‘If you want to run my business, you can buy it’
Michel Tetrault knows his English isn’t the best.
Photo by Vince Fedorof
DETOUR TO OBLIVION? – Michel Tetrault, a francophoneYukoner, holds up a copy of the bylaw he says would end his limousine business if the City of Whitehorse adopts it in its current form. He’s seen at Monday evening’s city council meeting.
Michel Tetrault knows his English isn’t the best.
And in his thick French accent, he told council so on Monday evening, arguing it shouldn’t prevent him from running his “Sir Froggy” limousine business as he’s done in Whitehorse for nearly a decade.
Under a proposed section of draft bylaws regulating cab, limos and charter vehicles in the city though, he could not operate his business.
Late last month, council voted to put out for consultation two proposed bylaws which would replace the current Vehicle for Hire Bylaw passed in 2003.
Under the new proposal, one bylaw would apply to cabs and the other to charter vehicles and limousines.
The drafts of the two new bylaws propose a number of changes for the taxi and limo industry, among them language standards.
“I know I don’t speak English well,” Tetrault told council, also making note of his difficulty reading and writing in his second language.
Section 12.1 of the proposed Limousine and Charter Vehicle for Hire bylaw states: “The designated officer shall not issue a Limousine and Charter Vehicle for Hire Permit, or renewal thereof, to any driver who: (1) is not 18 years of age or older; cannot speak read and write in the English language; does not possess and illustrate a working knowledge of the City of Whitehorse and surrounding area; does not possess and illustrate a working knowledge of this bylaw; and is unwilling or unable to maintain satisfactory service to the public during the currency of the Limousine and Charter Vehicle for Hire permit.”
Tetrault stopped himself on the language issue, stating he was getting angry.
Earlier in his presentation though, he brought forward several other issues with the draft bylaws.
Higher insurance requirements would take many cabs off the road, he argued, and other regulations – including the cleanliness of a vehicle, the appearance of drivers and the number of vehicles for hire on the road – should not be left up to the municipal government.
“If you want to run my business, you can buy it,” Tetrault told council members.
Part of the reason many cab owners run their own businesses is that they don’t like taking orders, he added.
His comments had Coun. Doug Graham wondering whether Tetrault had any problems with any number of Vehicle for Hire licences being granted in the city.
“Not at all,” Tetrault replied, adding the more competition, the better.
Under the draft bylaws, the city would limit the number of vehicles for hire to 50, with up to 10 per owner.
Currently, there are approximately 80 drivers permits in use and 46 vehicles permitted to conduct taxi services in the city.
The city’s concern, Tetrault argued, should be limited to the safety of cab and limo passengers.
“Safety first,” he said.
As the business owner, he continued, the quality of service should be left up to him. “Customers get the choice.”
Coun. Dave Stockdale said he understood the limo owner’s point. He also told Tetrault the city ends up getting the complaints when there are dirty cabs or other problems.
“Do you think that’s appropriate?” Stockdale asked.
He posed the question after Mayor Bev Buckway told him the time following such presentations is for council to ask questions of presenters rather than to express their opinions.
The time for the opinion and discussion among council members would come later when Coun. Ranj Pillai brought it forward as new and unfinished business under public health and safety committee issues.
Pillai pointed to the court case Tetrault mentioned in his presentation that will see the driver in court in June over a November 2008 violation when bylaw enforcement cited Tetrault for failing to renew a vehicle permit.
It was during a meeting on Sunday with local cab and limo drivers that Pillai had first heard of the case.
“I was upset because I had no details,” the councillor commented.
He argued that since he was elected last October, he’s received at least an e-mail detailing each court matter the city is involved with except in this case.
Pillai noted if the issue is a matter of principle, there’s a question of why the city didn’t follow it up earlier. If it’s not a matter of principle, he said, the city would likely end up spending more on legal fees than the fine is worth.
After listening to the many concerns of local cab and limo drivers, Pillai said, he doesn’t feel the process has been balanced, and there must be an opportunity for those in the industry and the general public to speak on it.
“We need to do that,” he said, arguing the current bylaw could possibly “cripple” the industry.
Pillai argued he had voted against the resolution to move it forward last week, as it was essentially “rolling through first reading.”
Coun. Betty Irwin was quick to defend the resolution for public consultation on the draft. First reading of both bylaws is actually expected to come forward following the consultation.
Irwin said she appreciates Pillai has met with drivers and cab company owners on the matter; “however, this is simply a draft.”
Now, the city is entering a “due process” to work on the documents and is looking for input from all parties, she said.
The mayor agreed.
The city is now getting what it needs – people talking about it and pointing out the issues and problems that may come from the draft, Buckway said.
A draft, she noted, is not perfect – which is why it’s going out to the public.
Buckway then encouraged all those in the industry and those with concerns to attend meetings where the bylaws are discussed and make their issues known.
Pillai also took issue with the possibility that two more licences have been granted into the midst of such a review.
“That shocks me,” he said.
Rob Fendrick, the city’s director of administrative services, couldn’t confirm whether any new licences had been granted. However, he said it is entirely possible, given that the new bylaw will remain in place until a new one is adopted.
In the meantime, he said, people have to earn a living, and new licences may be granted under the current bylaw.
francias pillman
Mar 2, 2010 at 5:16 pm
Boo Hoo. Shape up or SHIP OUT. These cabbies really are showing their true colors. GET AN OIL CHANGE, CLEAN YOUR CABS, DO YOUR JOB. Stop wasting our time whining and complaining about bylaws that are needed. Don’t like them? There’s the door.