Ottawa taxi driver charged after cab damaged on Airport Parkway
Alleged mischief occurred three days after airport taxi labour dispute began
A 58-year-old taxi driver has been charged with mischief after another driver reported his cab was surrounded and damaged on the Airport Parkway while a passenger was inside last month.
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The alleged incident occurred on the third day of a labour dispute involving airport taxi drivers over an increase in fees that certain drivers pay to get exclusive access to the airport's taxi stand.
According to police, the complainant had picked up a fare in the 1000 block of the Airport Parkway on Aug. 13, at around 4 p.m..
The cab was quickly surrounded by a number of people, some on foot and some in taxis, who began yelling as they attempted to drive away, said police.
The cab driver was prevented from moving forward by another taxi, and that taxi ended up damaging his vehicle, police said.
Protests after the labour dispute began in August have occasionally turned violent, with some acts of vandalism filmed and posted to YouTube.
The ongoing dispute between airport taxi drivers represented by Unifor Local 1688 and taxi dispatcher Coventry Connections is now in its seventh week.
The Ottawa Macdonald-Cartier International Airport's address is 1000 Airport Parkway Private, in the same area where the alleged Aug. 13 incident occurred.