Guelph, Ont. man misses VIP screening of Star Trek series due to lack of available accessible taxis

An accessibility issue kept a man from Guelph, Ont. from an exclusive screening event. CTV’s Spencer Turcotte finds out what happened.

You’d be hard-pressed to find a bigger Star Trek fan than Guelph, Ont.’s Mike “O’dah ziibing” Ashkewe.

When CTV News interviewed him on Thursday, he rolled up his sleeve to unveil a Star Trek-inspired tattoo featuring his favourite quote from the franchise.

“Captain Janeway says to Harry Kim, ‘Weird is part of the job,’” Ashkewe explained.

He’s also a credited author for the Star Trek Adventures table-top roleplaying game.

“I write little pieces of fiction that expand the universe of Star Trek,” he said.

So it’s fitting that when Paramount+ Canada ran a contest for tickets to an exclusive screening of the new series Star Trek: Starfleet Academy, he entered and won.

“I told them, ‘Ok cool, I accept. I have to book a wheelchair taxi,” said Ashkewe, who lives with a disability.

Ashkewe called Red Top Taxi, which operates out of Guelph, but on such short notice, he was out of luck.

“They couldn’t accommodate me. Not because of any malice or anything, it was just too busy that time,” said Ashkewe. “They were so apologetic when I told them why I was going to Toronto.”

Red Top Taxi’s president, Mohammad Iqbal, said the situation highlights the importance of accessible transportation and the need to expand those services in Guelph.

“Red Top currently operates six wheelchair-accessible vans serving the entire city, including hospitals, long-term care and retirement homes, as well as out-of-town trips. Due to the limited number of vehicles and consistently high demand, availability can be constrained particularly during peak hours,” Iqbal said in an email to CTV News, adding Red Top is the only accessible taxi service in Guelph that travels outside the city.

It’s an unfortunate case of déjà vu for Ashkewe who ran into another accessibility roadblock in 2024 when he won tickets to a WWE event in Toronto.

“If I had a nickel for every time this happened, I’d only have two nickels. But, weird that it’s happened twice,” said Ashkewe.

In an email to CTV News, Paramount+ Canada said they were disappointed Ashkewe couldn’t attend Wednesday night’s VIP event in Toronto but said they would find another opportunity for him to celebrate the premiere – and indeed they did.

Several stars from the series took time while walking the red carpet to film personalized video messages for Ashkewe to share how upset they were that he couldn’t attend.

One of the messages came from his favourite actor, Robert Picardo.

“Michael, it’s Robert Picardo here. Your doctor from Star Trek: Voyager and your doctor from Starfleet Academy. So sorry you were not able to get here tonight,” said Picardo in the video message to Ashkewe.

Ashkewe says Picardo’s character in the series represents the idea of accessibility.

“Considering he was originally trapped in the Sickbay in Star Trek: Voyager, that’s not unlike someone who has a disability and needs to be accommodated. Once he got his mobile emitter and his freedom, he could go wherever he wanted,” said Ashkewe, explaining the similarities.

The Hollywood hellos from the Star Trek cast turned heartbreak into happiness. Ashkewe thanked the actors and Paramount+ Canada for turning an inaccessible situation into an accessible one.

He said they’ve encapsulated a core philosophy of the Star Trek franchise – Infinite Diversity in Infinite Combinations.