Deprived Tim Hortons coffee, man will make human rights appeal

Dave Matthews uses a motorized scooter to get around because he has a physical disability. He has been denied access to Tim Horton's drive thru.

Matthews is from Lower Sackville, N.S., and he plans to take Tim Hortons to the Nova Scotia Human Rights Commission because he can no longer get his coffee. Matthews regularly purchased his coffee at the Tim Hortons drive-thru in Lower Sackville, however, at a new location, in Bedford, he encountered a problem. The attendant refused to serve Matthews due to a company policy banning pedestrians, bicycles, and wheelchairs, including motorized scooters, from using the drive-thru. Matthews says he can't manoeuvre his scooter through the front door and therefore is not able to get his coffee. "It would take three people to get me in. And I don't even know if I'll be able to turn around when I get inside. And, if I don't run over somebody inside trying to back this up, it would be a small miracle," Matthews said. Matthews believes this is a human rights issue and he should be able to use the drive-thru. "It's clear stupidity. That people can't be that tolerant [about] people's condition," he said. David Morelli, a Tim Hortons spokesman, said it's too dangerous for scooters in the drive-thru because sometimes patrons drive fast while leaving the window. Morelli plans to remind all of the Tim Hortons stores about the policy.