"$56"-*5 4r/&84 PUSH FOR PROVINCE TO REGULATE RIDESHARING GREGG CHAMBERLAIN news@eap.on.ca
qualified people who have the correct pro- vincial driver’s licence that allows them to carry paying passengers. Rideshare may be legal or illegal depen- ding on the area of operation. In Ontario, municipalities are responsible for deciding if a rideshare can operate in their area, and also for regulating and monitoring the ope- ration. That includes developing guidelines for how a rideshare can operate and also setting the safety standards for such an operation. In some municipalities rideshares are not allowed to operate, and if they do, they are treated as “illegal taxis” and subject to prosecution. Both Alfred-Plantagenet and Casselman want the provincial to take over municipalities responsibility for ridesharing in Ontario. That would include creating a common operations standard for all rideshares, whether involving a company or an individual, and regulating rideshare operation in the province. Copies of the resolution will go to Premier Doug Ford, Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria, Municipal Affairs Minister Paul Calandra, Labour Minister David Piccini, MPP Stéphane Sarrazin, the Association of 0OUBSJP.VOJDJQBMJUJFT UIF&BTUFSO0OUBSJP 8BSEFOT$BVDVT UIF6OJUFE$PVOUJFTPG Prescott-Russell and all of its member municipalities.
Casselman is being joined by its coun- terpart in Alfred-Plantagenet in urging the provincial government to take res- ponsibility for regulating ridesharing operations in Ontario. After a short discussion, Alfred-Plan- tagenet Township council gave unanimous support for a resolution that Casselman municipal council approved last month. The resolution calls on the provincial government to take over the regulation of businesses and individuals who offer paid ridesharing throughout Ontario. The resolution noted that “rideshare services are increasingly relied upon by seniors, students, visitors and tourists, and residents looking for safe, affordable, convenient, and reliable ways to travel.” It also notes that Casselman, like many other rural or small town areas in Ontario “faces challenges related to limited access to (public) transportation” because there is no local taxi service. Ridesharing is not carpooling, where two or more people decide to share a vehicle on a regular basis to travel to common destina- tions and share all the expenses involved. Ridesharing developed in the 2010s as people became more used to using the Internet to find services and mobile apps for use with mobile phones also became common as a means for groups, businesses,
Toutes les municipalités ne disposent pas d'un service de taxi local pour assurer le transport public des résidents et des autres personnes qui n'ont pas de voiture. Le canton d'Alfred- Plantagenet et la municipalité de Casselman souhaitent que le gouvernement provincial prenne en charge l'approbation et la réglementation de toute personne souhaitant mettre en place un service de covoiturage en Ontario. (Photo stock)
and best-known rideshare companies, who contract with individuals to use their personal vehicles as informal taxis. A rideshare outfit is not the same as a taxi company. A taxi company has to have a business licence from the municipality where it is bases. A taxi company also owns and maintains its own fleet of vehicles that have to meet provincial standards for passenger transport. A taxi company also has to hire
and individuals to promote their services or products. A rideshare company uses either a mobile app or its own website or both to take bookings from people who need short- term transportation when a licensed taxi is not available. Most often these rideshare vehicles are someone’s personal vehicle that they use to carry paying passengers. Uber and Lyft are two of the most popular
UCDSB PROVIDES UPDATE ON WEEKS LONG CYBER-ATTACK RECOVERY EFFORTS PowerSchool incident.
GABRIELLE VINETTE gabrielle.vinette@eap.on.ca
As recovery efforts continue, the board is actively investigating the potential theft of information. Cybersecurity experts have been engaged to assess the full scope of the incident and to ensure all necessary pre- cautions are taken. Updates will be provided as more details become available. Some services are beginning to come back online, but the My Family Room platform remains offline. Parents and guardians are reminded to call their child’s school directly to report absences. The UCDSB has also addressed concerns about the security of payment information for hot lunches and school activities paid through My Family Room. Payments pro- cessed via PayPal are secure, and the UCDSB assures parents and guardians that it does not store any payment information. Currently, there is no evidence to suggest any compromise of payment transactions made through My Family Room. 8IJMFUIFQSJPSJUZSFNBJOTPOSFTUPSJOH services, the UCDSB cannot yet provide
The Upper Canada District School Board (UCDSB) has entered its second week of disruptions caused by a cyberattack, with recovery efforts ongoing to restore full services across the board. “The UCDSB continues to work around the clock to restore access to our network and daily digital tools,” said April Scott-Clarke, Manager of Communications for UCDSB. i8FWFCFFOXPSLJOHDMPTFMZXJUIDZCFSTF - curity experts in the recovery efforts and will continue to do so for as long as necessary.” On Thursday, January 16, the school board addressed recent concerns about a cybersecurity breach involving PowerSchool, a software provider for the education sector. 8IJMFUIF6$%4#VTFT1PXFS4DIPPM UIF board has confirmed that its systems were not impacted by the breach. Additional steps have been taken by the UCDSB to verify that there has been no involvement or exposure related to the
UCDSB is working to restore network access after a cyber incident. Schools are open but main services are offline. Updates are available on the council’s website. (Stock photo)
an exact timeline for resolving the network disruption. Critical steps, such as securing all UCDSB devices that access the network, are ongoing and will take time to complete. Parents and guardians are encouraged to visit the UCDSB cyber incident page for regular updates. An FAQ section has been
added to address common concerns and provide timely information. For further questions or concerns, families can contact their school principal via phone or email or reach out to communications@ ucdsb.on.ca.
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