Toronto man wins disability accommodation fight against Air Canada

Seven years after Tim Rose was denied access to an Air Canada flight because of the size of his power wheelchair, the Canadian Transportation Agency ruled the country’s largest airline needs to do more to accommodate passengers with mobility devices.

Rose, who lives in Toronto, was planning a trip to Cleveland, Ohio, in 2016 to give a presentation on disability awareness and big business. When he tried to book his flight over the phone, Air Canada said his wheelchair — a device custom designed for his body that provides him with his independence — was like a piece of oversized luggage: if it didn’t fit, it didn’t fit. As a result, he had to drive.

With the help of ARCH Disability Law Centre, Rose took the case to the transportation agency, a quasi-judicial tribunal that makes decisions related to federally-regulated transportation.