Human rights complaint filed against Liquor Marts

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This article was published 14/04/2021 (1983 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Brandon man says he and other visually impaired people are being discriminated against by the system used to check IDs at Liquor Mart entrances.

Mike Thiessen said the software used to scan IDs at controlled entrances doesn’t accept his ID issued by the Canadian National Institute for the Blind, which is his main form of ID.

Thiessen was first alerted to the problem during a visit with his friend to the Liquor Mart location at the corner of Victoria Avenue and 10th Street in Brandon, he said. His friend presented a Manitoba driver’s licence and was allowed in, but Thiessen was not.

“I’m visually impaired and I walk with a white cane … I provided security with my CNIB card and I was turned away. They won’t accept a CNIB card,” he said.

The CNIB ID is similar to a driver’s licence and includes much of the same information, including a photo of the person, their name and address. The card is given out by the charitable organization as a way to identify people with visual impairment.

While Liquor Marts don’t accept the ID, Thiessen said he has no issues picking up a package from Canada Post or filing his taxes.

“If it’s good enough for Revenue Canada and good enough for Canada Post, why is it not good enough for MLCC?” he asked.

Thiessen said he could be admitted with another form of government ID, but the fact Liquor Marts won’t accept CNIB IDs is an accessibility issue.

“I felt disrespected, I felt lesser than anyone else,” he said.

Thiessen said he is completely blind in his left eye and only has 25 per cent eyesight in his right eye. His visual impairment started with optical nerve inflammation two years ago and now he only sees out of a small slit with his right eye.

He uses a white cane when walking.

Many visually impaired people use the card as their main form of ID as they have no use for a driver’s licence, he said.

“It’s a mindset like that, that puts back accessibility for us instead of promotes it,” he said.

Controlled entrances were first installed at Liquor Mart locations in 2020 in response to a rash of liquor thefts from Winnipeg locations. Anyone entering the stores now has to show ID and have the door unlocked by a security guard.

A spokesperson for Manitoba Liquor and Lotteries said in a statement on Tuesday that Liquor Marts are covered under the Liquor, Gaming and Cannabis Control Act, which sets out ID requirements.

Under the law, a valid passport, valid driver’s licence, Manitoba Public Insurance ID card, Secure Certificate of Indian Status or two valid pieces of government-issued ID are accepted. Thiessen said that means other forms of ID, like a Possession and Acquisition Licence, would not be accepted either.

“Liquor Marts will only accept the same types of ID at controlled entrances as is mandated by the Liquor, Gaming, and Cannabis Control Act regulation for proof of age to purchase liquor. This is to ensure consistency, so that everyone allowed entry into our stores meets the same ID standards,” the spokesperson said in an email.

Now, Theissen said he has filed a complaint with the Manitoba Human Rights Commission over what kind of ID can be used in Liquor Marts, which is still being processed.

“I’m trying to advocate for the visually impaired. It’s one thing to disrespect me personally … but there’s other individuals out there who are being discriminated against like I am, and they don’t have a voice like I do.”

» dmay@brandonsun.com

» Twitter: @DrewMay_