08/09/2025
Statement sent to Kingston City Council - August 5, 2025, from the Kingston Area Taxi Commission. View the full document and schedules, click here:https://0901.nccdn.net/4_2/000/000/03f/ac7/kingston-area-taxi-comission-august-5--2025.pdf
August 5, 2025
To: Kingston City Council
Via Email
Dear Members of Council,
On July 31, 2025, we were advised by the City’s Chief Administrative Officer of her intent to table a recommendation to withdraw the city from the Kingston & Area Taxi Commission (KATC) and disband the organization’s operations. This decision, if accurate, appears to be proceeding without any consultation or dialogue with KATC or its membership.
Therefore, should this motion be tabled at the upcoming Council meeting, we respectfully request that Council defer the vote to allow for meaningful engagement between the City and KATC. This dialogue is essential to address several misperceptions in the community that may have contributed to what appears to be a premature and abrupt course of action.
Since this matter was last debated by Council in 2022, KATC has undertaken and is actively implementing a comprehensive modernization and accountability strategy to address past operational, public safety, and financial oversight concerns. While our efforts are ongoing, an abrupt decision by Council to withdraw from and disband the organization will not result in a smooth transition of responsibilities, assets, or data.
In fact, it would likely create a significant regulatory gap, disrupt recent governance progress, and negatively impact the transportation services relied upon by some the most vulnerable people in of our communities (including Loyalist Township).
Most notably, such a decision would jeopardize KATC’s ongoing efforts to support the City’s accessibility goals under Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act through the accessible taxi initiative. KATC has committed $310,000 of its own working capital in good faith into the Transportation Network Company service level agreement (TNC Agreement), which was passed by council in 2022 and recently renewed in June of 2025. These funds are invested into accessible transportation vehicles that re used to enhance mobility for individuals with disabilities. This initiative was reaffirmed through the recently renewed TNC governance agreement.
Withdrawing from the Commission now places this investment and its public benefits at significant risk, would halt progress toward much-needed service expansion and would compromise similar agreements with other municipal jurisdictions.
Moreover, the Commission’s mandate—to ensure safe, equitable, and effective transportation across the region—has become even more critical considering recent developments, including the acquisition of Amey’s Taxi by a conglomerate committed to ongoing expansion across Canada. Effective local regulation is more important than ever as the taxi market evolves into multi-jurisdictional operators.
We acknowledge that our transition has not been without challenges. We have been delayed in responding to requests for audits from previous years, which may be contributing to the perception that KATC lacks financial accountability. However, it is important to note that prior to 2021, KATC operated solely on cash and maintained no digital records—a highly inefficient and unsustainable system for any regulatory body. This historical reality has caused unavoidable delays in financial reconciliation and auditing.
Today, however, KATC’s financial operations are fully digitized, enabling greater accuracy, oversight, and timely reporting.
Accordingly, we commit to Council that all outstanding audits will be completed and delivered by Q1 2026 as recommended and voted unanimously during the June 3rd meeting of City Council. We are on track to submit them earlier, as part of our ongoing
commitment to transparency and good governance.
Attached as Schedule “A” is a summary of KATC’s recent milestones and accomplishments. We hope this provides helpful context as you consider the future of the Commission. We remain committed to open dialogue, collaboration, and transparency, and welcome the opportunity to meet with Council to explore a constructive path forward—one that safeguards continuity, strengthens accountability, and maximizes public value.
Attached as Schedule “B” is a legal letter sent to the CAO, which articulates our concerns with the conversation we had on July 31, and our concerns with any council motion to withdraw the city from the KATC or disband its operations. This is presented for
information purposes.
Attached in Schedule “C” is a letter of engagement for our 2022 financial audit. We would like to note that the letter is dated December 2022, which show immediate action taken on the financial issues that came to light when this issue was previously discussed by council.
Should the motion be tabled on the Council meeting on August 12, please defer the vote, to a later date to afford the situation due process that includes appropriate dialogue with the KATC, comprehensive community consultation, and input from other municipal jurisdictions.
Sincerely
Kingston Area Taxi Commission
