People living within the autism spectrum say they are being discriminated against by the Quebec government.
They want the province to provide the same funding to care for their service dogs as other people with disabilities do.
Joel Potvin and his service dog Astro can’t live without each other.
“She’s my most faithful and best friend,” Potvin said.
More than a friend, he says Astro enables him to perform his job as a truck driver. She is always by his side.
Potvin suffers from generalized chronic anxiety and is within the autism spectrum.
“She lowers my anxiety, my stress, my anguish, my worries. She fulfills my emotional needs. She allows me to stay attentive and focused,” Potvin said.
But caring for Astro can be expensive.
According to Quebec’s Veterinary Association, the cost of owning a big dog can go up to about $2,300 a year.
Potvin says he would like to be able to access an existing government subsidy to care for service dogs.
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As of January 2020, Quebecers with a visual or physical handicap receive government aid of up to $2,240 a year.
But people within the autism spectrum do not qualify.
That’s why Sylvain Bernier is asking people to sign a petition.
He’s asking the province to change the policy and include people within the spectrum.
“It is discrimination,” said Bernier.
Bernier runs ASPIS Rencontres, a non-profit helping people along the autism spectrum.
He says some of his members have to make incredible sacrifices in order to keep their service dogs, including one woman who simply fed herself less.
“She had no choice,” Bernier explained. “She needed the money to care for her dog.”
The Quebec Ministry of Social Services told Global News in an email that they’ve been studying the matter since last year in collaboration with the government’s committee on the certification of service dogs, which is led by the Office des personnes handicapées du Québec (OPHQ) and the Human Rights Commission.
“At this stage of the work, it is too early to take a position on the possibility of creating a financial assistance program for people living with Autism Spectrum Disorder who use a service dog,” wrote Marie Christine Patry, a spokesperson for the ministry.
The ministry says that there are other programs to reimburse expenses related to the use of a service dog in Quebec, but Patry added that so far “the relevance of such a program remains to be clarified”.
The MIRA Foundation, which trains services dogs, says it sees great benefits for members who own assistance dogs and that financial assistance would also be beneficial.
“Currently, our only program not receiving government help is the one for people living within the autism spectrum,” said Aurelie Tremblay, program director at the foundation.
“It would be very pertinent,” she added.
The plan is to deliver the petition to the National Assembly when the fall session begins.
The hope is that the government listens and acts on it.
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