2. MOTION – ACCESSIBLE TAXICABS – MODIFIED REAR
ENTRY VANS
MOTION – taxiS accessibleS – FOURBONNETTES MODIFIÉES POUR CHARGEMENT PAR
L’ARRIÈRE
WHEREAS on September 17, 2003, Council approved a motion to amend Taxi By-laws to give candidates for Accessible Taxicab Owner Plates who have successfully completed the Accessible Taxicab Training Course before October 2003 until January 1, 2004 to:
1.
Provide proof that his or her Accessible Taxicab meets all
applicable provincial and federal standards for the provision of Taxicab
Services to Persons with disabilities; and
2.
Commence operating his or her Accessible Taxicabs.
AND WHEREAS that motion
was intended to give individuals more time to obtain Accessible Vehicles that
meet provincial standards and to effectively increase the options available to
them to operate rear-loading accessible cabs which appear to be desired because
of affordability and functionality;
AND WHEREAS in December
2002, the Province enacted Ontario Regulation 346/02, in part to permit
modified vans with rear-loading capabilities to operate as accessible cabs,
however that regulation inadvertently left in certain requirements that, if
narrowly interpreted, continue to prevent the operation of modified vans with rear-loading
capabilities;
AND WHEREAS the Ontario
Transportation Minister advised City staff that the Government was committed to
approve the appropriate changes to the regulations to the Highway Traffic Act,
and that the required Regulation had already been signed by the Lieutenant
Governor but not filed prior to the Provincial election being called, thereby
leaving the rear-loading vehicles non-compliant;
AND WHEREAS based on that
commitment there are ten (10) qualified drivers who are waiting to purchase
accessible cabs with rear-loading capabilities;
AND WHEREAS the taxi
by-laws require proof that vehicles comply with all applicable provincial and
federal standards for the provision of Taxicab Services to Persons with
disabilities and that the rear-loading vehicles do not comply due to the
current provincial requirements;
AND WHEREAS the qualified
drivers who have made a commitment to purchase an accessible vehicle with
rear-loading capabilities that they thought would comply and now have no means
to earn the money to pay for the vehicle if they do not have a taxi owner
plate;
NOW THEREFORE BE IT
RESOLVED that the Emergency and Protective Services Committee recommend that
City Council, through the Chair of the Emergency and Protective Services
Committee, petition the new Government of Ontario to amend, on a priority
basis, the relevant regulations to clearly allow for modified vans with
rear-entry capabilities to operate as accessible cabs in Ontario.
ATTENDU QUE, le 17
septembre 2003, le Conseil a approuvé une motion destinée à modifier le
Règlement municipal sur les taxis de façon que les candidats à des plaques pour
propriétaires de taxi accessible ayant réussi le cours de formation sur les
taxis accessibles avant le mois d’octobre 2003 aient jusqu’au 1er
janvier 2004 pour :
1. faire la preuve que leur taxi
accessible répond aux normes fédérales et provinciales concernant la prestation
de services de taxi aux personnes handicapées;
2. commencer à exploiter leur taxi accessible;
ATTENDU QUE cette
motion visait à donner aux personnes concernées plus de temps pour faire
l’acquisition d’un véhicule accessible répondant aux normes provinciales et à
leur donner davantage de possibilités d’exploiter des taxis accessibles à
chargement par l’arrière, qui semblent être les véhicules privilégiés, parce
qu’ils sont abordables et fonctionnels;
ATTENDU QUE, en
décembre 2002, le gouvernement de l’Ontario a promulgué le Règlement de
l’Ontario 346/02, notamment afin de permettre l’utilisation de fourgonnettes
modifiées à chargement par l’arrière comme taxis accessibles; toutefois, on a
par inadvertance inséré dans ce règlement des dispositions qui, interprétées au
sens strict, ont pour effet de maintenir l’interdiction d’utiliser de telles fourgonnettes
modifiées;
ATTENDU QUE le
ministère des Transports de l’Ontario a fait savoir au personnel de la Ville
que le gouvernement s’engageait à approuver les modifications nécessaires à la
réglementation relative au Code de la
route, et que le règlement requis avait déjà été signé par le
lieutenant-gouverneur, mais qu’il n’a pu être déposé avant le déclenchement des
élections provinciales, de sorte que les véhicules à chargement par l’arrière
ne sont toujours pas conformes à la réglementation;
ATTENDU QUE, par suite
de cet engagement, dix (10) chauffeurs qualifiés attendent pour acheter un
véhicule accessible à chargement par l’arrière;
ATTENDU QUE le
Règlement municipal sur les taxis exige la preuve que les véhicules respectent
toutes les normes fédérales et provinciales applicables pour la prestation de
services de taxi aux personnes handicapées et que les véhicules à chargement
par l’arrière ne respectent pas les normes, compte tenu de la réglementation
provinciale actuelle;
ATTENDU QUE les chauffeurs
qualifiés qui se sont engagés à acheter un véhicule accessible à chargement par
l’arrière, pensant qu’il serait conforme à la réglementation, ne peuvent gagner
le revenu nécessaire pour payer ce véhicule s’ils ne disposent pas d’une plaque
de propriétaire de taxi;
Il EST RÉSOLU QUE le
Comité des services de protection et d’urgence recommande que le Conseil
municipal, par l’intermédiaire de la présidente du Comité des services de
protection et d’urgence, demande au nouveau gouvernement de l’Ontario de
modifier de façon prioritaire le règlement pertinent, afin de permettre
clairement l’utilisation des fourgonnettes modifiées avec possibilité de
chargement par l’arrière comme taxis accessibles en Ontario.
DOCUMENTATION
Emergency and Protective Services Committee Chair report dated 13 November 2003 (ACS2003-CCS-EPS-0008).
Extract of Draft Minute, Emergency and Protective Services Committee 27 October 2003.
Report to/Rapport au:
Council / Conseil
10 November 2003 / le 10 novembre 2003
Submitted by/Soumis par: Emergency and
Protective Services Committee
Comité des services de protection et d’urgence
Contact/personne-ressource : Diane Blais, Coordinator / Coordonnatrice
580-2424, ext. 28091, diane.blais@ottawa.ca
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Ref N°:ACS2003-CCS-EPS-0008
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SUBJECT: |
MOTION – ACCESSIBLE TAXICABS – MODIFIED REAR-ENTRY VANS |
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OBJET: |
motion – taxis accessibles - fourgonnettes modifiées pour chargement
par l’arrière |
REPORT RECOMMENDATION
WHEREAS on September 17,
2003, Council approved a motion to amend Taxi By-laws to give candidates for
Accessible Taxicab Owner Plates who have successfully completed the Accessible
Taxicab Training Course before October 2003 until January 1, 2004 to:
1. Provide
proof that his or her Accessible Taxicab meets all applicable provincial and
federal standards for the provision of Taxicab Services to Persons with
disabilities; and
2. Commence
operating his or her Accessible Taxicabs.
AND WHEREAS that motion
was intended to give individuals more time to obtain Accessible Vehicles that
meet provincial standards and to effectively increase the options available to
them to operate rear-loading accessible cabs which appear to be desired because
of affordability and functionality;
AND WHEREAS in December
2002, the Province enacted Ontario Regulation 346/02, in part to permit
modified vans with rear-loading capabilities to operate as accessible cabs,
however that regulation inadvertently left in certain requirements that, if
narrowly interpreted, continue to prevent the operation of modified vans with
rear-loading capabilities;
AND WHEREAS the Ontario
Transportation Minister advised City staff that the Government was committed to
approve the appropriate changes to the regulations to the Highway Traffic Act,
and that the required Regulation had already been signed by the Lieutenant
Governor but not filed prior to the Provincial election being called, thereby
leaving the rear-loading vehicles non-compliant;
AND WHEREAS based on that
commitment there are ten (10) qualified drivers who are waiting to purchase
accessible cabs with rear-loading capabilities;
AND WHEREAS the taxi
by-laws require proof that vehicles comply with all applicable provincial and
federal standards for the provision of Taxicab Services to Persons with
disabilities and that the rear-loading vehicles do not comply due to the
current provincial requirements;
AND WHEREAS the qualified
drivers who have made a commitment to purchase an accessible vehicle with
rear-loading capabilities that they thought would comply and now have no means
to earn the money to pay for the vehicle if they do not have a taxi owner
plate;
NOW THEREFORE BE IT
RESOLVED that the Emergency and Protective Services Committee recommend that
City Council, through the Chair of the Emergency and Protective Services
Committee, petition the new Government of Ontario to amend, on a priority
basis, the relevant regulations to clearly allow for modified vans with rear-entry
capabilities to operate as accessible cabs in Ontario.
ATTENDU QUE, le 17 septembre 2003,
le Conseil a approuvé une motion destinée à modifier le Règlement municipal sur
les taxis de façon que les candidats à des plaques pour propriétaires de taxi
accessible ayant réussi le cours de formation sur les taxis accessibles avant
le mois d’octobre 2003 aient jusqu’au 1er janvier 2004 pour :
1. faire
la preuve que leur taxi accessible répond aux normes fédérales et provinciales
concernant la prestation de services de taxi aux personnes handicapées;
2. commencer à exploiter leur
taxi accessible;
ATTENDU QUE cette motion visait à
donner aux personnes concernées plus de temps pour faire l’acquisition d’un
véhicule accessible répondant aux normes provinciales et à leur donner
davantage de possibilités d’exploiter des taxis accessibles à chargement par
l’arrière, qui semblent être les véhicules privilégiés, parce qu’ils sont
abordables et fonctionnels;
ATTENDU QUE, en décembre 2002, le
gouvernement de l’Ontario a promulgué le Règlement de l’Ontario 346/02,
notamment afin de permettre l’utilisation de fourgonnettes modifiées à
chargement par l’arrière comme taxis accessibles; toutefois, on a par
inadvertance inséré dans ce règlement des dispositions qui, interprétées au
sens strict, ont pour effet de maintenir l’interdiction d’utiliser de telles
fourgonnettes modifiées;
ATTENDU QUE le ministère des
Transports de l’Ontario a fait savoir au personnel de la Ville que le
gouvernement s’engageait à approuver les modifications nécessaires à la
réglementation relative au Code de la
route, et que le règlement requis avait déjà été signé par le
lieutenant-gouverneur, mais qu’il n’a pu être déposé avant le déclenchement des
élections provinciales, de sorte que les véhicules à chargement par l’arrière
ne sont toujours pas conformes à la réglementation;
ATTENDU QUE, par suite de cet
engagement, dix (10) chauffeurs qualifiés attendent pour acheter un véhicule
accessible à chargement par l’arrière;
ATTENDU QUE le Règlement municipal
sur les taxis exige la preuve que les véhicules respectent toutes les normes
fédérales et provinciales applicables pour la prestation de services de taxi
aux personnes handicapées et que les véhicules à chargement par l’arrière ne
respectent pas les normes, compte tenu de la réglementation provinciale
actuelle;
ATTENDU QUE les chauffeurs qualifiés
qui se sont engagés à acheter un véhicule accessible à chargement par
l’arrière, pensant qu’il serait conforme à la réglementation, ne peuvent gagner
le revenu nécessaire pour payer ce véhicule s’ils ne disposent pas d’une plaque
de propriétaire de taxi;
Il EST RÉSOLU QUE le Comité des
services de protection et d’urgence recommande que le Conseil municipal, par
l’intermédiaire de la présidente du Comité des services de protection et
d’urgence, demande au nouveau gouvernement de l’Ontario de modifier de façon
prioritaire le règlement pertinent, afin de permettre clairement l’utilisation
des fourgonnettes modifiées avec possibilité de chargement par l’arrière comme
taxis accessibles en Ontario.
At its 27 October 2003 meeting, the Emergency and Protective Services Committee considered and approved the above-noted motion while discussing an information report on the status of the Accessible Taxicab Program. A draft Extract of Minute is attached to this report for information.
N/A
N/A
Attachment 1 – Draft Extract of Minutes, Emergency and Protective Services Committee meeting of 27 October 2003.
Chair of the Emergency and Protective
Services Committee to forward Council’s resolution to the Province.
ACCESSIBLE TAXICAB PROGRAM UPDATE AND CELEBRATION
PROGRAMME DES TAXIS ACCESSIBLES – MISE À JOUR
ACS2003-EPS-BYL-0033
Ms. L. Anderson, Acting Director,
By-law Services, reported that all 25 candidates had successfully completed the
accessible taxicab driver training course.
To date, 13 have acquired accessible vehicles and the other 12 are in
the process of acquiring such vehicles.
Ms. Anderson expressed the department’s great pride in being able to
celebrate the first 13 fully qualified accessible taxicab drivers in the City
of Ottawa. She noted the presence of
several distinguished guests who were in attendance in order to share in the
celebration and advised that Mr. C. Mathews, of Disabled and Proud, had
requested an opportunity to make a brief presentation to Committee.
Mr. C. Mathews, Disabled and Proud, took the opportunity to personally
thank the drivers on behalf of the disabled community. He believed the drivers had given the
disabled community a long-needed freedom.
He suggested it may take a while before the cabs are fully busy, but he
was sure that they would be.
Chair Deans noted that Mr. Mathews
had just been given a Community Builder Award for his work and she
congratulated him.
Ms. Anderson advised that some of
the drivers wished to say a few words.
On behalf of all the accessible
taxicab drivers, Mr. G. Kooner and Mr. T. Aoun, wish to express appreciation to those who helped them along the
way. As a symbol of their grattitude,
they presented plaques to Chair Deans, Ms. L. Anderson and Ms. K. Young from
By-law Services, and Mr. S. Bhandari presented a similar plaque to Mr. H. Patni from Coventry Connections.
In a presentation ceremony, Ms.
Young invited each accessible taxicab driver to come forward and receive a
certificate, presented to them by Chair Deans, Ms. Jones and
Ms. Anderson. Certificates were
presented to the following individuals:
Mr. V. Haddad,
Mr. G. Kooner, Mr. T. Aoun, Mr. S. Kapal, Mr. Q. Jalali, Mr. A. Al-Jazzar,
Mr. A. Ahmed, Mr. S. Vukmirica, Mr. E. Housany, Mr. S. Singh Deol,
Mr. K. Singh, Mr. A. Toor, and Mr. S. Bhandari.
Following the presentation ceremony,
Ms. Young advised that the accessible vehicles were outside and available for
viewing.
Chair Deans recalled a time when it
was a distant dream to have accessible taxicabs on the road to serve Ottawa’s
disabled community. She alluded to the
great hurdles that had to be overcome and suggested this was a proud day for
the Committee, for the disabled community, for the drivers, and for the
industry. She noted the aforementioned
groups came together and worked together to make this happen. She looked forward to seeing the accessible
taxicabs on the roads. On behalf of
Committee, Chair Deans thanked all those who helped make it a reality and she
expressed pride in being able to celebrate this major accomplishment.
Councillor
Harder noted that when she, Chair Deans, and Ms. Jones started talking about
this two years ago, they never believed it could be accomplished so
quickly. She took the opportunity to
thank Mr. N. Sterling, MP, who played a significant role in quickly bringing
the issue to the cabinet table.
Chair Deans referenced on-going
concerns with rear-entry loading vans and introduced a motion which would have
her, as chair of the Emergency and Protective Services Committee, write to the
Minister of Transportation asking that the new Government of Ontario act
expeditiously to allow the use of rear-loading vans. Chair Deans moved out of the Chair in order to move the motion.
Councillor Harder indicated she had
been informed that, at the last meeting of the outgoing government, the issue had
been dealt with and approved. Although
she agreed that it was better to err on the side of caution, she questioned the
need for the motion.
Chair Deans maintained the
importance of moving forward on the issue until approval was received in
writing.
Moved by D. Deans
WHEREAS on September
17, 2003, Council approved a motion to amend Taxi By-laws to give candidates
for Accessible Taxicab Owner Plates who have successfully completed the
Accessible Taxicab Training Course before October 2003 until January 1, 2004
to:
1. Provide proof that his or her Accessible Taxicab meets all
applicable provincial and federal standards for the provision of Taxicab
Services to Persons with disabilities; and
2. Commence
operating his or her Accessible Taxicabs.
AND WHEREAS that motion
was intended to give individuals more time to obtain Accessible Vehicles that
meet provincial standards and to effectively increase the options available to
them to operate rear-loading accessible cabs which appear to be desired because
of affordability and functionality;
AND WHEREAS in December
2002, the Province enacted Ontario Regulation 346/02, in part to permit
modified vans with rear-loading capabilities to operate as accessible cabs,
however that regulation inadvertently left in certain requirements that, if
narrowly interpreted, continue to prevent the operation of modified vans with
rear-loading capabilities;
AND WHEREAS the Ontario
Transportation Minister advised City staff that the Government was committed to
approve the appropriate changes to the regulations to the Highway Traffic Act,
and that the required Regulation had already been signed by the Lieutenant
Governor but not filed prior to the Provincial election being called, thereby
leaving the rear-loading vehicles non-compliant;
AND WHEREAS based on
that commitment there are ten (10) qualified drivers who are waiting to
purchase accessible cabs with rear-loading capabilities;
AND WHEREAS the taxi
by-laws require proof that vehicles comply with all applicable provincial and
federal standards for the provision of Taxicab Services to Persons with
disabilities and that the rear-loading vehicles do not comply due to the
current provincial requirements;
AND WHEREAS the
qualified drivers who have made a commitment to purchase an accessible vehicle
with rear-loading capabilities that they thought would comply and now have no
means to earn the money to pay for the vehicle if they do not have a taxi owner
plate;
NOW THEREFORE BE IT
RESOLVED that the Emergency and Protective Services Committee recommend that
City Council, through the Chair of the Emergency and Protective Services
Committee, petition the new Government of Ontario to amend, on a priority
basis, the relevant regulations to clearly allow for modified vans with rear-entry
capabilities to operate as accessible cabs in Ontario.
CARRIED
Councillor Harder expressed support
for this initiative as well as a desire to see it grow. She wished to ensure sustainability for
those who had invested significantly in accessible vehicles. Therefore, she presented a motion to ask
staff to consult with the industry with respect to the economic sustainability
of maintaining the age limit for accessible cabs in general, and the London
type Cab in particular, and report to the Emergency and Protective Services
Committee within 3 months. She
maintained that these vehicles have to be economically viable, and part of that
equation is the length of time they are allowed to stay on the road. She believed the focus should be on the
vehicle’s condition rather than its age and noted that, with proper
maintenance, the London cabs can be made to last approximately 20 years. She wished to settle the issue early so that
drivers would maintain their vehicles and get the most out of them while still
providing excellent service and safety.
Chair Deans wondered if 3 months would give
staff enough time to consult with the industry and report back. Given the current projects underway, Ms.
Jones suggested 3 months would not be enough time. She noted that staff was already under direction to bring back a
report on the number of accessible taxicabs the City should have in order to be
viable. She advised that report was due
to be presented in the spring.
Therefore, she suggested the report could address both issues.
The motion was amended accordingly.
Moved by J. Harder
That staff consult the
industry, drivers and brokers, with respect to the economic sustainability of
maintaining the age-limit for accessible cabs in general and the London-type cab
in particular, and report to the Emergency and Protective Services Committee in
six (6) months.
CARRIED
Chair Deans invited everyone to
proceed outside to view the new accessible vehicles.
That the Emergency and Protective Services Committee
receive this report for information.
RECEIVED