Uber, Quebec government strike deal, hope to end taxi protests

QUEBEC CITY – The government has reached an agreement with Uber, which will also hopefully end the taxi demonstrations that threatened to interrupt major Montreal summer events.

Montreal taxi drivers promised to turn up the heat on protests, threatening to interrupt summer events like next weekend’s Formula One. They’ve now agreed to back down.

“We’re going to put some pressure, but we’re not going to jam festivals. We’re not going to jam the Montreal Grand Prix,” taxi union spokesperson Benoit Jugand said.

READ MORE: Montreal taxi drivers protest ‘lack of progress’ on regulating Uber 

There’s a caveat, though: ride-sharing company Uber needs to quit operating for a 90-day grace period.

PQ MNA Martine Ouellet said she believes Uber will do that.

“In the parliamentary commission, they said they would stop their illegal activities.

“I hope they will respect what they said.”

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The government plans to pass Bill 100 in the next of couple of days, but it’s giving Uber a three-month grace period in order to negotiate a solution.

READ MORE: Quebec Transport Minister won’t back down on essential items in Uber legislation

“Uber is maybe the way of the future, but at the end of the day, they have to be respectful of Quebec. We think it is possible. We’re not that far…There are two or three requirements we have where they have to adapt,” Transport Minister Jacques Daoust said.

Regulating Uber has been a tough file for Daoust. Bill 100 has enlisted harsh criticism from his own party. For weeks, the Liberal youth wing has been pushing the minister to allow Uber to operate in Quebec.

READ MORE: Uber hopes for compromise with Quebec government over taxi regulations

“We talked with the actors of the industry, we talked with Uber. We talked with almost all the actors and we tried to find common goals,” youth wing president Jonathan Marleau explained.

Marleau said all sides are now ready to cooperate.

“At the moment they decided to change their attitude, minister Daoust also changed his attitude.”