Whew ... a very long day of travel. Did you know that after going through security in Ottawa, you have to go through it all over again in Toronto? And wheelchair-bound people have to either walk through the screener or submit to a pat-down in which the security person wants them to stand for several minutes while being frisked, and while they (security) wand every inch of the airline's wheelchair.
The airline staff were great at every step, which made up for the TSA/Canadian equivalent stupidity. I can't say enough good things about Air Canada. Great service and flights on time. By the time we got back to smalltown we were both bushed. I'm still bushed two days later.
It's all totally worth it. My father is so happy to be with us. He can get around the house independently, and the few retrofits we did allow him to be independent in all activities of daily living. He can get out onto our back deck and front porch, both of which are flush with the doors. He played darts last night for the first time and won the first game; he's looking forward to playing pool and backgammon and chess. He will be able to go out to movies or on errands whenever he likes - he was house-bound in Ottawa. I'm SO glad this all worked out!