SASKATOON – A Saskatoon man has reached a settlement with a Saskatoon cab company over its refusal to pick him up because of his seeing-eye dog. Mike Simmonds, a comedian who is blind, filed a human rights complaint with the company in 2013 after a driver refused him service because of his assistance dog.
While Simmonds admits the process took a lot longer than he ever imagined, the support from the community has been encouraging. From businesses he visits with his dog Graham to strangers he meets on the street, people have told him he is doing the right thing.
According to the Saskatchewan Human Rights Code, refusing services to a person with a service animal is prohibited.
READ MORE: Human rights complaint filed against cab company over guide dog
But Simmonds said he has run into this problem with several cab companies.
Simmonds said he is not allowed to discuss the details of the settlement, but did say that there will be changes coming to how drivers are trained.
“It’s definitely a weight off my shoulders to know that change is moving in the right direction,” he said.
A spokesman for Comfort Cabs could not be reached for comment.
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