TORONTO -- City councils in Ontario's two largest cities agreed this week to urge police to crack down on Uber and level the playing field between taxi drivers and the popular ride-hailing service.
The mayors of Toronto and Ottawa separately met with taxi and Uber representatives Monday to discuss cab industry regulations and imposing greater enforcement on drivers without taxi licenses who are paid to transport passengers.
Amrik Singh, president of Ottawa's taxi union, praised Mayor Jim Watson's support in curbing "bandit cabs" and advocating for greater police enforcement of the existing bylaws. Singh said Uber has been "destroying the lives of taxi drivers" by competing against cab companies without following the same safety or insurance regulations.
"How can people be allowed to challenge the whole system? The laws are there to be followed," he said. "The level of frustration is rising higher and higher every day for us."
Toronto city council voted 35-2 Wednesday to ask the Toronto Police Services Board to urge the police chief to enforce the Highway Traffic Act, but Mayor John Tory voted against the motion, saying police have their hands full with the Pan Am Games. On Monday, Ottawa city council asked Ottawa police to levy harsher fines for drivers transporting passengers without the necessary permits or insurance.
The developments in both cities come after an Ontario court sided with Uber last Friday in a case where the City of Toronto sought a permanent injunction on the company's operations. Superior Court Judge Sean Dunphy said there was no evidence Uber operates as a taxi broker or breaches city bylaws, but Tory said the city will likely appeal Dunphy's decision.
Uber Canada spokeswoman Susie Heath said in a statement the company is pleased Toronto city council voted to study ridesharing, and it looks forward to working with the city on a permanent regulatory solution.
"As we saw from the recent Ontario court ruling, Uber is a legitimate model operating legally and is a unique business that is different from taxi," she said. "In instances of enforcement, we will always stand behind the hardworking community of driver partners in Toronto."
Premier Kathleen Wynne said Toronto is participating in a "healthy discussion" on the matter, and that it is rightly being addressed at the municipal level.
"We can't pretend that the technology doesn't exist and that people aren't going to use it," she said. "We need to make sure that whatever regime is in place keeps people safe and puts in place the right parameters."
