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On Friday, submissions close on a standard that has been drafted by the Canadian General Standards Board CGSB. It stipulates with exceptional detail what constitutes a service dog team, including the behaviour and abilities of both members of the team, the human and the dog.

Critics of the proposed standard accuse the CGSB of a paternalistic, big brother-style encroachment into the lives of disabled people, and many guide dog handlers are concerned that the proposal seems to take no account of effective industry regulation that has served guide dog handlers and the public well.

Some US guide dog schools are suggesting they may need to decline to provide service to Canadians if this standard is adopted.

It’s unclear what the consequences will be for people travelling to Canada with guide dogs that are accepted everywhere else but which will not meet this standard if it is adopted.

And if you’re outside Canada and wondering why you should conc [...]