François Dubois is paraplegic and has to use a wheelchair to get around. Wanting to use the Saturday evening to see a good film at the Cinéma Fleur de Lys in Trois-Rivières, he went there. When he announced his choice of film at the counter, he was told that unfortunately he could not enter the room as the elevator was out of service and the room was on the second floor.
“We were surprised to hear that we were denied access. While damage is occurring, what I regret most is the lack of compassion and transitional or contingency measures. Also there was no warning on their website or anything as we checked before moving. All we were told was to file a complaint on the company’s website. That’s all,” Dubois said.
The couple expressed their displeasure on Facebook. At that time, through the comments of some users who had had the same experience, they learned that the elevator had been broken for several months or even years, which the Cinéma Fleur de Lys confirmed to the Nouvelliste.
On site it is mentioned that a defective part is the cause of the breakage. This piece would no longer be available or virtually impossible to find, which explains why the elevator has been out of service for so long. An employee complains about the situation. She even claims to have never seen the elevator in operation since she was hired. The Fleur de Lys cinema is part of the Les Cinémas Ciné Entreprise banner. It is she who would return power in such a situation.
Mr Dubois has been involved in various accessibility dossiers for people with reduced mobility for many years and hopes that action will be taken quickly. “I’ve been an advocate for accessibility for over 30 years and I feel like there’s been a bad trend since the pandemic started. There must be things that change. The lift obviously needs repairs but there needs to be remedial action or at least very clear warnings everywhere. I had the option to go there in a private vehicle, but if I had to go there by paratransit it would have been less fun. I should have just watched another movie or just sat idly by for a few hours waiting for someone to come back and pick me up.”
“I came out of there so angry,” Mr. Dubois continues. “It’s something that should be acquired in 2023 so that a person with reduced mobility will be able to watch a movie.” “It’s not normal that after such a long time without an elevator, there aren’t any other solutions,” added his wife.
The couple filed a complaint with the Les Cinémas Ciné Entreprise banner. There is no feedback or acknowledgment from the company at this time.