Industry advocates hope for big changes at City Hall

Don’t like the way Toronto Council runs the taxi industry? Then get out October 25 and vote for change, say the City’s long-suffering critics

by Mike Beggs

On October 25, Torontonians will take to the polls to elect a new Mayor, and 44 members of Council. And while some may hold out little hope for improvement of their lot, taxi industry owner/activist Gerald Manley maintains it’s crucial for industry members to get out and do their democratic duty.

“It’s absolutely critical,” he says. “I think, over the last two or three decades Councillors Howard Moscoe and Denzil Minnan-Wong have been the establishment at the Licensing & Standards, and look where our industry is. It’s horrible,” he states.

“And if we don’t get a new Mayor who will make changes, it will never get any better.”

Manley reasons that with 12,000-plus cab industry members and their friends and family voting Ð and with the knowledge that only about 26 percent of the electorate got out to vote in 2006 -- “we could get some of those people out of there.”

“We could vote out the dead wood and get some new blood at city hall,” he adds. “Or it’s just going to get worse.”

Diamond Taxi general manager Jim Bell says, “it’s fine to grouse” about current conditions, but not if you’re unwilling to take part in the electoral process. He notes many industry members simply can’t afford the time off to attend meetings regularly at city hall, “so, you take 10 minutes out of your day to get out and vote.”

“Certainly, I would encourage all taxi industry members to participate in the upcoming municipal election, if they want to affect change, and elect councillors who may actually show concern for the growth of our industry. They only get elected every four years,” he comments. “The municipal level of politics is the one that most impacts on our industry.”

He notes that the Toronto industry HAS seen some major legislative changes over the years Ð like the Lastman Report in the mid-‘70’s, and the Taxi Reform in 1998.

Bell is among those who disagree with the politicians’ more recent “one man, one car” vision of the taxi industry; and he’s among those with concerns that, “our industry is being used as a cash cow.”

“I don’t believe (the one man, one car credo). serves the industry, or the citizens well,” he says. “I disagree with that philosophy, and the level you can achieve as an entrepreneur in this business -- no matter how smart your business acumen, or how much money you invest. To me, that’s not right. You want to leave some security to your spouse, you cannot transfer that plate to them.”

“I’d like to be treated like some other industries licensed by this City, where you can have corporations -- because it has tax advantages, and liability advantages.”

When asked the value of the upcoming election, Ambassador Khalil Talke scoffs, “I don’t believe in that at all. The politicians always promise you things to get the vote. I don’t believe it.”

“Our strength is to be on our own, and the drivers have to organize,” adds the iTaxiworkers member. “I don’t believe in these politicians. Politics is just to get elected. Give the power to the drivers, they’re hardworking people, not the business people. That’s the bottom line.”

Likewise, long-time indie driver Ron Yew doesn’t have much optimism.

“I haven’t kept up with the different politicians, but I think things will be the same, whoever is Mayor,” he tells Taxi News.

“The biggest issue, I would say, it’s too many cabs. It’s not a very easy life in the taxi industry now, and the lineups are so long, I have to wait one or two hours to get a fare.”

“It’s going to be the same no matter who comes in,” agrees independent Roussoul Rahini, 18 years on the road. “We are on our own. Nobody does anything for us.”

“I suppose it would be a wonderful idea if the taxi industry were actually united,” limo driver Terry Danylevich says of the election’s possible impact. “I think the trick is to find an issue that crosses over all boundaries, bringing together the various groups and trying to get the word out.”

“I think communication within the industry (is lacking). A lot of drivers, I think, might stop paying attention, and resign themselves to a fatalistic approach.”

When asked her hopes for the election, Wilma Walsh, one of the leaders of the Drivers On The Waiting List (DWL) legal action against the City responds, “Well, there’s so many different segments in the cab industry, and all of them have their own interests.”

Of the tandem of Moscoe and Minnan-Wong she adds succinctly, “I’d love to see neither one of them have anything to do with the taxi industry.”

Another DWL member, Ervin Shaw, notes that, “If you go through the list of mayoralty candidates, none of them has talked about the cab business so far. We don’t know what’s going on. (And the Mayor is) the only one that can create any change.”

His assessment of the current regime?

“Major, major failure.”

Of election prospects, Independent Toronto Taxi Inc. president Mike Tranquada muses, “We can’t do any worse than the current regime that keeps attacking the owner/operator.”

He estimates there’s 1,000 too many Ambassadors out there, and suggests the City should phase out them out and go back to an even balance between the owners and drivers list.

“I think Moscoe doesn’t realize how much damage he does until after the fact. (Now) he realizes there’s too many Ambassadors,” he offers.

Furthermore, he feels the Licensing & Standards Committee chair “doesn’t realize” there are Ambassadors in their 80’s still out there driving, and that, “It’s only a matter of time before somebody has a stroke or a heart attack in their cab.”

According to Tranquada, it’s hard for the cab industry to get anything done politically, “because no matter whether they’re NDP, Liberal, or Conservative, councillors prefer to just go ask Moscoe.”

“And Moscoe has people bombarding him from all directions,” he continues. “He tries to strike a balance and he achieves that sometimes.”

“The city councillors who aren’t getting an education on the taxi industry instead of just turning to Moscoe, they’re just not doing their job. They’re being lazy,” he adds.

“What has me worried is, why did so many councillors ask Howard Moscoe -- because he was NDP? Or because he was telling them, ‘We’re going to make all this money off the cab business,’” Shaw chips in?

Bell acknowledges that, “our industry is very complicatedÉand for a politician to become involved in our industry they would have to jump in the pool with both feet, or leave it alone.” He cities politicians such as Dennis Fotinos, and Blake Kinahan who have done that in the past.

“I have great concerns if Howard is the taxi czar,” he adds.

Best-Tech Auto owner Baljit Sikand has thrown his support behind mayoralty candidate Rocco Rossi. He’s looking forward to having a new Mayor, opining that outgoing Mayor David Miller did, “Not much, nothing. He didn’t pay attention to our industry at all.”

Sikand has a kinder assessment of Moscoe and Minnan-Wong.

“Many, many councillors, they don’t pay too much interest to the cab industry. (Those two), they pay attention, they take an interest. This is why they know the issues when they’re in committee.”

“Howard listens. He cannot please everybody. If he has to do something for the drivers, the owners get upset, and vice versa.”

To really affect some changes, he suggests the industry needs, “an association, not a union”, where Councillors, and city staff are involved -- rather than just dealing with staff reports at Committee.

“The stakeholders should discuss any views in this closed room, and then come up with the kind of changes you need in the industry,” he relates. “Then the committees and public can discuss them, and it goes to Council.”

“We’re a big industry and we could solve our problems ourselves sitting together, putting the issues on the table. We could discuss and come up with some compromises,” he adds. “Somewhere it has to start, right? There are different associations, broker groups, drivers groups, and nobody is talking to each other.”

Manley says there’s some credence to the common societal perception that politicians are all the same.

“But sometimes you’re lucky enough to find a champion who believes in your cause and you can get something done,” he stresses.

He points to the three or four councillors who jumped on his driver safety package a decade ago, and helped push through such measures as mandatory in-car security cameras.

“We need a champion (on council),” he continues. “We don’t get access to the Mayor’s office Ð it’s the 43 guys who get voted in -- and it’s the Mayor who has the big clout.”

“What the cab industry needs is some councillors who will, sit down (with us), and we put everything on the table.” He sees Ambassadors, and Leasing as the big issues.

“You’re not going to get everything you want, but I think we can come to something fair,” he comments. “There has to be give and take from all sides. We’ve got to get one plan that’s fair for all, and can deliver top-line service.”