P.E.I. finally has a service dog law — but it will take time to implement

Prince Edward Island now has a law on the books to regulate service dogs, but it could be two more years before it comes into effect.

The law was brought forward as a private member's bill by Progressive Conservative MLA Brad Trivers, and received royal assent when the fall sitting of the legislature closed on Friday.

The lack of a law stipulating which dogs can be designated as service animals was creating confusion for people who use them, as well as for businesses those people patronize, Trivers said.

"Often you could have a valid service dog and you were being turned away or you had to spend time justifying that you had the dog," said Trivers.

Then again, he added, "sometimes service dogs were being claimed and the dog was allowed in a public place when it wasn't a service dog."

Under the legislation, the province will designate a registrar of service dogs who can issue certificates and identification cards for service dog teams — that is, the service dog and the person using it.

The training and other requirements for certification will be set out in regulations which have yet to be developed.

Trivers said the intent is to provide a framework to let people register service dogs for all types of conditions, to support people with conditions ranging from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) to autism to visual impairments.

"There's a lot of things that a service animal does that really help a person to be able to participate fully in society," said Devon Broome, executive director with ResourceAbilities, a group that promotes the full participation and inclusion of people with disabilities in Island society.

Broome said people exploiting the lack of a certification program on P.E.I. to claim that their dog was a trained service animal have "made it very difficult for those who do require the service animal to be able to participate in society."

While the province's Human Rights Act prohibits discrimination against a person with a disability that leaves them with a "physical reliance on an assist animal, wheelchair or other remedial device," the new law makes it clear that people with designated service dogs are allowed in any place where the public is invited.

The law also says landlords can't refuse to rent a unit or impose conditions on a tenancy on the basis of the renter having a service dog, retired service dog, or service dog in training.

And the law makes it an offence for a person to falsely represent their animal as a service dog.

Offences under the act can bring fines ranging from $500 to $3,000.