An Edmonton taxi company has acted quickly, after a legally blind customer was turned away by two taxi drivers – because of her guide dog.
Tamara Gaudet lost her eyesight thirteen years ago, she told CTV News she has always felt accepted by Edmontonians – until last week.
Gaudet was with her guide dog and her fiancée, and waiting for a taxi outside of the Argyll Casino, on Wednesday, October 31 – when they were abruptly turned away from one cab, and then another.
“I have never, ever felt this way, ever,” Gaudet said. “It was a horrible feeling inside.
“I needed to speak up, and bring some awareness to our city and the public, and it is so very wrong.”
John Wheelwright, the Executive Director for Dogs with Wings, an organization that trains guide and service dogs, said what the two taxi drivers did is illegal.
“The legislation essentially says that a person cannot be denied access or any accommodation, entrance to a restaurant, service to a bus or a taxi, that an able-bodied person would have,” Wheelwright said.
CTV News spoke to Co-op Taxi, the company both drivers worked for about the incident – the company apologized, and said action had been taken.
“One of the drivers has been terminated, because this is the second incident where he didn’t apply to the law,” Beatrix Mihaly with Co-op Taxi said.
The other driver could face fines or a suspension.
While Gaudet said she might not use that cab company in the future, she hopes the discrimination will end with those drivers.
“They had the power to not let me be free for those minutes,” Gaudet said. “It was not a good feeling, and I don’t ever want anybody to feel that way.”
With files from Dez Melenka
