‘Buy Canadian’: Local firms want Toronto council to block Uber and Lyft from city phones

The call comes as the municipality develops a “buy Canadian” strategy to counter U.S. tariffs.

Local taxi services and a Canadian ride-share app have penned a letter imploring Toronto City Council to ban Uber and Lyft from city phones as part of the municipality’s “buy Canadian” strategy to counter U.S. tariffs.

Toronto City Council passed a motion to launch a “buy Canadian” campaign on Feb. 5 in the face of tariff threats from the U.S. and to procure local and domestic products wherever possible

“We urge you to extend both campaigns to include the taxi and ride-hail industry,” reads a letter signed by Beck, Co-op Cabs, Toronto 1 Taxi and Canadian ride-hailing app, HOVR.

The companies are calling on the city to “adopt partnership, procurement and staff reimbursement policies that commit to patronizing domestic and local vehicle-for-hire ride sourcing.”

They also want to see the city ban the use of U.S.-based ride-hailing apps on city-issued property or for city business, and to move drivers over to a single, city-issued license that can be used to work for any city-licensed dispatcher or platform.

“Canadian companies can easily step in to connect Torontonians with their next ride home,” the companies wrote. “App-based ride-hailing and payments are now offered by many local taxi companies as well as HOVR, a new Canadian ride-hailing platform.”

In the letter, the local companies accuse the American-based competitors of aggressive behaviour to muscle out Canadian players and of sending most of the profits back to the U.S.

“Consumers are stuck with a near-monopoly of U.S. companies that can surge prices with no limits,” the letter states.

In a statement to CP24, Uber Canada said they contribute to the Canadian economy by employing thousands of Canadians and pointed out that they also make donations to local charities.

“Uber Canada is run by Canadians for Canadians, helping millions of Canadians go anywhere, get anything, and earn their way at the tap of a button,” Uber Canada Spokesperson Keerthana Rang said in an email. “Over 180,000 drivers and delivery people on Uber live, work, and spend in Canada.”

She said thousands of local restaurants and merchants also use Uber Eats to carry meals and other items to millions of Canadian customers. The company’s Canadian subsidiary is headquartered in Toronto.

Zeus Eden, a spokesperson for Mayor Olivia Chow, told CP24.com in an email that the city is “reviewing options with the Mayor’s Economic Action Team about how best to support workers and businesses in all sectors in response to Donald Trump’s unjustified trade war.”

Last month Chow convened the team, made up of business and labour leaders, to advise on Toronto’s response to U.S. tariffs.

Eden pointed out that the city is “closely examining vehicle for hire services” and has sent a rideshare licensing plan back to city staff for review.

“Mayor Chow supports taking a Team Canada approach and encourages Torontonians to look at options to Buy Canadian in their daily purchases,” Eden wrote.

U.S.-based Lyft did not immediately return a request for comment.