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Politics : Canadian Political Free-for-All -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Ichy Smith who wrote (12498)	12/5/2007 5:21:51 PM
From: Stephen O	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 37196

Taxis refuse blind woman accompanied by guide dog CHUCK CHIANG The Canadian Press December 5, 2007 FORT McMURRAY, ALTA. -- The co-ordinator of an Alberta council representing the disabled says she was left with a sour taste in her mouth after being refused a ride by a line of taxis in Fort McMurray because she was accompanied by her guide dog. Diane Bergeron's plane was already five hours late when she arrived just before midnight Sunday. Tired, and with a 9 a.m. speaking appointment the next day, she tried to hail a cab to transport her to a hotel. "There was a whole line of 10, 15 taxis waiting outside [the airport terminal]," said Ms. Bergeron, who is blind and is usually accompanied by her guide dog, Max. "Not one would take me because of my dog." Print Edition - Section Front Enlarge Image More National Stories A nation of newcomers Teens haven't improved math, reading scores Commission seeking ways to get more first nations to table Lobby firm was to give Mulroney something 'to live on' Man shot by police called kind-hearted Suspected firebomb kills Winnipeg teen Go to the National section A bystander at the airport eventually gave her a lift into town. Despite provincial and municipal laws aimed at protecting the rights of people with guide dogs, Ms. Bergeron's experience isn't uncommon, said a spokeswoman with a national non-profit agency providing services to blind Canadians. "It happens frequently, everywhere," said Ellie Shuster, an Edmonton-based spokeswoman with the CNIB. Ms. Shuster said provincial laws include the Blind Persons' Rights Act, which says no one can be denied access because of a guide dog. A similar bylaw exists in the municipal codes of Wood Buffalo, the sprawling region which includes Fort McMurray. "They're not allowed to refuse," said Jeanne Goudie, the region's chief taxi inspector, adding that fines start at $100. Fort McMurray is not alone in dealing with the issue. This summer, a taxi company agreed to pay a blind Vancouver man $2,500 after one of its drivers refused to pick him up because he was accompanied by his guide dog. About a month earlier, a Calgary judge found a driver guilty of discrimination for the same reason and fined him $300 under the Blind Persons' Rights Act. Several Fort McMurray taxi companies said certain drivers will not carry dogs as passengers. "We can't make the drivers do it," said Ron MacNeill, owner of Sun Taxi, who added some employees cite allergies or religious convictions as reasons for denying service. Mr. MacNeill added that his company can accommodate guide dogs if notified in advance. Mustapha Hemeid, manager at Access Taxi, echoed Mr. MacNeill's statements. "Not every driver will do it," Mr. Hemeid said about carrying the dogs. "But we do have optional drivers who can, and if you call ahead, we'll do it." The policy at Fort McMurray Airport is to provide the service, said spokeswoman Sally Beaven. "Their agreement [with the airport] is that they'll not refuse any fares," she said, adding that management has talked to cab companies about the issue. "This shouldn't happen." Ms. Bergeron, the co-ordinator with the Premier's Council on the Status of Persons with Disabilities, was in town to speak at a workshop on how hospitality and retail businesses can work with people with disabilities. She said Fort McMurray should take a closer look at the issue. "When you come off a plane, the taxi driver is often the first person you contact," she said. "It's the first face a visitor sees in a city, and this definitely put a sour taste in my mouth." theglobeandmail.com The Muslims have done it again, I assume this as the manager of the taxi company quoted has the name Mustapha.

To: Ichy Smith who wrote (12498)	12/14/2007 11:43:12 AM
From: DeplorableIrredeemableRedneck	Read Replies (2) \| Respond to of 37196

Canada Post "heartbroken" over naughty Santa letters Richard Starnes, CanWest News Service OTTAWA - There was absolutely nothing Ho Ho Ho about the letters Rosalyn Da Costa's children got from Santa on Thursday. In fact, they included filthy messages. They are two of 10 inappropriate letters dropped into mailboxes across Ottawa in the last two days and there could be more. On Thursday, Canada Post shut down it's Write To Santa program across the city while it joins Ottawa Police to hunt down the rogue elf. Canada Post employee Catherine Tanguay helps Omar Elayouti, 6, with his letter to Santa. CanWest News Service Everybody here is so shocked," said Canada Post spokeswoman Cindy Daoust. According to Canada Post's website more than 11,000 current and retired Canada Post employees ensure that every child's letter - with a return address - gets an answer. "Disappointed doesn't begin to describe how we feel," added Daoust. Da Costa was far more than disappointed, she was stunned. When she went for the mail at her home on Thursday morning, she was thrilled to see Santa had answered letters from two-year-old Maya and 10-year-old Colton. "My first thought was to wait until Colton got home from school so he could sit and read them with her," she said. But she was happy she changed her mind. "I told Maya: 'There's a letter from Santa just for you, let's read it'. We sat down on the couch, I opened the letter and began to read. My mouth dropped open. Oh, My God!" Each Santa letter Canada Post delivers contains the same main message with a hand-written personal PS. Maya's personal PS said: "This letter is too long, you dumb shit." "I went straight to Google, got the Canada Post number and called," said Da Costa. "A very nice lady at a call centre in Fredericton, N.B. was shocked and when I told her I also had a letter for Colton and was planning to let him read it when he got home, she said I should open it now just in case." Da Costa went downstairs, picked up the letter and returned to the phone. What she read had both ladies gasping. "Oh! My God, Oh! My God," they kept repeating. The personal PS to Colton's letter read: "Your mom s** d** and your Dad is gay." This brought a Canada Post supervisor to the phone. "He said: 'That's like dirt in my mouth. I can't even say it'." It was then that Da Costa decided she had to call CanWest News Service. "My warning to everyone is: 'Open your childrens' letters first'." That will not be necessary for a few days in Ottawa because Canada Post has put out an alert for letter carriers to not deliver any Santa letters, to intercept any others in the system and to send them back. "We will check every one," said Canada Post's Daoust. "And we will make sure we have enough volunteers to send out new messages from Santa." At present, the program will continue as it has for the past 26 years across the remainder of Canada and around the world. But Daoust promises a close look at the system in the future. In 1999, an Oshawa seven-year-old receive a Santa message from Canada Post that called him "one greedy little boy!" But the latest incidents are far more inappropriate and the first incident of their kind in the program's history, according to Canada Post President and CEO Moya Green.