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
NDP wants Liberals to scrap proposed election date change that could secure pensions for many MPs
The federal New Democrats want to amend the Liberal government's electoral reform legislation to scrap the proposal to push back the vote by a week and consequently secure pensions for dozens of MPs, CTV News has learned.
Supreme Court won't hear appeal in Montreal brainwashing experiments case
The Supreme Court of Canada will not review a Quebec ruling that bars people from suing the U.S. government in Canada over its role in notorious brainwashing experiments at a Montreal psychiatric hospital.
Drive one of these vehicles? You may pay 37 per cent more than average insurance costs due to thefts
As the number of auto theft incidents rises in Canada, so have insurance premiums for drivers, even the ones whose vehicles aren't stolen.
Teen pleads guilty to manslaughter in death of homeless man in downtown Toronto
One of eight teen girls charged in the death of a homeless man in downtown Toronto has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.
Doug Ford suggests immigrants behind Jewish school shooting
Ontario Premier Doug Ford suggested immigrants are to blame for the shooting of an empty Jewish school in Toronto over the weekend, despite police saying they have little information on the suspects.
Shania Twain shares how she forgave her ex-husband's cheating: 'It's his mistake'
Shania Twain recently addressed the infidelity that rocked her marriage to Robert 'Mutt' Lange, whom she divorced in 2010 after he had an affair with her friend, Marie-Anne Thiébaud.
'I'm not wealthy': Ontario senior shocked she owes $40,000 in capital gains after gifting land
An Ontario senior who wanted to help her daughter and grandson eventually own homes one day decided to give them two lots on her property as a gift—but she didn’t know it would eventually cost her tens of thousands of dollars.
Fewer immigrants could have economic impacts as Canadians age: RBC
High levels of immigration are helping blunt the economic impact of Canada's aging population even though it's worsened challenges with housing affordability, a report by RBC says.
Police arrest 19-year-old suspect after Montreal triple homicide
Police have made an arrest following a deadly street fight that ended with three people killed in Montreal's Plateau-Mont-Royal borough last week.