HTA changes “a disaster waiting to happen”
Police Crime Prevention Week event addresses Taxi law changes
The Ford government’s 2020 decision to download regulatory responsibility for ground transportation to municipal governments is “a disaster waiting to happen,” community safety spokesperson Aubrey Zidenberg tells Taxi News.
On November 3rd, representatives of the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police hosted a media event at York Region Police Headquarters in Aurora. They outlined the success of their pharmacies “auto-locking safes” program and announced a program encouraging private residents to register their home security cameras with police.
In a question, Taxi News outlined for police representatives and attendees the Ford government’s 2020 amendments to the Highway Traffic Act. The “Better for People, Smarter for Business Act, 2020” saw authority for regulating Vehicles for Hire downloaded to municipalities.
“Given the omnibus bill that Ontario introduced in 2020 which downloaded responsibility for vehicle identification for all ground transportation to the municipalities, and the fact that Midland has just completely deregulated Taxis opens the door for every small town and large town in Ontario to have unmarked cars, regulated by no one, picking up people for compensation. What is your organization doing to prepare for that?”
“The Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police, Community Safety and Crime Prevention committee is already doing work with the Canadian Taxi Association,” said Peel Regional Deputy Chief Mark Dapat.
“We recognize that there are people out there that are taking advantage of vulnerable folks in our community, that are using ride sharing platforms and committing heinous crimes like sex assaults and frauds that are happening all over the province. We’re very hopeful of the work that we’re doing, because one of the things that’s a major priority for us is advocating to make sure that there are stronger regulations to ensure that ride sharing vehicles and the like are properly identifiable, so that those that choose to use ride sharing platforms are not victimized.”
Last November, a man posing as an Uber driver sexually assaulted two young women in Peel Region.
Zidenberg attended the Crime Prevention event in his role as Co-Chair of York’s Integrated Strategic Community Advisory Council.
Downloading ground transportation regulations to municipalities like Midland, which can then decide to provide no regulation at all is “a disaster waiting to happen,” Zidenberg exclaimed. “I could hardly believe it when I heard those words.”
Canadian Taxi Association president (CTA) Marc André Way is scheduled to make a presentation to the Ontario Chiefs of Police Community Safety and Crime Prevention Committee on November 25th. In recent months, the CTA has commissioned a significant amount of policy research on the implications of the 2020 amendments to the Highway Traffic Act to share with law enforcement agencies and municipal governments.
