Sudbury MPP West raises rideshare pilot concerns
In Ontario’s final week of Parliamentary sittings, Sudbury MPP Jamie West rose to make a statement on the lack of consultation around the launch of the province’s rideshare pilot and its impact on local businesses.
West quoted from a letter he received from Sudbury ground transporation operator Mike Sanders of the Aaron Group.
“‘Late on a Friday afternoon before the Victoria Day long weekend our Provincial Government launched new regulations that blatantly undermine municipal governance and endanger the safety of northern communities,'” West told the House.
The full text of Sanders’ letter reads,
“NORTHERN ONTARIO FACES SAFETY THREAT FROM DOUG FORD’S GOVERNMENT
Late on a Friday afternoon before the Victoria Day long weekend our Provincial Government launched new regulations that blatantly undermine municipal governance and endanger the safety of northern communities. The Northlander Rideshare Pilot’s ostensible rationale was to create greater connectivity along Northlander train route. Despite there being no details of when trains will actually be running or any proposed safety and enforcement protocols, it proceeded. Under these regulations, rideshare companies are granted unrestrained access to large swaths of northern Ontario with drivers able to move between communities unchecked. This would mean local police and administrators would have no knowledge of or control over who operates within their jurisdictions.
The Pilot’s original intention to focus on the towns and cities along the train route was clearly misrepresented. Upon its launch communities hundreds of kilometers from any Northlander station were included. Further still, the consultation period for the Pilot included zero input from northern stakeholders and concerns raised by the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police regarding safety and oversight were completely ignored. Accessibility was another unrealized aim from the original proposal: currently there are no requirements within the recently announced regulations for participants to field even a single accessible vehicle. Multiple public safety advocacy groups (such as Know Human Trafficking) were denied participation in the consultation. The Province’s duty to consult was not even mentioned in the consultation process or the Pilot itself. It should be noted that a major proponent of this entire initiative was Uber-retained Rubicon Strategy, a company headed by Doug Ford’s campaign manager Kory Teneycke.
Northerners don’t need Doug Ford unilaterally deciding how we travel or who drives in our communities. There is already an abundance of ride options for northern passengers. Aaron Taxi in Sudbury manages to service Ontario’s largest municipality with average wait times of under 10 minutes (while guaranteeing all their drivers the benefits of full employment). There is a plethora of homegrown rideshare options across northern Ontario, offering affordable transportation options that keep dollars within the communities they serve. Doug Ford’s Pilot endangers the fair working conditions these and other operators offer and their considerable involvement with local charities and organizations. All current operators and drivers are governed, licensed and overseen by their respective municipalities. Most cities within the scope of the Pilot already have ordinance on the books that permit rideshare but expect they operate within similar standards to other ground transportation providers. Clearly, these rules were unpalatable to conglomerates based in foreign countries with the resources and influence to contrive more suitable conditions for themselves. Doug Ford’s Pilot would hand extremely preferential regulation to large US conglomerates while disadvantaging dozens of operators, thousands of drivers and many thousands more of their passengers.
We ask that all Northerners make their desire for safe and orderly private transportation known by contacting their local representatives to protest this Pilot. Doug Ford’s autocratic tendencies must be put in check. His initiatives such as the Working for Workers Act continue to dismantle the protections endowed by generations of responsible governance. We appreciate your attention and commitment to this matter.
Michael Sanders – Aaron Taxi”
