May 16, 1987 - Douglas Parisian

Human Rights a Day

Restaurants not required to allow guide dogs in, case rules.? Douglas Parisian, accompanied by his guide dog Iggy, attempted to have lunch in Winnipeg’s Hermes restaurant on June 19, 1985. Located near the Canadian National Institute for the Blind (CNIB), Hermes attracted a number of customers who were blind, and even provided its menu in Braille. Parisian was scheduled to meet a CNIB employee. But to Parisian’s surprise, owner Christ Voulgaris confronted him at the front door, saying the dog wasn’t allowed. Opinion varies as to what occurred next, but it is certain that Parisian and his colleague opted for a different restaurant that day and that Parisian later complained to the Manitoba Human Rights Commission. When the case went to a tribunal, adjudicator Frank Allen ruled on May 16, 1987 that the restaurant had not violated any rights. According to Allen, restaurant staff cannot be expected to always identify a blind person (even though Parisian’s blindness was obvious to anyone concerned). He also observed that legislation allowed guide dogs to enter restaurants, but did not specify a blind person’s rights. He urged the Human Rights Commission to do a better job of educating businesses about their legal obligations. Finally, he concluded that Parisian had suffered no real “damage,” nor was his embarrassment “terribly great.” Although an appeal only confirmed the ruling, the incident did persuade the Manitoba government to improve provisions for guide dogs in their Human Rights legislation.