Edmonton city set to issue 100 new cab licences over objections of taxi commission

EDMONTON - A plan to issue 100 new taxi licences should speed ahead because it is essential to ensure cabs can drop and pick up customers at the international airport, city council’s executive committee says.

The committee, which includes Mayor Stephen Mandel, decided Wednesday to override objections from the city’s taxi commission.

The commission last week balked at the proposal, worried that the selection criteria for the new licences was being pushed through without enough public consultation.

Currently, cabs that take people from the city to the international airport, which is in Leduc County, are not allowed to pick up passengers heading to Edmonton. Similarly, cabs that bring people from the airport are not supposed to pick up passengers in the city. That situation, called dead heading in industry parlance, is a result of an exclusive 2006 contract with Leduc-based company Airport Taxis.

Coun. Amarjeet Sohi and city administrators said the airport agreed to sign its next contract with Edmonton taxis, but in return the city needs to issue 100 new plates. Officials said the meter is running on council’s time to proceed with that plan.

“I think it means improved taxi service, less deadheading and increased satisfaction,” said Sohi, who has been working to solve the problem for several years. “Hopefully, once the contract is finalized we will have enhanced taxi services.”

There are about 1,200 licensed taxis in Edmonton. The last time the city issued new licences was in 2007, when it released 35 plates specifically for vehicles to serve people with disabilities.

The council committee did tweak the criteria for the 100 licence lottery so that anyone who already owns a licence to operate a taxi anywhere in Alberta will be ineligible for one of the 100 new plates. Some drivers and cab company operators worried that the originally proposed rules prevented existing Edmonton licence holders from applying, but opened it up to licence holders from other cities. The rules also require anyone applying for a licence to have been working in the industry for the last 12 months and have a connection with an Edmonton broker.

Council still must give its final blessing to the plan at its next meeting Feb. 1.

Some drivers at Wednesday’s meeting said they still have reservations. Manjinder Punia, for example, said he was there to speak on behalf of people who already own a licence and want to be included in the lottery.

But Balraj Manhas, president of the United Cabbies Association of Edmonton, which represents about 960 members, said the committee made the right decision. “It means the airport stand will open up to Edmonton taxis,” Manhas said. “We have been bringing this issue up for the last five years. It’s not been rushed.”

Wednesday’s debate also raised questions about the future of Edmonton’s taxi commission. Manhas, for example, argued the commission should be disbanded in favour of a less powerful advisory committee.

Sohi said it was frustrating that the taxi commission refused to honour the wishes of council when it came to the 100 new licences.

“The commission in its current form is very ineffective and doesn’t represent the interests of the industry,” Sohi said, arguing it doesn’t make sense to have a group overseeing taxi that cannot have representatives from the industry.

Chris Leahey was the only member of the taxi commission to attend Wednesday’s meeting. Commission members are frustrated by council’s perceived rushing of the issue, he said.

Mandel said a report on the future of the taxi commission, as well as a range of issues related to vehicles for hire in Edmonton, will be coming before council in the next couple of months.

Ghuman makes it to top 15 golf officials

Chandigarh, January 25

An 18-year-old local girl, Jaipreet Singh Ghuman, brought laurels to the city after making it to the list of top 15 golf rules officials yesterday. The examination was conducted under the aegis of Royal and Ancient, an international body, governing golf worldwide and Indian Golf Union.

The Royal and Ancient body had conducted the examination here for the first time with the aim of filling the void of qualified rules officials currently felt at golf events in the nation.

Jaipreet stood eighth in the list after scoring 84 per cent in the examination. She said, “I had never thought of getting this chance. I feel honoured to be grouped with many knowledgeable and senior officials and I am looking forward to it,” said Jaipreet.

Leno sued over ‘racist’ Golden Temple remark

US talk show host Jay Leno

New York, January 25
US talk show host Jay Leno has been sued by an Indian-American in California for his “racist” comments on the Golden Temple and ridiculing the entire Sikh community by portraying the holy shrine as a vacation home.
According to court papers filed in Los Angeles Superior Court, Randeep Dhillon claims that Leno “hurt the sentiments of all Sikh people in addition to those of the plaintiff” with his joke that the Golden Temple could be a possible summer home of Mitt Romney, a leading Republican presidential hopeful.
The celebrity website TMZ said Dhillon has filed a libel suit and is seeking unspecified damages.
The suit adds that Leno’s joke “clearly exposes plaintiff, other Sikhs and their religion to hatred, contempt, ridicule and obloquy because it falsely portrays the holiest place in the Sikh religion as a vacation resort owned by a non-Sikh.” It said this is not the first time that Leno has ridiculed the Sikh community.
“Previously, in 2007 he called Sikhs ‘diaper heads.’ Clearly, Jay Leno’s racist comments need to be stopped right here,” the suit added.
In more trouble for the TV host, a Sikh rights group here has lodged a complaint with a federal agency demanding action be taken against Leno and NBC channel for airing the “racist and derogatory” depiction of the Golden Temple.
Sikhs for Justice has filed its complaint with regulator Federal Communications Commission (FCC) against Leno and NBC.

The FCC is tasked with regulating the broadcast of television programmes, analysing complaints and conducting investigations. 

SAD (Delhi) seeks action against Leno

New Delhi: The Delhi unit of the Shiromani Akali Dal has shot off a protest letter to US President Barack Obama, about a controversial television show which degraded the Golden Temple. “We are quite displeased and hurt with the remarks on the Golden Temple by a television show hosted by Jay Leno,” SAD’s Delhi unit President Manjit Singh GK said.

India, Norway reach agreement; kids to be handed over to uncle

New Delhi, January 25
The prolonged agony of an Indian couple in Norway whose kids were taken away by the Norwegian Childcare Services on grounds of "emotional disconnect", may end soon when the children are handed over to their uncle following the finalisation of an agreement between India and the Scandinavian country today.

According to official sources, Arunabhash, the uncle, has agreed to the parents’ wish and will be the children's primary caretaker. He will spend sometime with the two kids in Norway before bringing them to India and submit a list of doctors in India whom the Norwegian authorities could contact to know about the welfare of the children. An Indian agency will also monitor whether the children were being properly looked after.

The accord between India through its mission in Norway, Municipality of Norway, Norwegian Childcare Services, the parents (Anurup and Sagarika Bhattacharya) and their lawyer named Anurup's brother as the primary caretaker of the two children.

Barnevarne (Norwegian Child Welfare Services) has approved and agreed to give children to the uncle.

Arunabhash, who lives in Kolkata, will soon leave for Norway and all the expenses of his travel will be borne by the government, the sources said. However, under the agreement, the parents still have parental and visitation rights.

The children Abhigyan (3) and Aishwarya (1) were taken under protective care by Barnevarne, which claimed emotional disconnect with the parents, and placed them in foster parental care according to the local Norwegian court's directive.

Following the plea by the family, External Affairs Minister SM Krishna spoke to the Norwegian authorities and requested them to find an "amicable and urgent" settlement.

India expressed its concerns to the Norwegian Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the children were being deprived of the undoubted benefits of being brought up in their own ethnic, religious cultural and linguistic milieu.

In Kolkata, the grandparents of the two kids expressed happiness that they would be handed over to their uncle. ''This is undoubtedly a matter of great relief that Abhigyan and Aishwarya will now be returned to their parents and we are eager to see them back here'', they said.

Lawyer moves CBI against Badals

Chandigarh, January 25

A city-based lawyer has lodged a complaint with the CBI against Punjab Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal, Deputy CM Sukhbir Singh Badal and Bikram Singh Majithia for allegedly exercising power illegally.

Advocate Himmat Singh Shergill had earlier filed a PIL in the Punjab and Haryana High Court. However, the HC on December 15 had asked him to approach an investigating agency and thereafter, approach the court if the problem remains unsolved.

In his complaint, Shergill alleged that Badal and his son exercised their executive powers in an illegal and manipulative manner to provide monetary benefits to the companies owned by the Badal family. Most irregularities happened after they came into power in March 2007.

Calling it a well-planned and institutionalised corruption, Shergill demanded a thorough probe by the CBI.

Shergill had submitted the annual returns, director's reports and balance sheets of various companies that "established ownership of Parkash Singh Badal and his family". "They are running family businesses out of the state's exchequer", he alleged in the complaint.

ALLOTMENT OF RESIDENTIAL PLOTS TO DEPARTMENT EMPLOYEES

High Court quashes PUDA’s scheme

Chandigarh, January 25
The Punjab and Haryana High Court today quashed the Punjab Urban Planning and Development Authority's "arbitrary" scheme for allotment of residential plots to its own staff at reserve prices.

The significant judgment came on challenge thrown by advocate HC Arora to an office order dated September 24, 2010, "which prescribed allotment of identified residential plots exclusively to the PUDA employees at reserve price".

The development is significant as Arora had alleged "the allotment of residential plots to its own employees by the PUDA was to enable them to sell these at three to four times higher price; and thus to get financial gains at the cost of tax paying public".

Arora had alleged PUDA was taking steps to allot at reserve prices residential plots from five to 14 marlas to its employees, depending upon their status, from Class-IV to Class-I. Even officers or employees with own residential plots or houses were eligible for allotment, if they have completed five years of regular service with the PUDA.

Allowing the petition, the Bench of Justice MM Kumar and Justice Rajiv Narain Raina asserted: "We are of the view that the scheme is arbitrary, which is amply highlighted by the fact that it does not distinguish an officer/official, who or his/her spouse owns a house in an urban estate."

"In fact, clause four of the scheme expressly postulates that officer/official who had purchased a plot/house/building through open sale in the market or auction is also eligible to submit application under the scheme".

In its detailed order, the Bench added: "Even otherwise, it is well settled, as rightly pointed out by advocate HC Arora, that there cannot be any reservation of plots in favour of the employees or their wards because it has no rational basis….

"The scheme appears to have been finalised only by the Chief Administrator, PUDA, and not by the State Government, which smacks of arbitrariness".

Before parting with the order, the Bench asserted: "The writ petition is allowed. The scheme/office order dated October 24, 2010, or any other similar scheme is hereby quashed".

Most to least affordable housing in Canada (cities over 1,000,000 population)

Gallery: Most to least affordable housing in Canada (cities over 1,000,000 population)