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

The deputy mayor of St. John's is calling on the Newfoundland and Labrador government to take on a bigger role regulating taxi drivers — something that would include a new province-wide class of licence that would involve background checks for anyone behind the wheel of a cab.

"A taxi driver right now is required to have a Class 4 licence, and there's others in that class also," Ellsworth told reporters after Monday's council meeting.

"So by breaking it out, we would deal with taxi drivers separately and individually. And then they would be required to have the screenings done in order to get that licence itself. Then a taxi stand or a licensee or a broker could only hire somebody who has that class of licence."

So by breaking it out, we would deal with taxi drivers separately and individually. And then they would be required to have the screenings done in order to get that licence itself.- St. John's Deputy Mayor Ron Ellsworth

​Ellsworth indicated that the city would have the regulatory ability to deal with St. John's cab companies that didn't comply.

And he noted that the new class of licence for taxi drivers would apply province-wide, not just in the capital city.

"The opportunity here is that we deal with all drivers, regardless of what community you're in (throughout) Newfoundland and Labrador," he said.

Ellsworth's comments come in the wake of a CBC News investigation that found significant gaps in the way the taxi industry in St. John's is regulated.

A CBC undercover operation resulted in a producer being offered a job driving a taxi with one major cab company 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

City council currently lets the industry police itself, when it comes to checking out who is behind the wheel of a taxi.

'Right now, it's wide open'

"Right now it's wide open," Ellsworth said. "As the chief of police has identified, anybody with a vehicle licence could drive a taxi."

Royal Newfoundland Constabulary Chief Bill Janes raised the issue with city staff in June, as the force investigated sexual assault complaints involving cab drivers.

In a statement to CBC News last week, Janes said the RNC believes "appropriate screening of those seeking employment with taxi companies would be a move in the right direction."

Ellsworth — asked Monday why council did not take action when Janes raised the issue in June — told reporters that he only became aware of the chief's letter two weeks ago.

He said it was with city staff and the mayor before then.

Changes may be coming down the road

Now changes may be coming down the road.

Ellsworth said he spoke with Municipal Affairs Minister Eddie Joyce several times last week, and hopes to meet with provincial officials and the police in the coming days.

Coun. Sheilagh O'Leary also stressed the need for co-operation.

"You can never be 100 per cent sure that we're going to be safe and a circumstance won't arise, but we need to make sure that between all the partners here — between the city, between the province and between the stakeholder groups — that we are doing what we need to do in order to make that as safe as possible," O'Leary said during the council meeting.