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www.insideHALTON.com | OAKVILLE BEAVER | Friday, December 16, 2016 | 1 2 New licensing bylaw regulates Transportation Network Companies by Nathan How es Oakville Beaver Sta ff Transportation Network Companies (TN C), such as Uber, can now operate legally in Oakville, thanks to a new licensing bylaw to regulate ride-sourcing firms. On Monday (Dec. 12), Town council approved a new licensing bylaw to allow TN C s to legally drive on Oakville streets. The new regulations focus on health and safety and consumer protection, ensuring residents will continue to have safe, reliable and consistent transportation options when travelling in town. chick-adec-dee! W ild B inds U n lim ited O, ^ cheer* cJiccr' cheer! Valid until December 31st, 2016 Ufa:/ Give the Gift o f B ird Feeding Looking for a Bird Feeding Specialty Store For Christmas? Below offers apply to Burlington location only. One discount per purchase. Offer notvalid on previous purchases, giftcards, DSC memberships, optics and seed when you spend $25 or more $5 off $10 off $15 off $20 off when you spend $50 or more when you spend $75 or more when you spend $100 or more Coupons must be brought into store for discount to apply 3350 F A IR V IE W S T R E E T , B U R L IN G T O N 9 0 5 -6 3 4 - 7 7 0 0 · E M A I L : w b u 1 @ b e lln e t.c a W E B R IN G P E O P L E & N A T U R E T O G E T H E R "We know that app-based technology used by companies like Uber is here to stay and that many Oakville residents already use these services," said Mayor Rob Burton, in a media release. "This new bylaw ensures proper oversight of these services while addressing both community and consumer needs." The new bylaw comes after a year of extensive research, best practice reviews of other municipal regulations and public and stakeholder consultation to determine appropriate licensing options for TNCs. Oakville joins other municipalities in the province, including Niagara Region, Ottawa, Toronto and Waterloo Region, to enact TNClicensing bylaws. Uber Canada Public Policy Manager Chris Schafer stood before council as a delegate to present the company's position on the issue, ahead of the council vote on the bylaw. While the company supports the Town's licensing bylaw and staff report, Schafer outlined some of Uber's concerns. One of them is the vehicle age limit, which is seven years under Oakville's bylaw, but in many municipalities, other than Toronto, the limit is 10 years or more. Schafer attributes this to modern manufacturing techniques providing cars with a longer lifespan and other reasons. "There is an annual vehicle inspection, safety standard certificate. It's an MTO (Ministry of Transportation) vehicle inspection. The same one staff here is proposing to be adopted in the bylaw," said Schafer. "There is the ability of the bylaw to do spot inspections that may necessitate a vehicle inspection." The "beauty" of a TN C platform is after each ride, a driver can provide real-time, written feedback through the app, he said, which is monitored and responded to by Uber, 24 hours a day. "If there was an issue, such as a damaged windshield, m issing tail light, blinking light on a dashboard or the sound of an engine, we get that feedback and can act on it in real time," said Schafer, who asked council to consider increasing the vehicle age limit to 10 years. Council did not. "With all of those elements, a number of cities have landed in the 10-year m axim um ." In the Town staff report, a study revealed public support for Uber in Oakville varies from 73-75 per cent in all wards, except Ward 2, where it was at 54 per cent, Schafer noted. Support for ride-sourcing in Oakville is much higher among people under age 35 (92 per cent) than people 35-54 (69 per cent) or 55 and older (58 per cent). "It's consistent with other polling I've seen in cities and regions across Canada, so Oakville is no different in that respect," said Schafer. see Newon p.13 L e t Y o u r N a tu ra l S h in e B e a u ty T h r o u g h A g e A t A n y NO N -SURG IO ALO FFERS Laser Skin Rejuvenation A c n e Treatm ent Laser H air Removal Photofacial Skin Resurfacing Injectables: B otox Fillers/Juvederm Skin Health M anagem ent: Facial Peels Latisse C o m p reh en sive Skin C are A nalysis Scleroth eropy Z O Skin Health N on-Surgical Bo dy C o n tou ring V anquish Exilis Dr D ouglas G race G R A C E C L IN IC PLASTIC, RECONSTRUCTIVE & LASER SURGERY B.SC. M.D. F.R.C.S.C Plastic, Reconstructive, & Laser Surgeon 905 336 9636 | 200-481 JOHN ST., BURLINGTON |WWW.DRGRACE.CA Vo t e d #1 Fa c i a l and C o s m e t i c Pl a s t i c S u r g e o n in O a k v i l l e , Bu r l i n g t o n and Ha m i l t o n