Whereas the Municipality of Casselman faces challenges related to limited access to transportation, and there exists a pressing need for a ride-sharing service to address transportation gaps within our community;
Whereas rideshare services are increasingly relied upon by seniors, students, visitors and tourists, and residents looking for safe, affordable, convenient, and reliable ways to travel;
Whereas the standardization and consistency of regulations across municipalities, particularly in Ontario, can improve the efficiency and effectiveness of the regulatory framework;
Whereas transferring the responsibility of ride-share regulations and licensing to the provincial level would contribute to a more streamlined and uniform governance structure, while eliminating associated red tape and unnecessary administrative costs;
Therefore be it resolved that the Council of The Municipality of Casselman hereby expresses its support for the migration of ride-share regulations and licensing from the municipal level to the provincial level;
Be it further resolved that the Council of the Municipality of Casselman formally requests the Government of Ontario to initiate the transfer of responsibilities in the interest of creating a more coherent and standardized regulatory framework for ride-sharing services across the province;
Be it further resolved that copies of this motion be distributed to the Honourable Doug Ford, Premier of Ontario; the Honourable Prabmeet Sarkaria, Minister of Transportation; the Honourable Paul Calandra, Minister of Municipal Affairs and Housing; the Honourable David Piccini, Minister of Labour, Immigration, Training and Skills Development, Stéphane Sarrazin, Member of Provincial Parliament for Glengarry—Prescott—Russell; the Association of Municipalities of Ontario (AMO); the Eastern Ontario Wardens Caucus, the United Counties of Prescott and Russell (UCPR); and all eight UCPR municipalities.