Toronto won't back down from court fight with Uber: Mayor
Toronto City Hall is preparing to go to court against Uber in a battle over a recent council vote to cap the number of ridesharing licences.
“Our legal department is preparing a defence,” Mayor Olivia Chow confirmed Tuesday, a day after the ridesharing giant filed an injunction application with the Ontario Superior Court.
- Download our app to get local alerts on your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
Uber Canada is alleging that the October council decision to freeze the number of ridesharing licences until at least the end of 2024 is illegal, on the grounds that the move was done without consultation and was tainted, it claims, with bias and special interests.
Chow and 15 others voted in favour of the surprise cap amid a discussion about transitioning the industry to zero-emission vehicles by 2030, arguing that the freeze would reduce pollution and congestion in the core. At the time, critics warned that without staff study and stakeholder involvement, the city would expose itself to legal liability.
“I'm not surprised,” Deputy Mayor Jennifer McKelvie said of the lawsuit Tuesday. “I spoke in council to say that I thought [the cap] was arbitrary, unfair.”
“When you get on to the council floor and begin meddling with economics, it's no surprise that lawsuits come around,” Toronto Councillor Stephen Holyday said. “And I think this could have easily been predicted, also could have been easily prevented.”
Uber alleges that the cap was enacted in bad faith, and contrary to the city’s own procedural bylaws.
“Nonsense,” Deputy Mayor Mike Colle responded Tuesday. “Listen, this was very routine stuff we do all the time. We add motions, we make changes to things on the agenda.”
“It's just very disappointing that they would take this route and try to basically subvert the democratic process.”
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow attends a news conference with Ontario Premier Doug Ford, not shown, in Toronto on Monday Nov. 27, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Chris Young
The ridesharing company also alleges that council concealed the plan to bring the motion to the floor of council, disguising it as a spontaneous amendment. Freedom of Information records of emails within the Mayor’s office indicate that Chow had discussed a plan to issue a moratorium on new licences two months before the council vote.
“Let’s discuss what steps we need to take to win this cap,” Chow wrote to a staff member in her office on Aug. 7.
“No problem waiting till October,” she said in another note to staff.
Chow said Tuesday that she could not discuss the allegations while the case is before the court.
“Of course the legal department is very clear that I cannot comment on it.”
A court date has not yet been set.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
House of Commons Speaker Greg Fergus survives vote calling for his ouster
Greg Fergus survived a vote to oust him as House of Commons Speaker on Tuesday, but with close to half of MPs expressing a loss of confidence in him, he faces a precarious path forward in maintaining order in Parliament.
'It was hell': Israeli mother held hostage with her children describes 51 days in captivity
Hagar Brodutch, her three children and four-year-old neighbour were kidnapped by Hamas-led militants from their home in Kfar Aza, Israel on Oct. 7 and held for 51 days. They were released in November, but Brodutch says her thoughts are never far from those still being held in Gaza.
'Unruly passenger' forces WestJet flight to make emergency landing in B.C.
A WestJet flight heading to Calgary had to make an emergency landing in northern B.C. Monday due to an incident involving an 'unruly passenger,' Mounties say.
P.E.I. kiteboarder 'lucky to be alive' after shark attack in Turks and Caicos
A professional kiteboarder from P.E.I. says he has been seriously injured in a shark attack that occurred while he was snorkelling in the Turks and Caicos Islands last week.
Teen dies after being hit by train in N.W. Calgary
A teenager has died after being hit by a train in northwest Calgary on Tuesday afternoon.
Black bear kebabs make family sick with parasitic worms
It was supposed to be a celebration, but one family’s unique meal of black bear meat sent several members to the hospital instead.
'It's his vacation too': Jimmy the baby goat joins 2-week road trip across Canada
After Jimmy the baby goat was shunned by his mother, a New Brunswick man took the kid on a two-week road trip across Canada.
The double-level airplane seat is back. This time, there’s a first-class version
It’s the airplane seat design that launched a thousand memes and kickstarted a media storm. And now the double-level seat is back – only this time, with a twist.
New COVID-19 subvariants become the dominant strains in Canada
More than four years after COVID-19 effectively shut down the world, two new variants of COVID-19 have become the dominant strains of the novel coronavirus in Canada.