Mayor Watson wanted Taxi review “expedited” before by-laws were rewritten to permit Uber

Former Ottawa Deputy City Manager Susan Jones speaks in as scrum on September 16, 2015. Image: YouTube

Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson personally requested staff “expedite” a review of the city’s Taxi by-law before it was updated in 2016.

On February 9th, 2024,plaintiff’s counsel Thomas Conway focused on comments made by then-Deputy City Manager Susan Jones in scrum on September 16, 2015. The comments were captured in a video shot by the Ottawa Citizen and which is still available to view on YouTube.

At 1:15 of the video, Jones tells reporters “We have expedited the review at the direction of the Mayor.”

“You do recall giving that statement?” Conway asked Jones.

“I do, yes,” Jones replied.

“So, the mayor directed you personally to fast track the taxi review?” Conway continued.

“As I recall, yes,” Jones answered.

“So a potential overhaul of the entire taxi industry, one that had been regulated since the 1930s….this entire industry, and the review of the industry was going to be fast tracked at the direction of the Mayor,” Conway summarized.

Conway then went on to ask Jones if she was aware that Ottawa Mayor Jim Watson had met with Uber five times over the course of that winter.

“Would it surprise you to learn that Uber representatives met with the mayor five separate times between January 2015 and April 2016? It wouldn’t surprise you, because that’s how the sausage making process works.”

“Exactly,” Jones agreed. “Everybody wants to influence decision making at City Hall, and will take the opportunity to go visit those that have the authority to make those changes.”

“Indeed, that’s why we have the Lobbyists Registry,” Conway noted.

In July, 2022, the International Consortium of Investigative Journalists release “The Uber Files,” based upon whistle-blower Mark MacGann’s personal experience of how Uber “muscled into new markets, then managed the fallout, spending gobs of cash on a global influence machine deployed to win favors from politicians, regulators and other leaders, who were often eager to lend a hand.”

Members of Ottawa’s taxi industry launched the $215 million class-action lawsuit in April 2016, alleging the city did not protect drivers and the industry when ride-sharing services hit city streets. The suit also claims the city discriminated against minority taxi plate holders by failing to enforce its own bylaw and changing the bylaw to allow private transportation companies.

A key element of this trial is the allegation that the City of Ottawa “in failing to enforce its By-law and in changing the By-law, the City discriminated on the basis of race, colour, ancestry, ethnic or national origin, religion or creed, language, place of origin, or citizenship, contrary to the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and the Ontario Human Rights Code,” according to the class action.

The lead plaintiffs in the lawsuit are Metro Taxi Ltd., co-owner Marc Andre Way and Iskhak Mail.