A Quebec Superior Court judge has ruled that the government must pay over $144 million to former taxi permit holders in the province. Justice Silvana Conte found that the government had dispossessed drivers of their property when it eliminated the permit system and did not adequately compensate them.
The class-action lawsuit was filed by taxi drivers in response to the arrival of Uber, which devalued their permits. Authorized in 2018, the lawsuit accused the government of mishandling Uber’s entry into the market and expropriating the permit holders’ property without proper compensation.
Despite the $874 million in compensation given by the government in 2019, Conte determined it was insufficient as the permits were valued at over $1 billion before Uber’s entry. The judge calculated the total loss to permit holders at $144 million.
The lawsuit also sought punitive damages, but this claim was denied. Lawyer Bruce Johnston called the ruling “historic” but emphasized that the loss in permit value was greater than both the compensation given by the government and the judge’s award.
Johnston may appeal the decision, highlighting the significant impact of the 2019 taxi reform on permit holders in Quebec.