Court to rule on cabbie dash decor
Quebec taxi driver fined for dashboard adornments
A Montreal taxi driver who is defending his right to decorate his cab with religious objects, a Canadian flag and photos will hear a judge's ruling Tuesday.
Montreal taxi driver Arieh Perecowicz has said he is not willing to remove the mementoes, including photos and religious items, that cover the inside of his cab. (CBC)Arieh Perecowicz says the items, including a Remembrance Day poppy and small Jewish prayer scrolls should be allowed under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms.
He's asked the city's municipal court to cancel $1,400 in fines, and award him damages of $5,000.
Montreal's taxi bureau says Perecowicz isn't the victim of discrimination, but did break a bylaw.
Section 98 of the city's taxi regulations says drivers may not have any objects in the car that aren't related to driving thir cab.
During a hearing in 2009, a Montreal taxi inspector told the court that Perecowicz's car was the dirtiest cab she had ever seen, with photos blocking the gas gauge and speedometer.
Perecowicz, a regular at the Cavendish Mall taxi stand Côte-Saint-Luc, said no one has ever complained about the way he decorates his cab — except the city.
He says that only happened after he complained the cab bureau wasn't cracking down on unlicensed taxi drivers.
Perecowicz also accused the bureau of ticketing a Canadian flag, but not a Quebec one.
He says he has received seven tickets over the years, on the grounds he displays too many dashboard items.
Read more:
http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story ... z1DIufHfdV
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