Talk:Taxis of Canada

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A Montreal taxi driver is taking the city to court this week to fight a by-law that bans 'unecessary personal objects' in taxis.

After 45 years of driving his cab for 16 hours a day, Arieh Perecowicz has been fined six times for a total of $1,400.

The ‘unnecessary personal objects' include photos of his son and daughter, a poppy, a Canadian flag and a photo of a rabbi.

In the back of his cab, Perecowicz also has mezuzahs, the Jewish symbol for protection.

No one has ever complained, he said, but inspectors from the bureau de taxi, which regulates the industry, saw a problem and issued the fines.

Perecowicz said he inspected city records and found no one else has ever been asked to remove personal items from their taxis.

"There was no one else on the island of Montreal that was asked to move the Holy Madonna, or the beads, or Hindu saints. It makes me wonder why I'm the only one," he said.

Perecowicz believes he was targeted for speaking out against the bureau because, he says, the first fine came two days after he was interviewed on CTV news.

Perecowicz will argue the case in court starting Wednesday because he

believes his taxi is a private space he shares with the public.

Because he can't afford to hire a lawyer, he will represent himself in court. If he loses, he'll owe at least double the price of the original fines.

Perecowicz said it's an issue of basic freedoms.

"I have a right to keep objects that pertain to my freedom of expression or my freedom of religion," he said. "As long as it does not interfere with the public, as long as it doesn't interfere with someone else's rights."

Taxi driver Arieh Perecowicz speaks with Canada AM about the issue on Wednesday, Sept. 23, 2009.

Perecowicz keeps objects like family photos, religious artifacts, flags and a poppy on his dashboard.

Cabbie fights for right to decorate dash Judge approves trial for driver accused of violating taxi regulations Last Updated: Wednesday, April 21, 2010 | 3:40 PM ET Comments132Recommend58.CBC News Montreal taxi driver Arieh Perecowicz has said he is not willing to remove the mementos, including photos and religious items, that cover the inside of his cab. (CBC)A Montreal judge ordered the trial of a taxi driver who is defending his right to decorate his cab with photos, trinkets and religious objects to proceed after he was unable to reach an agreement with prosecutors on Wednesday.

Arieh Perecowicz is challenging the constitutionality of the half-dozen tickets he has received for violating the city's taxi regulations.

Perecowicz has been stopped four times by Montreal's taxi authority and fined more than $1,400 for keeping personal objects in his cab, including photographs, newspaper clippings, a Canadian flag, a poppy and two mezuzahs — small Jewish prayer scrolls.

Section 98 of Montreal's taxi bylaw says cab drivers cannot have objects in their cars that are not required for the taxi to be in service.

'It is important to me, because, unfortunately, I spend more than half the time in the car.' —Arieh PercowiczDuring a court hearing Wednesday morning, municipal court Judge Dominique Joly asked both sides to sit down and try to find a solution to the dispute.

Perecowicz said then that it was the first bit of good news in the four years he has been dealing with the issue.

But 90 minutes later, both sides returned to the courtroom with the prosecution saying it did not understand the judge's request.

Perecowicz, who has been a taxi driver for 44 years, said he has never received any complaints about the objects from his customers.Perecowicz says anyone who has a problem with the items inside his taxi can choose to ride in a different cab. (CBC) "The service that I provide is taxi service," said Perecowicz. "I am not a hospital. … If for some reason you don't want to get into my cab, there is one behind me and in front of me and one on the side of me. You have a choice. And it's your choice, and it's your freedom, and it's your right, and so, it's mine."

P.O.V.:

Cluttered cab: Would you feel comfortable riding in a messy cab? He said he would be willing to pay the fine if it had been for not having a clean enough taxi but is not willing to budge on the question of his religious freedom.

"It is important to me, because, unfortunately, I spend more than half the time in the car," said Perecowicz, who is defending himself before the court.

Tense times During a hearing last year, a Montreal taxi inspector told the court that Perecowicz's car was dangerous and uninviting for passengers.

Jinny Massicotte told the court Perecowicz's car was the dirtiest cab she had seen in her five years as an inspector.

She testified that there were photos blocking the gas gauge and the speedometer. She said another photo in a metal frame could be dangerous in an accident.

These are tense times in Quebec regarding questions of religious accommodation.

Last month, the province tabled legislation that would prohibit the wearing of religious face coverings such as the niqab or burqa in schools and other government institutions.

"Some commentators, and I'd count myself among them, sense that this is a moment when the tolerance for religious minorities and the kinds of claims they might make to have accommodations … is lower than it has been in recent years," said Robert Leckey, a constitutional law expert at McGill University.

Leckey said it is unlikely this case would wind up before the Supreme Court.

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