Uber crashed the taxi industry

Re Ford diminishes our democratic norms, Sept. 15

I find it ironic to read the vitriolic bile spewing forth from the mouths of those opposed to Premier Ford’s attempt to end a dysfunctional Toronto city council by categorizing it as undemocratic, dictatorial and, as our mayor and most of those whose plush jobs are on the line claim, not fair; you don’t change the rules in the middle of the game.

Well, that is exactly what Mayor Tory and city council have done to taxi owner-operators and drivers. By allowing Uber to bully its way into a highly regulated industry, these politicans have completely deregulated it, threatening the livelihood of tens of thousands of hard-working people and their families.

This council dithered for more than three years while Uber operated illegally, destroying taxi licence values, lease rates and the opportunity to retire with a livable pension after decades of service, all while endangering the riding public with untrained, unlicenced and unchecked or qualified drivers, operating without rules or regulations.

Mayor Tory promised a “level playing field,” not a “Wild West.” The reality is the exact opposite. The taxi industry still awaits a report (one and half years overdue) on what Toronto plans to do about the entire vehicle-for-hire industry. If that isn’t dysfunctional, I don’t know what is.