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14 - The Oakville Beaver, Friday November 30, 2007 www.oakvillebeaver.com Licence renewals could double for taxi drivers By Kim Arnott SPECIAL TO THE BEAVER A Town proposal to more than double the fees charged to Oakville taxi drivers and owners has led to expressions of outrage, and a call for an increase in taxi cab fares. Town staff is suggesting that annual fees collected for taxi license renewals and taxicab inspections rise substantially, in an attempt to cover the costs of administering those services. The proposal, presented to the Town's Administrative Services Committee on Tuesday night, calls for renewal fees to rise from $500 to $1,300 a year for taxicab owners. Drivers would see their fees climb to $250 from $100, while the fee for an annual taxicab inspection would rise to $200, from the current rate of $100. If adopted, Oakville's taxi fees would be the highest in GTA, outside of the City of Toronto. "If you were to propose a tax increase of this order to the public, there would be a riot," said Peter Pellier, a citizen representative on the town's taxicab advisory committee. Describing the proposed fee increases as "punitive," Pellier said the staff proposal would create hardship for drivers and owners, and discourage drivers from entering the industry. Bill Perras, a local lawyer representing Oakville United Taxi, described the fare increases as "outlandish" and called for a phase-in period to allow the industry to adapt to higher fees. But Jim Barry, the Town's bylaw enforcement supervisor, told Town councillors that it costs about $100,000 a year for the Town to administer the taxi industry. Along with direct costs related to inspections, renewals, investigations, and meetings, the Town is also levying about $57,000 a year in "corporate overhead" costs to the industry. Barry said the intention of the Town is to move toward full-cost recovery in all of its licensing operations. Perra suggested that if the Town is seeking to recover its costs, some of that money should come from passengers, in the form of a fare hike. Taxicab fares, which are regulated by the town, were last raised by about 10 per cent in 2004, following a spike in gas prices. It now costs about $6 to travel two kilometres by taxi, about $9 to go four kilometres and about $27 to travel from the most westerly to the most easterly point in town. Councillor Jeff Knoll, who chairs the Taxicab Review Committee, suggested the fare increases should be considered as part of a whole package of changes impacting on the industry. Earlier this fall, council agreed to issue 16 new taxi plates, to bring the number of cabs on the road to 82 by April 2008. Beginning this spring, cabs will also have to be no older than four years, as compared to the five years now allowed. "We have already dramatically changed the playing field by increasing the number of cabs on the road by almost 25 per cent," said Knoll, who noted the industry is comprised of "average people just trying to make a living wage." "The taxi industry is not a golden goose of potential revenue for the Town," he said afterwards. "It is a service that is essential to the residents of Oakville and the Town must do what it can to ensure that we don't damage the business by overtaxing these independent business people through excessive fees." The Administrative Services Committee opted to send the fee increase proposal to the Town's Taxicab Review Committee for comment. The Regional Urban Yard Waste Collection Coming to an End LOWER BA SE LINE Municipality of Halton www.halton.ca Metal and Appliance Call-in Collection · Metal items and appliances are collected on a call-in basis only. This service is not offered in rural Halton Hills or rural Milton. · You must schedule metal and/or appliance pick-up before placing material out for collection. Call Halton Region between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday to Friday at 905-825-6000, Toll Free 1-866-442-5866 or TTY 905-827-9833. · Do not place metal items or appliances at the curb on your regular garbage or bulk collection day. · Place your metal items or appliances at the curb by 7 a.m. the day your items are scheduled to be collected, and no sooner than 5 p.m. the evening before. · For safety reasons, please remove all appliance doors and empty water from washing machines, dishwashers, etc. Put doors at the curb safely, so they don't become tripping hazards. WINSTON CHURCHILL BLVD NINTH LINE ETR 407 D DUNDAS ST HORPE RD BURNHAMT FRIDAY EIGHTH LINE HWY 403 B Acceptable materials include: · yard and garden trimmings · pumpkins · fallen fruit from trees · tree trimmings BURLOAK DR UPPER M IDDLE RD AG AW BL A VD NE Y SIXTH LINE THIRD LINE A TUESDAY QEW FRIDAY TUESDAY Q EW Grass clippings will not be collected with yard waste or garbage. Please "grasscycle" by leaving grass clippings on your lawn. Use only paper yard waste bags, or labelled, reusable, rigid containers with no lids. Yard waste labels for reusable containers are available at no charge from Halton Region. Containers must be no larger than 125 L (27 imperial gallons) or 23 kg (50 lbs). Bulk brush must be placed curbside in one pile no 3 m (10 ft) larger than 3 m (10 ft) long by 1.8 m (6 ft) wide by 1.2 m (4 ft) high, with branches a maximum of 7.5 cm (3 inches) in diameter. Bulk brush must be free of loose debris such as leaves and trimmings. To assist in collection, bundled and tied brush is appreciated. Bulk brush in excess of the Do not use cardboard boxes or Blue Boxes for yard waste collection. Don't put your yard waste in plastic bags, they are not accepted in the yard waste 1.2 m (4 ft) BRONTE RD C The last collection days of Yard Waste are: Zone A Zone D Zone B Zone C Tuesday, November 27 Friday, November 30 Tuesday, December 4 Friday, December 7 KERR ST Acceptable Metal and Appliances include: · Air conditioners · Barbeques (not propane tanks) · Metal bath tubs · Bicycles (no tires) · Dishwashers · Dismantled swing sets · Dryers · Metal fences 1.2m (4 ft) lengths maximum · Freezers · Furnaces · Metal furniture · Heat pumps · Hot water tanks (empty) · Microwaves · Pool heaters · Refrigerators · Metal shower enclosures · Metal sinks · Stoves · Washers · Metal water softeners (empty) Suicide Prevention Coalition The Halton Suicide Prevention Coalition is here to help all Halton residents. The Coalition provides information, education and advocacy related to suicide awareness and prevention. The Coalition is open to all individuals and organizations interested in suicide awareness, prevention, intervention, and postvention. Last year in Halton, 25 people died by suicide and over 400 others were hospitalized from suicide attempts. These deaths and hospitalizations greatly affected families and friends. If you are feeling suicidal or know someone who is, please call COAST (Crisis Outreach and Support Team) today, 1-877-825-9011. For more information, visit www.suicidepreventionhalton.ca. Halton Regional Meeting Schedule December 4 9:30 a.m. - Health & Social Services Committee December 5 9:30 a.m. - Planning & Public Works Committee December 6 8:30 a.m. - Administration & Finance Committee December 17 9:30 a.m. - Budget Review Committee 301107 compost product. 1151 Bronte Road, Oakville, Ontario L6M 3L1 · Tel: 905-825-6000 · Toll Free: 1-866-442-5866 · TTY: 905-827-9833 · www.halton.ca