OttawaCouncillors in Kingston, Ont., have voted to dismiss the city’s taxi commission and replace its members amid concerns over financial mismanagement.Commission welcomes new members, promises facts not ‘rhetoric’ on its financial positionDan Taekema · CBC News · Posted: Nov 19, 2025 2:08 PM EST | Last Updated: 1 hour agoListen to this articleEstimated 3 minutesThe audio version of this article is generated by text-to-speech, a technology based on artificial intelligence.Council voted back in August to dissolve the Kingston Area Taxi Commission, but the city hadn’t planned to take over its role regulating Kingston’s taxi industry until September 2026. (Dan Taekema/CBC)Councillors in Kingston, Ont., have voted to dismiss the city’s taxi commission and replace its members amid concerns over financial mismanagement.Council’s decision to dismiss all 12 members of the Kingston Area Taxi Commission (KATC) came just 12 days before their term was due to end, but King’s Town Coun. Greg Ridge, whose motion called for their removal, said there was no time to waste.”There are some very, very alarming issues, and for months there have been concerns about the commission’s responsiveness,” he said during Tuesday night’s council meeting. “This isn’t done out of maliciousness. This is done to act, because we need to act as quickly as possible.”Council voted in August to dissolve the KATC, but the city hadn’t planned to take over its role regulating Kingston’s taxi industry until September 2026.The move followed years of requests for financial information, raising concerns about the commission’s transparency and governance.’Serious amounts of coin’During Tuesday’s meeting, councillors also unanimously supported staff recommendations to review an accessible taxi service that was supposed to be funded through a 27-cent levy on ride-hailing companies, but was instead running a $230,000 deficit.”I am completely frustrated with this,” said Portsmouth Coun. Don Amos, who criticized the KATC for hiring a consultant and lawyer to help with the transition, while apparently being unable to cover the cost of the accessibility program.”To me this is complete mismanagement of any sort of funding that has been put in front of them,” he said, adding that the city has yet to receive audited financial records for the last two years.”We’re talking serious amounts of coin that don’t seem to have any oversight. This is wrong at a lot of levels.”In voting to dissolve the commission, council cited its failure to provide audited financial statements. (Dan Taekema/CBC)In a statement sent by email, a spokesperson for the KATC said an agreement with the city bars it from publicly commenting on the accessibility program.”We look forward to welcoming newly appointed commissioners and providing them with a clear understanding of the Commission’s financial position — grounded in facts rather than the rhetoric presented at Council or circulated on social media,” the statement read.’Where is the money going?'”Where is the money going? We need a new commission that will work with the city. We need it now,” said said Kingscourt-Rideau Coun. Brandon Tozzo, who resigned from the commission after raising what he called financial red flags. “Real people are paying the price for this mismanagement — people with disabilities, taxi drivers who can’t get their vehicles renewed and customers who rely on the service.”Council voted 10-3 in favour of the motion, with Mayor Bryan Paterson opposing it along with councillors Gary Oosterhof and Lisa Osanic, who questioned the abruptness of the dismissal.”Aren’t we concerned about any knowledge transfer?” Osanic asked.Kingston’s chief administrative officer Lanie Hurdle responded that at least one of the new commissioners has extensive experience in the local taxi industry.Council also heard that Joseph Dowser, who chaired the KATC until he was removed Tuesday, is also an employee of the commission and should continue in that role.ABOUT THE AUTHORDan Taekema is CBC’s reporter covering Kingston, Ont. and the surrounding area. He’s worked in newsrooms in Chatham, Windsor, Hamilton, Toronto and Ottawa. You can reach him by emailing daniel.taekema@cbc.ca.Follow @DanTaekema on Twitter
Kingston council abruptly replaces taxi commission
