EXCLUSIVE: Former Toronto police officer with PTSD refused by 6 taxis

The event that triggered Bill Rusk’s Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder happened more than two decades ago, on the night of June 24, 1990.

He was a Toronto police officer assigned to a drug investigation in the Jane and Finch area when he was shot in the back, face, neck, shoulder and right hand. His shooter has never been found.

Rusk has spent the years since living with physical and mental injuries. He continued his career as a police officer in Owen Sound and took a leave from work three years ago.

His German Shepherd service dog Iwo Jima, or Iwo, has been by his side for the past four years, ever since the pup was just seven weeks old. Rusk says Iwo is his lifeline 24 hours a day.

“He does tremendous things for me on a daily basis,” Rusk said. “I suffer very special triggering and night terrors. He interacts with me and wakes me up before I wake up in that trigger.

“He allows me to be out in the public.”

Rusk, his wife Lynne and Iwo were all attending a meeting at the Toronto Police Service Headquarters on Monday to discuss PTSD and first responders. When they tried to hail a cab and head back to the Chelsea Hotel around 4 p.m., they were denied by multiple taxis and told it was because of Iwo. That was the first of several incidents that evening.

 

Iwo was decked out in his regular service dog attire, including a black vest and a blue cloth tied around his neck that says “service dog.”

“They were willing to take my wife, but they weren’t willing to take me and my service dog,” Rusk said.

At first they were upset, but decided they weren’t going to make a big deal out of it. Lynne approached another driver and said they were travelling with a service dog. They were denied again.

“They just basically said they weren’t allowed to transport service dogs, and they would take Lynne on her own but they wouldn’t take the two of us,” Rusk said.

The couple stood outside the building for more than 30 minutes trying to flag down taxis that kept driving by. Lynne worried that being back in the city and at headquarters could be a trigger for Rusk.

“They would look at Lynne, look at the two of us, and accelerate away,” Rusk said. “It really started to bother me because I’ve shed blood for the city of Toronto, literally, on the streets of Toronto.”

They decided to call Beck Taxi and Co-op Cabs to tell them about the incidents. Beck sent a driver for them, and they were taken to their hotel.

The couple arrived back at the hotel around 5 p.m. and started to get ready for the Toronto Raptors game that evening. When they tried to get a taxi to the Air Canada Centre, it happened again.

“I thought the first time we got denied was a fluke, just someone not understanding,” Lynne said. “But after the second time, I started to feel frustrated and upset with the situation, especially for my husband.”

She approached two taxi drivers and told them they were travelling with a service dog. According to Lynne, they all refused to drive them even though the cabs were empty. One driver said it wasn’t his cab and he wasn’t allowed to put dogs in it.

The couple called Beck again and was told another vehicle would be sent. But they were worried they would be late for the game and approached a black cab whose driver agreed to take them.

“When it kept happening, I really couldn’t believe it,” Lynne said. “I felt horrible for Bill because with PTSD you experience a lot of triggers, and that is why I was concerned about him.”

 

After the Raptors game ended, the couple decided to try again. They tried to engage with both Beck Taxi and Co-op Cabs as they were sitting in a row with their lights on waiting for service. They were told to head to Front Street because it would be easier to get a taxi there.

Beck spokeswoman Kristine Hubbard said the company is committed to offering accessible services for everyone in the city, including individuals who travel with a service animal.

“The refusal of any fare due to the presence of a service animal is unacceptable and in violation of Toronto’s municipal bylaws,” Hubbard said. “Any driver who fails to adhere to these bylaws can be charged by Toronto Police Service and should expect zero tolerance from Beck.”

The Accessibility Directorate of Ontario said under provincial law a person with disabilities accompanied by a service animal must be allowed access to an organization unless the animal is otherwise excluded by law.

“A person with disability must be allowed to bring their service animal with them into areas open to the public or third parties, and keep the animal with him or her, unless animals are prohibited by another law,” the AODA states.

Rusk and Lynne both work for Badge of Life Canada, the not-for-profit organization that offers programs to help police officers with mental health issues and prevent police suicides.

Lynne said more education is needed about service animals and to eliminate the stigma around PTSD.

Rusk said the most telling part about the incidents on Monday night was that the same cars just kept driving past them over and over.

“There’s a bigger issue than just a couple of cabs,” he said.