Ward 10 Coun. Virigina Ridley hasn’t been afraid to voice her opinion when it comes to London’s vehicle-for-hire bylaw, but she says her belief that the cap on the number of taxi licenses in the city should be removed has led someone to threaten her life.
Ridley says she received a letter in May following a committee meeting during which she proposed eliminating the cap.
London police wouldn’t comment on the allegations.
“Police cannot provide information in relation to ongoing investigations because it could identify a victim,” said Constable Sandasha Bough. She added that, generally speaking, police would be willing to speak once charges are laid.
In the letter (below), the writer details why they disagree with Ridley’s proposal before going on to threaten both her life and their own.
It reads, “if you decide to go ahead and ruin our lives you may as well prepare your grave too, I swear to God that I will make sure that the bullet goes between your eyes and that you are dead before I turn the gun to myself.”
London taxi association spokesperson and former city councillor Roger Caranci has been a vocal opponent of Ridley’s, even accusing her of trying to destroy the industry, but he told 980 CFPL he reached out to her Monday morning.
“I made it clear to her that as an industry we’re sorry that this happened to her and in no uncertain terms to we condone this type of threat or violence,” he said.
“We will do everything that we can as an industry to see what we can do to find out who the perpetrator may have been.”
Ridley noted that she understands that not everyone will agree with her, but the letter shocked her.
“If someone disagreed with me on policy … I get those emails and phone calls all the time, that people disagree. The fact that someone threatened to kill me was not okay and it’s not something I ever expected.”
Caranci added that while this particular threat is extreme in nature, it’s not the first threat made against a councillor.
“I’ve been a city councillor and I’ve been challenged to physical violence after a council meeting by people. So, it happens. In this case this is very explicit, written down, again there’s no excuse for it but it does happen to others too,” said Caranci.
Ridley noted that she immediately reported the matter to police when she first received the letter months ago and that the investigation is ongoing.
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