Edmonton council chambers cleared as Uber debate overheats, again

City council chambers were cleared this afternoon and the debate over Uberground to a haltafter taxi drivers began chanting "shame, shame."

The outburst amongdrivers started after council voted down a motion to postpone the debate until after theWard 12 byelection is held on Feb. 22.

Earlier, dozens of drivers packedthe council chamber after holding a quick rallyoutside. Mayor Don Ivesonurged drivers to allow council to debate the proposals. He told one man who made comments from the gallery that he would be removed if he kept it up.

Uber protest draws Edmonton police

9 years ago

Duration 1:29

CBC Edmonton's Laura Osman sums up the city council debate on Uber. Police were called after a protest erupts in council chambers.

When order could not be restored, the chambers were cleared and all representativesof the media and the public were told to leave. Some drivers were locked in a standoff with police but left after they were told they could be arrested for trespassing.

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The meeting resumed about an hour later with onlymedia, city staff andcouncillorsallowedinside.Uberrepresentatives were kept outside with the drivers.

'Black day for democracy'

Drivers shouted "we want to go in," as police formed a line, preventing the public from entering council chambers.

MnjinderPunia, one of the drivers, said his group was protesting peacefully, and there was no reason they should not have been allowed back in.

"Nobody was violent," Punia said. "Nobody was crossing the line."

Drivers released black balloons outside council chambers.

"It's a black day for democracy," Puniasaid.

Mayor Don Iveson said police made the decision to keep peopleout of the meeting once it resumed and said it was "regrettable" that measure had to be taken.

"It is a public chamber, as long as people are behaving in a responsible way and not disrupting the actual business of democracy," he told reporters afterwards.

Councillorsare looking at recommendations that could transform the taxi industry and make Edmonton the first Canadian city to legalizeUber.

In a report prepared for today's meeting, administration recommends the city deregulate taxi fares for pre-arranged tripsto allow drivers to compete withUberdrivers.

Regulated fees would only apply for vehicles that are flagged from the curb or at cab stands. After a couple of hours of debate, councillors passed an amendment that sets a minimum price of $3.25 per ride for Uber and taxis hailed through an appto avoid predatory pricing.

When the debate continues Wednesday, councillors will consider whether they should set a maximum rate. Coun. Michael Oshry suggested limiting price surges to four times the regulated rate.

Uber is opposed to any minimum or maximum rates.

"While city council's move today to establish fare minimums would allow us to continue to operate in Edmonton, additional attempts to set maximum or minimum rates would be unworkable and could prevent further innovation like uberPOOL," the company said in a written statement.

"There are no ridesharing regulations in the world that place a cap on prices, because regulators want to ensure reliability for riders and consumer choice. Uber continues to encourage city council to adopt the recommendations presented by city staff. "

Council has been trying to deal with Uber ever since it started operating in Edmonton a year ago.

The company, which allows users to hail drivers using a smartphone app, has openly challenged the city's vehicle-for-hire bylaw.

But taxi companies and drivers have pushed back against Uber, arguingthe company doesn't play by the same rules orincur the same costs as other taxi firms.

The report also recommends the city should chargea licensing fee to Uber,instead of levying the fee onindividual drivers.

Uber drivers willhave to carry commercial vehicle insurance. The Alberta superintendent of insurance has warned that personal insurance policies are not sufficient to cover passengers in the case of a collision.

Two insurance companies are working on policies for Uber drivers but they still haven't been approved for use in Alberta.