Canmore taxi companies are asking council to change a bylaw due to long waits to obtain criminal record checks in Canada.
Quick Cab Taxi owner Brad Blois appeared in front of council at its June 25 meeting detailing how vulnerable sector checks through the RCMP are taking months to obtain and negatively affecting taxi companies’ ability to hire drivers.
“This is a huge employment barrier,” he said.
Blois said last year he waited two and a half months for the vulnerable sector criminal record check and described it as a crippling struggle for his family economically.
The wait times for the checks on the RCMP’s website is listed as three days, but Blois said it can be between three weeks to three months.
He asked council to amend the bylaw to allow a temporary licence to be issued for drivers until the VS check is received.
In addition, Blois asked council to amend the bylaw to remove a requirement for a criminal record check for drivers every single year.
“To put someone through this process every year has no benefit,” he said. “I don’t see why it is beneficial to have this every year.”
The requirement for a criminal record check to get a taxi driver licence in Canmore began two years ago when council passed its first taxi bylaw. Blois presented a petition with eight taxi companies and 14 driver signatures in support of the change.
At a subsequent meeting council discussed the issue and voted to direct administration to report back on the possibility of creating a temporary licence for drivers while they wait for a VS check.
Councillor Sean Krausert supported looking at whether the requirement for annual renewals should be continued, but a motion to go in that direction was defeated.
