build an aircraft with large enough cargo holds to store personal mobility aids,” he said. “There comes a point where you have to say enough is enough.”

He added that the current solutions, such as using a rental chair or taking roundabout routes, are not good options.

“It’s not enough for an alternative chair be available on the other end because there is no such thing…they are very customized,” he said.

Brown’s voice is being echoed on Parliament Hill by Cheryl Hardcastle, the NDP’s critic for persons with disabilities.

“Canadians are looking at this and are saying this is unacceptable and we need to act,” Hardcastle said. “I don’t know that we accept that it’s okay to say ‘not our problem, doesn’t fit.’”

She wants to see standards that mean any type of transportation can accommodate a power wheelchair.

“You can’t dismiss someone because they don’t fit in the picture right now,” she said. “Human rights take priority. It is not an option.”