By Charlene Tebbutt

Taxicab bylaw

Council reluctantly agrees to deadline extension on taxicab report

Mar 21, 2019 | 2:06 PM

A request to extend the deadline for a report on the city’s taxicab bylaw has been granted, although city councillors expressed concern over the length of time it has been taking for a review of the matter.

City administration requested a deadline extension to July 22, saying the bylaw needs a total overhaul and not just a simple update. The report was supposed to have been done by the end of March, nearly two years after it was requested in June 2017.

Back then, councillors asked administration to consult with business owners and the public on taxicab safety, including protective shields and cameras inside the cabs, and emergency strobe lights. The current taxicab bylaw has been in place since 2002.

“It’s very important that we follow through with the public and see exactly what the public needs — a mode of transportation is very important to many people in this city,” _{City Manager Jim Toye.}

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City administration said at a council meeting Monday night that the review is taking longer than expected, in part due to new ride-sharing rules introduced last year in Saskatchewan. Regulations around other modes of transport, such as medical taxis and limousines, are also under consideration during the review.

City Manager Jim Toye said the bylaw has been on the books for some time and the city wants to insure the public is consulted on what the new regulations will look like. Safety for both riders and drivers is an important factor in the new bylaw, but issues around the cost of fares and the cleanliness of cabs are also being reviewed, he said.

“There’s a number of things we want to look at to make sure that when someone gets in a taxi that it’s going to be something more comforting, that it’s not something they don’t feel safe in or something that’s not clean, and something that’s going to have a fare that’s reasonable,” Toye said. “It’s very important that we follow through with the public and see exactly what the public needs — a mode of transportation is very important to many people in this city.”

Some councillors were reluctant to endorse the extension Monday, saying the review has taken a lot of time already. Ward 8 Coun. Ted Zurakowski said council has made a review of the taxi bylaw a priority and he wants to know “whose door to knock on” if it isn’t finished.

Ward 6 Coun. Blake Edwards said it was disappointing to see the report would be delayed.

“This isn’t good,” he added.

City Finance Director Cheryl Tkachuk agreed the current bylaw is very old, and the city will be holding a public meeting on changes to current regulations soon.

Whether ride-sharing rules become part of the new taxicab bylaw, or a separate set of regulations on its own, is also up in the air at this point, Tkachuk added. She said the city hasn’t heard much from the public about whether there is a big need for the service in P.A.

“There’s a few things going on where we need to make sure that the bylaw is fair to everybody but yet addresses the public’s concern,” she said. “We’re making sure that we do our due diligence and talking to people and finding out what they want.”

Mayor Greg Dionne said the city’s Board of Police Commissioners is also looking at the issue. Edwards said the lengthy process is frustrating.

“I understand it’s complex, I just want to move forward,” he added.

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charlene.tebbutt@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @CharleneTebbutt