Service dog laws in Prince Edward Island
Status warning. PEI's Service Dog Act received royal assent in December 2024, but we have not been able to confirm from a PEI government source whether it is in force, or whether its registrar is accepting applications. The default two-year commencement would fall around December 2026. Contact PEI Justice and Public Safety directly before relying on anything below. We would rather tell you we do not know than guess.
What the Act does when it commences
The Service Dog Act was introduced as a private member's bill by MLA Brad Trivers and passed at the close of the fall 2024 sitting. It:
- Creates a provincial registrar empowered to issue certificates and identification cards for service dog teams
- Leaves training and certification standards to regulations, which is why commencement is tied to those regulations being completed
- Makes falsely representing an animal as a service dog an offence carrying a fine of $500 to $3,000
Cabinet may accelerate the commencement date if the regulations are finished sooner.
What applies in the meantime
Until the Act is in force, Prince Edward Island operates like the other non-certification provinces: rights come from the PEI Human Rights Act and its duty to accommodate a disability-related need. There is no registry, no provincial ID card, and no certification requirement.
The Human Rights Act, s.2(1), begins:
No person shall discriminate (a) against any individual or class of individuals with respect to enjoyment of accommodation, services and facilities to which members of the public have access
and its definition of discrimination, s.1(1)(d), lists the grounds:
"discrimination" means discrimination in relation to age, colour, creed, disability, ethnic or national origin, family status, gender expression, gender identity, marital status, political belief, race, religion, sex, sexual orientation, or source of income of any individual or class of individuals
Emotional support animals
There is no statutory public access right, and the incoming Act is a service dog statute built around training. For housing, the route is the Human Rights Act's duty to accommodate, supported by your health care provider's documentation.
What to watch for
When PEI's registrar opens, Prince Edward Island will become the fourth Canadian jurisdiction with a real government service dog program, joining Alberta, British Columbia and Nova Scotia. If you are a PEI handler, that provincial certificate will be the document that matters — not anything sold online, ours included.
We will update this page when we can confirm the status from a PEI government source. If you have applied and know more than we do, tell us and we will correct it.
What we do and do not do
We are a private registry, and we cannot issue a PEI certificate — nobody can yet, including the province.
What we offer is record-keeping: a training log, your veterinary and medical documents, and a scannable profile. If PEI's program opens with an assessment requirement, a documented training history will be useful preparation.
Last reviewed: 9 September 2026. This page contains an unresolved status question — verify with PEI Justice and Public Safety before acting.