People hoping for a quick dispute in Surrey’s ride-hailing standoff may be waiting much longer than it takes to hail a cab from YVR.
“The province’s role is really to establish the framework for ride-hailing and make sure that it gets up and running,” said Transportation Minister Claire Trevena, when asked if the government would take immediate steps to stop Surrey from issuing $500 fines to Uber drivers, as Surrey Mayor Doug McCallum has threatened.
“We’re aware that Surrey is denying issuing business licenses to try to block ride-hailing. We hope that they can sort out their business licenses with the others in the region.”
In other words, the province is content — at least in the short-term — to see how potential legal battles, and talks between municipalities to create a regional business licence, go.
The group overseeing those negotiations is the TransLink Mayors’ Council. While they’re meeting on Thursday, any proposed bylaw isn’t expected until late February or March, and there’s no guarantee Surrey will even participate in the process.
And while the stalemate continues, and Uber turns to the courts, the opposition party wants the government to intervene.
“It’s government’s obligation now to ensure that the laws are being followed,” said B.C. Liberal MLA Stephanie Cadieux, who represents the riding of Surrey-Panorama.
“The citizens of Surrey have been waiting for this … and it’s time for government to step in and ensure that they have that opportunity.”
Cities governed by the province
In any dispute between a province and a city, the province tends to holds the upper hand.
“Usually a local government official will huff and puff, but be pretty careful not to dare the provincial government,” said Frank Leonard, the former President of the Union of B.C. Municipalities and longtime Mayor of Saanich.
While municipalities have many powers, they are constitutionally creatures of the province. In B.C., they’re governed via the Community Charter — which the government amended months ago to prevent cities from putting in a veto around ride-hailing.
Doug McCallum speaks with Stephen Quinn about the decision to bar Uber and Lyft from entering the Surrey transportation market. 15:06
Leonard recalled plenty of disputes during his time in government where a city tried to press a dispute with the province, including debates over the proposed Canada Line.
But they usually ended the same way.
“The first thing a local government says is ‘well, we are independent within our jurisdiction. This is our jurisdiction. Go away,'” said Leonard.
“But the rulebook is owned by the provincial government.”
Uber has been operating in Surrey, B.C., since receiving approval last week from B.C.’s independent Passenger Transportation Board. McCallum says the company is operating illegally without a city business licence. (Ben Nelms/CBC)
Politics matter as much as policy
However, these sorts of disputes are about more than just what’s in the rules.
“We can talk legal logistics and legislation, but at the same time can’t ignore the politics of the situation,” said Leonard.
While one can question how people in Surrey feel about ride-hailing, all six NDP MLAs from Surrey did not respond to requests for comment from CBC News on Tuesday.
Perhaps another reason why Trevena suggested Uber consider legal action instead of waiting for direct action from her government.
“If one of the companies … [with] a license for operating ride hailing feels they are being blocked, there is a law in place which says that no municipality can block ride-hailing, and the aggrieved party can test that law,” she said.
Of course, lawsuits can take time to manifest and be ruled on by judges. In the meantime, McCallum can tell people against ride-hailing that he’s fought for them, and Uber drivers could choose to wait until the situation is resolved before risking a $500 fine.
A frustrating situation for some. But likely not for McCallum.
“He may not lose if he loses,” said Leonard.
“If … his position is overriden, he doesn’t lose politically because he still fought for his base. That’s sometimes the sorry side of politics. You look to blame somebody else for an outcome.”
TORONTO – Restaurant Brands International Inc. reported net income of US$357 million for its third quarter, down from US$364 million in the same quarter last year.
The company, which keeps its books in U.S. dollars, says its profit amounted to 79 cents US per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30 compared with 79 cents US per diluted share a year earlier.
Revenue for the parent company of Tim Hortons, Burger King, Popeyes and Firehouse Subs, totalled US$2.29 billion, up from US$1.84 billion in the same quarter last year.
Consolidated comparable sales were up 0.3 per cent.
On an adjusted basis, Restaurant Brands says it earned 93 cents US per diluted share in its latest quarter, up from an adjusted profit of 90 cents US per diluted share a year earlier.
The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 95 cents US per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.
ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – Fortis Inc. reported a third-quarter profit of $420 million, up from $394 million in the same quarter last year.
The electric and gas utility says the profit amounted to 85 cents per share for the quarter ended Sept. 30, up from 81 cents per share a year earlier.
Fortis says the increase was driven by rate base growth across its utilities, and strong earnings in Arizona largely reflecting new customer rates at Tucson Electric Power.
Revenue in the quarter totalled $2.77 billion, up from $2.72 billion in the same quarter last year.
On an adjusted basis, Fortis says it earned 85 cents per share in its latest quarter, up from an adjusted profit of 84 cents per share in the third quarter of 2023.
The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 82 cents per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.
TORONTO – Thomson Reuters reported its third-quarter profit fell compared with a year ago as its revenue rose eight per cent.
The company, which keeps its books in U.S. dollars, says it earned US$301 million or 67 cents US per diluted share for the quarter ended Sept. 30. The result compared with a profit of US$367 million or 80 cents US per diluted share in the same quarter a year earlier.
Revenue for the quarter totalled US$1.72 billion, up from US$1.59 billion a year earlier.
In its outlook, Thomson Reuters says it now expects organic revenue growth of 7.0 per cent for its full year, up from earlier expectations for growth of 6.5 per cent.
On an adjusted basis, Thomson Reuters says it earned 80 cents US per share in its latest quarter, down from an adjusted profit of 82 cents US per share in the same quarter last year.
The average analyst estimate had been for a profit of 76 cents US per share, according to LSEG Data & Analytics.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 5, 2024.
