Thursday, October 8, 2026

Author: Rita Smith

NewsRide Hailing newsTaxi industry news

Taxi companies asked to help stop new “Grandparent’s scam” financial fraud

Police and anti-fraud agencies have asked the Canadian Taxi Association (CTA) for help in stopping the latest “Grandparent Scam.” The Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre (CAFC), Ontario Provincial Police and Royal Canadian Mounted Police have launched a fraud prevention campaign to raise

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Retired CAF chaplain says its dangerous to force soldiers to ignore their own convictions

Canada lost some of its best soldiers during the COVID debacle, the National Citizens’ Inquiry was told by lawyer Catherine Christianson recently.

Christianson’s testimony is supported by Rev. Dr. Major (Ret.) Harold Ristau, who told True North that the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) have been made less operationally effective with the mandating of is COVID shots.

“It’s seriously dangerous to force soldiers to ignore their convictions, from both a spiritual and psychological perspective,” Ristau told True North in a phone interview on May 12th from Kenya, where he moved his family to work as a missionary.

Ristau notes that a soldier being “good to go” on the front line of the battlefield involves healthy spiritual, mental and psychological resilience: the ability to bounce back from trauma. When soldiers lack resilience, they are prime candidates for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

“Soldiers’ mental and spiritual health is affected by three variables: strong values that are supported by the chain of command; confidence in who they are, what they do, and personally believing in the mission; and that as individuals, they matter in the role that they play in the mission,” he explains.

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NewsReviewTaxi industry news

A bullshit detector and a sense of humour make life bearable

Probably no one, not even his biggest fans, would put him in the same class of writers as Ernest Hemingway. However, as a Bullshit Detective, Hans Wienhold is in a class of his own. (In fact, in his Taxi News bio he proudly describes himself as a “Welfare Recipient at Senior’s Welfare; Self-Employed; and also, a Climate Scientist at BS Detective Services.”)

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NewsOpinion/ColumnRide Hailing newsTaxi industry news

Uber to pick up unaccompanied teens

At its May 17th “Go-Get Family Style” launch event, Uber CEO Dara Khosrowshahi stressed the company’s safety features which include dialling 911 in case of emergency (although, Uber’s Terms explain “In the event that you need to place a 911 emergency call on behalf of your teen, the dispatcher you’re connected with will see your location, not your teen’s.” How would that help?)

As a parent and a consumer, the sheer number of sexual assaults by Uber drivers in Canada and around the globe set alarm bells ringing.

As the publisher of Taxi News, I cringe recalling comments from an Uber driver who laughed that he didn’t drive for the money: “It’s to meet chicks, man, the chicks you meet at closing time!”

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NewsRoad Safety DiscussionTrucking

Fake Trucking school case delayed again to June 7

Court proceedings against individuals charged with operating fake truck driving schools have been delayed again, this time to June 7th, 2023.

In Ottawa criminal court on May 24th, Justice Grant was told by counsel for three of the four accused that they were seeking a delay of three weeks because “Counsel is having trouble meeting with the clients to decide which witnesses to call.”
Upon hearing this, Crown Attorney L. Welch remarked, “This file is already pretty old.”

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Mammoliti promises to end “open entry,” fix insurance for Taxis if elected mayor

Giorgio Mammoliti promised that if elected Toronto’s mayor, he will end open entry for Vehicles for Hire and make his first phone call to Doug Ford and tell him to “fix Taxi insurance.”
Mammoliti was speaking at an event organized for members of the Taxi industry in a North York banquet hall on May 15th.

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NewsTaxi industry news

Giorgio Mammoliti to host Taxi industry meeting May 15, 7pm

Mayoralty candidate Giorgio Mammoliti will host a Taxi industry event May 15th at 7pm. The event will take place at 55 Barber Greene Road in the Don Mills area of North York.

Mammoliti told Taxi News “It’s time to focus on family, faith, and the future of Toronto. The Taxi industry was treated very badly by Toronto in recent years, and it’s time to look forward to building a whole new future for those who have invested in this industry.”

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Opinion/ColumnTaxi industry news

Lessons from Cab Drivers

Given my early-and-often positive experiences with Toronto cab drivers,
it’s probably not surprising I ended up working with  the industry for much of my adult life.
The drivers, brokerage owners, and fleet managers are truly the salt of the Earth.

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