Slain London taxi driver to be honoured in funeral service, vigil

Loved ones, colleagues, and members of the public will gather Thursday to honour a London cab driver who died last weekend after a serious assault.

Vijay Bhatia, 64, was found without vital signs in the parking lot of the Mac’s Milk at 925 Wonderland Rd. S. around 1 a.m. Saturday.

A funeral service is scheduled Thursday from 1 p.m. – 3 p.m. at Westview Funeral Chapel at 709 Wonderland Rd. N.

A memorial candle lighting and walk will also be held Thursday from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. starting at Westmount Mall and proceeding to the Mac’s Milk where the incident happened.

Spokesperson for the London Taxi Association, Roger Caranci, said Bhatia was a caring grandfather and father of four who was beloved in the community.

“This man was just doing his work and going about providing for his family, and this unfortunate thing happened and he’s no longer with us and that’s a big loss for his family and really, we think, for the broader community of London,” said Caranci.

Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "This man was just doing his work and going about providing for his family, and this unfortunate thing happened and he's no longer with us and that's a big loss for his family and really, we think, for the broader community of London," said Caranci.

Bhatia worked for Blue and White Taxi, but Caranci notes the event was organized in part by Green Taxi and all local taxi companies are expected to take part.

“It’s just a big family that cares for each other,” he said. “No matter what company they work for, they know how difficult the job can be at certain times of the day and they’ve learned to watch out for each other and they continue to do that and will continue to do that, and this is just a reminder of just how dangerous the job can be and the perils of the job.”

According to London police, Bhatia picked up two passengers and was assaulted by one of them after driving them to the convenience store lot early last Saturday.

Police found both individuals and later released one without charges.

As a result of the investigation, Cody Perkin, 23, of London has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with Bhatia’s death.

Perkin made a brief audio court appearance on Tuesday from hospital.

His lawyer, James Zegers, said Perkin needs to have surgery to repair a valve in his heart and he was admitted to hospital shortly after his arrest.

Perkin has a consultation with a surgeon booked for Monday, May 15 and his next court appearance is set for Wednesday, May 17.

Also during his brief court appearance Tuesday, Perkin was ordered not to speak with 14 individuals, including his mother.

Zegers argued that was inhumane given Perkin could die during surgery for his condition.

The non-association order will be re-evaluated at Perkin’s next court appearance on May 17.