Checklists - information required for accessibility complaints

Travel with dogs checklist

Travel with dogs

If your complaint involves an issue related to travel with a dog, the CTA must determine whether it is:

• a service dog;
• an emotional support dog; or
• a pet.

It is important to know the distinction between these three categories as they impact your rights and a transportation service provider’s obligations.

Service dogs

Transportation service providers, airlines for example, must allow you to travel with a “service dog.”

A service dog is a dog trained by experts to help people with disabilities. These dogs perform a specific task or tasks to assist a person with a need related to their disability.

If your application concerns a service dog, you must provide the CTA with a document issued by a person or an organization that specializes in service dog training that sets out:

• your name and your dog’s name and breed;
• a statement confirming that your dog has been trained by this person or organization which specializes in service dog training;
• a description of the training your dog received and confirmation that the training was so that it can perform a task or tasks to assist you with a disability-related need; and
• a description of the task or tasks your dog performs related to your disability.

You also need to provide:

• a description of what you requested from the transportation service provider to meet your disability-related needs;
• the transportation service provider’s confirmation of the services it would provide and/or those services that it will not provide; and
• the size of your dog (dimensions and weight) at the time of travel.

Additional useful information is available in Service dogs: A Guide.

Emotional support dogs (ESD)

The only emotional support animals recognized by the CTA are dogs.

If your dog is not a service dog pursuant to the criteria set out in the section above, the CTA will need the following information to determine if your dog is an emotional support animal. For that, you must provide:

• proof from a licensed medical health professional that they are treating you for a mental health disability, and that you require your dog to accommodate that disability.
• a veterinary certificate that:
  • identifies your dog by name and breed;
  • identifies the person with a disability who relies on that dog as an ESD;
  • states that the dog is healthy enough to travel; free of any contagious diseases, ticks and fleas; and current on its vaccinations; and
  • states whether the veterinarian has any knowledge of inappropriate behaviour exhibited by the dog, including aggressive behaviour, excessive whining or barking, or causing injury to others.
• the size of your dog (dimensions and weight);
• confirmation that your dog can fit comfortably in an appropriate animal carrier to be kept under the seat in front of you for the duration of the trip; and
• confirmation that your dog meets all requirements of the country, province, state or territory you travel to or from.

For more information, please consult the CTA’s final decision regarding emotional support dogs.

Pets

If your dog does not meet the criteria to be considered a service dog or an emotional support dog, the CTA will consider your dog as a pet. This means that you are not entitled to any disability-related assistance from the transportation service provider as it relates to travel with your dog.

Assistance while travelling checklist

Assistance while travelling

Transportation service providers must provide services to assist persons with a disability upon request. Here are a few examples:

• assistance with checking in;
• assistance to proceed to the boarding area after check-in;
• transfer between the person’s own mobility aid and a mobility aid provided by the carrier, or the person’s passenger seat;
• access to an on-board wheelchair;
• assistance from a passenger seat and a washroom;
• assistance to proceed through border clearance, the general public area and the curbside zone;
• assistance to retrieve checked baggage; and
• assistance to transfer to another segment of their trip at the same terminal.

If you did not receive the assistance you requested, you must provide the CTA with:

• a description of the assistance you requested:
  • the location from and to where you needed assistance (for example, check-in counter, departure/arrival gate, upon boarding, at a passenger seat);
  • the person from whom you requested assistance; and
  • when you requested assistance (before travel, upon arrival or during your travel).
• a copy of the correspondence you exchanged with the transportation service provider regarding the assistance you requested; and
• a description of what the transportation service provider did, or what assistance it provided, if any.

Mobility aid damage checklist

Mobility aid damages

Mobility aids are any manual or electric wheelchair, scooter, boarding chair, walker, cane, crutch, prosthesis or other aid that is specially designed to assist a person with a disability with a need related to mobility.

Transportation service providers must take the following measures when they damage, destroy, lose or do not promptly return a mobility aid to a passenger, without delay and at the carrier’s own expense:

• provide a temporary replacement mobility aid that meets their needs;
• reimburse the passenger for any associated expense they incurred;
• arrange for the repair of a mobility aid that has been damaged; and
• if the mobility aid cannot be adequately repaired, or if it is lost or destroyed:
  • Replace the mobility aid with the same model or, if that is not available, with a model that meets the passenger's needs; or
  • Reimburse the passenger for the full replacement cost of the aid.

If your mobility aid or your assistive device was damaged during transportation, you must provide the CTA with:

• a description of the mobility aid or assistive device:
  • type of mobility aid;
  • dimensions;
  • weight.
• a description of what has been damaged:
  • name and description of the exact parts that were damaged;
  • evidence of damage such as photos;
  • cost of repair or replacement, with a copy of the estimate or invoice.
• a copy of the correspondence you exchanged with the transportation service provider regarding the damage; and
• a copy of the special declaration of interest (document setting out the monetary value of the mobility aid and a description of its features in case of destruction, loss, damage or delay) if you filled out one with the transportation service provider.

For more information, consult Travelling with Mobility Aids and other Assistive Devices: A Guide.