Government

Ministry of Justice

Guide Animal Certification

NEWS AND UPDATEs

March 30, 2012

The Guide Animal Act consultation is now closed. We'd like to thank those who provided feedback regarding the proposed ammendments to the Guide Animal Act. We will consider all comments to the best extent possible in an effort toward improving public access and tenancy rights for visually impaired and other disabled persons in British Columbia. To view the consultation document see the Closed Consultation page on the Consultation on Legislation and Policy website.

 

Guide animals help people who require assistance to avoid hazards or to perform tasks. A guide animal can help a person to negotiate through public areas, alert a person when hearing a sound, or perform service tasks like opening doors.

According to the Guide Animal Act, a person with a disability accompanied by a certified guide animal has the same rights, privileges and obligations as a person not accompanied by a guide animal – specifically, they may enter and use an accommodation, public transportation, eating place, lodging place or any other place to which the public is invited as long as the guide animal is:

  • prevented from occupying a seat in a public conveyance or eating place; and
  • held by a leash or harness.

Obtain Certification

To obtain certification (Guide Animal Certificate) under the Guide Animal Act, your guide dog or other guide animal must be trained by a training facility that the Ministry recognizes as providing acceptable training standards. 

Upon successful completion of the program, the training facility will provide a graduation certificate to the owner of the guide animal. Mail a copy of this graduation certificate to the Ministry of Justice, Corporate Policy and Planning Office (CPPO), see Contact Us page. This graduation certificate is proof your guide animal is trained to assist you. Upon verification of the certificate, the CPPO will issue a driver-licence-sized Guide Animal Certificate that can be shown if any questions arise when using public transportation or entering an establishment with your guide animal.