Service dogs in Nova Scotia will need licences

Nova Scotians who have a legitimate medical reason to need a service dog will soon be issued a licence by the province attesting to that.

A bill introduced Friday in the Nova Scotia Legislature also makes it an offence to claim a pet is a service dog, if that dog has not been specially trained. Fines would range from $500 to $3,000 for repeat offenders.

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Justice Minister Diana Whalen said the aim of the proposed law is to end the discrimination faced by service dog owners and to make it easier for retailers to identify legitimate service dogs.

The licences will be available free of charge.

'Huge step forward'

Medric Cousineau, with his service dog Thai on a leash nearby, praised the legislation.

"I believe this is a huge step forward to ensuring a better province for all of us," he said after the minister tabled the bill.

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Cousineau said service dogs are no different than any other medical appliance, such as a wheelchair.

"Imagine if you had a wheelchair and you went into some place and [someone] said, 'Sorry you can come in but your wheelchair can't,'" he said. "That conversation would make so little sense."

'Faking a disability'

Cousineau called that sort of ignorance understandable. But he isn't understanding when it comes to people who claim their pets are service dogs.

He said those people were "faking a disability."

Cousineau, a former search and rescue squad member, retired from the Canadian military in 2001.

He has had Thai since 2012. He said Thai wakes him up every night to comfort him when he has night terrors and helps him during the day when he has panic or anxiety attacks.

The plan is to pass the bill this spring, but only bring it into force after there is sufficient time to set up a registry system and educate retailers and the public.