Province puts brakes on request for new taxi licences, steers issue back to St. John's council

Service NL Minister Eddie Joyce says the province has no plans to implement a new province-wide class of licence for taxi drivers, addingthat the City of St. John's does have the power itself to regulate the industry.

• Ron Ellsworth wants province to create new class of taxi licence with background checks

Joyce was responding to requests from St. John's Deputy Mayor Ron Ellsworth for the Newfoundland and Labrador government to establish a province-wide standard for drivers that would include criminal background checks.

"They do have the authority now to enforce the regulations," Joyce said. "When you go across Canada and even across Newfoundland and Labrador, municipalities are the ones that regulate the taxi industry."

Asked if that applies to regulating individual drivers, Joyce said: "Yes."

That runs counter to comments made by Ellsworth, who has repeatedly said since last week that the city has no way to regulate who gets behind the wheel of a taxi.

Instead, city councillets the industry police itself.

City could request amendments, Joyce says

If council feels the City of St. John's Act does not provide enough flexibility to regulate the industry, Joyce said it could request to amend the legislation.

As of Tuesday afternoon,no such requests have been made.

"If St. John'sfeels that they need some amendments in the act that wouldstrengthen their act to ensure public safety, at all times we are open to strengthening the act for public safety," Joyce noted.

If St. John'sfeels that they need some amendments in the act that wouldstrengthen their act to ensure public safety, at all times we are open to strengthening the act for public safety.- Service NL Minister Eddie Joyce

Joyce added that he is open with meeting with Ellsworth and other city officials.

Currently, taxi drivers are required to hold a Class 4 licence with the province in order to drive a cab. That requires applicants to write a test on driving ability and provide proof of a medical exam. It does not include a criminal background check.

In St. John's, it is left to individual cab companiesto screen their drivers.

Last week,a CBC undercover operation resulted in a producer being offered a job driving a taxi with one majorcab company in the capital city, despite never having provided a criminal record check.

• CBC INVESTIGATES | Who's driving your cab? St. John's taxi trade put to the test
• CBC INVESTIGATES | No criminal background check, no worries: How I became a City Wide Taxi driver