Mr. Speaker, there are over 550 licensed taxi and limousine drivers working from Pearson International Airport.
Insurance increases of 21 per cent, cost increases of 6 per cent and a 25 per cent reduction in fares are creating a situation where operators may be forced to apply for unemployment insurance. The real threat to the livelihood of these operators however is the illegal practice of scooping, the theft of business by unlicensed, uninsured illegal operators.
I urge the Solicitor General and the Minister of Transport to redraft the government airport concession operations regulations, put teeth into the enforcement process and curb the theft of an estimated $6.5 million in legitimate business.