Canadian cities being forced to question value of taxi-permit system - Winnipeg Free Press
MONTREAL - The advent of competition and new technologies is forcing politicians across Canada to re-evaluate their cities' taxi industries and to wonder just how many cabs they want on the roads. Politicians in jurisdictions such as Toronto, Montreal, Vancouver and Edmonton are studying ways to modernize the taxi industry but while they come up with solutions, some cities are labelling Uber's services "illegal" and forcing police to seize... But not all the battles against the upstart have been successful: the City of Toronto recently lost a court case against Uber when a judge ruled there was no evidence the company was operating as a taxi broker or that it breached city bylaws. Sunil Johal, policy director at the Mowat Centre, a public policy think-tank at the University of Toronto, says politicians should be thinking about the interest of citizens as opposed to ensuring traditional taxi drivers can earn a living under... He questions whether Canadian mayors have the wherewithal to tell the powerful taxi lobby that the days of making a living driving a taxi full time might be coming to an end. In Quebec â as in many other places in Canada â the government strictly regulates the number of taxi permits that are granted. Source: autos.winnipegfreepress.com
