Vehicle-For-Hire Bylaw Pushed Into Next Council Term

The Bulldog notes that vehicle-for-hire bylaws and debates have been among the most protested in municipal history.

Note that this comes after new security at Ottawa City Hall has been built without public consultation or debate.

Note that staff as per the direction of an elected committee wants to push the vehicle-for-hire bylaw and resulting controversy into the next term of council when it won’t have an effect on the upcoming municipal election:

Ken Gray

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Below is a release from the City of Ottawa:

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This memorandum responds to the Direction to Staff, given at the Special Joint Emergency  Preparedness and Protective Services and Public Works and Infrastructure Committee meeting  of May 15 and16, to provide information on the relevant impacts of deferring the preliminary  planning and research work for the Vehicle-for Hire By-law review until next Term of Council.

Staff assess that delaying the preliminary work for the Vehicle-For-Hire By-law review is  necessary to provide staff capacity to undertake the development of a Vulnerable Social  Infrastructure By-law by the end of Term, if directed by Council. Staff do not anticipate that the  delay will have a significant impact on the overall review of the Vehicle-For-Hire By-law. The  entire review of the Vehicle-for Hire By-law could be accommodated next Term, as described  below.

Background:

The 2023 – 2026 By-law Review Work Plan was approved by Council on June 28, 2023 (ACS 2023-EPS-PPD-0001) and sets out the regulatory by-laws that will be reviewed or developed by  City departments over this Term of Council. The approval of a work plan at the beginning of each  Term of Council is a key requirement of the City’s By-law Review Framework that was approved  by Council in 2019, ensuring that the City’s regulatory by-laws are reviewed by the appropriate  department regularly and at a minimum every 10 years. The work plan also ensures that by-law  reviews are prioritized based on Council input and that the work is planned strategically over the  four-year term.

The By-law Review Work Plan for this Term of Council sets out 35 reviews and projects to be  undertaken by the department having oversight of the by-law or matter in question. As noted in the June 2023 report, once Council approves the work plan any new requests for reviews may  require a motion to remove or delay existing reviews to ensure sufficient staff capacity. Further  information on the Work Plan and the status of the individual projects is available on the By-law  Review Webpage.

Relevant Impacts:

1

As noted in the June 2023 report, the Vehicle-for-Hire By-law is due for a full review in 2026,  namely 10 years following its enactment. Due to other reviews and projects prioritized on the  work plan as well as the anticipated scope of this review, a full review of this by-law could not be  accommodated during this Term. Rather, Council approved that staff undertake preliminary  planning and research work in Q2 2025 to launch the beginning of the Vehicle for Hire By-law  review, with the full review continuing into next Term of Council. The preliminary work was to  include the identification of stakeholders as well as issues and areas for research and review,  developing a consultation and engagement plan, and identifying the internal and external  resources that may be required to carry out the full review.

Subsequent to Council approving the review of a Vulnerable Social Infrastructure By-law – in  2025-2026, the preliminary work on the Vehicle-For-Hire By-law would be delayed. Despite this,  staff do not anticipate a significant impact on the overall review of the Vehicle-For-Hire By-law.  The entire review of the Vehicle-for Hire By-law could be accommodated next Term. While the full  scope of that work is not yet determined, staff anticipate that the review would take approximately  18 to 24 months. Preliminary work could begin as soon as Q3 2026 and could continue into the  next Term on the assumption that Council will approve this review in next Term’s work plan.

Next Steps:

Should Council approve the Vulnerable Social Infrastructure By-law review on May 28, staff will  postpone the preliminary planning and research work for the Vehicle for Hire By-law to  accommodate this work. Staff expect to be able to begin the preliminary planning and research  work in Q3 2026 when the legislative agenda for this Term of Council is completed. Staff will also  include the full Vehicle For Hire By-law Review on the 2027-2030 By-law Review Work Plan  which will be brought forward for Council approval as soon as possible next Term.

Respectfully,

Ryan Perrault

General Manager

Emergency and Protective Services

cc:

Wendy Stephanson, City Manager

Senior Leadership Team

Valérie Bietlot, Manager, Public Policy Development Branch

Roger Chapman, Director, By-law and Regulatory Services

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