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Andrew Bacque, part owner of Deluxe Taxi provided a deputation in opposition of motion 12-G-108 concerning the Taxi Industry - Transportation By-law 2006-265. He stated that he is opposed to Section 1 a, subsection ii of the recommended motion and requested that the last line in the paragraph be changed to "and shall be entitled to transfer the cab or licence to someone already licenced and operating within Barrie." Mr. Bacque commented that he feels making this change will enable him to maintain the fleet size of his company which he believes is a crucial aspect of business as revenues are directly related to the number of taxicabs in the fleet. He noted that his request is against the goal of the staff report to reduce the number of taxicabs in the City through attrition. Mr. Bacque stated that Council should proceed with caution in respect to this matter as he feels the proposed recommendation is unnecessary and unfair. He commented that he believes the goal of attrition will not solve the problems with the taxi industry and is contrary to the City's goal of economic development. Mr. Bacque noted that he believes the request to limit the number of taxicabs is coming from the companies who have already increased the size of their fleet. In conclusion he explained that he appreciates all the work staff has done related to this matter and requested that City Council proceed with a cautious and measured approach to the matter.
Members of City Council asked a number of questions of Mr. Bacque and City staff related to the information provided in the deputation.