Hundreds rally against Uber on Parliament Hill

On February 2, Ottawa taxi drivers, members of Unifor Canada, rallied on Parliament Hill against ride-sharing company Uber. They were joined by Toronto cab drivers who travelled by bus into Ottawa for the event.

Nearly 500 cab drivers rallied with signs targeting the threat posed to full-time jobs by Uber, its lack of regulation, and Uber drivers' refusal to accommodate people with disabilities.

Toronto drivers brought a banner calling on Toronto Mayor John Tory to take action against Uber, while Unifor Canada president Jerry Dias told the rally he has given up hope that the City of Ottawa will fight Uber and others like it. The protest took place a week after Edmonton city councillors voted to legalize Uber in Edmonton, the first Canadian municipality to do so.

Unifor has sought an injunction to stop Uber from doing business in Ottawa and is pursuing a lawsuit against Uber and its drivers.

Uber is at the heart of a debate about the so-called "sharing economy" which also includes services like Air B&B. But fears over the impact on employment in the taxi and hotel industries is real.

To discuss what a true "sharing" economy might look like, join the discussion “UBER: is this what a sharing economy looks like?” on February 27 in Toronto