The Queen's Journal, Volume 144, Issue 8

Page 1

the

Queen’s University

journal

Vol. 144, Issue 8

T h u r s day , O c t o b e r 6 , 2 0 1 6

since

1873

a wave of indie sweeps over campus Story on page 8

PHOTO BY AUSTON CHHOR

AMS launches petition to prevent Uber from being forced out of Kingston Student government argues that the service has proved vital at Queen’s Maureen O’Reilly Assistant News Editor On Sept. 30, the AMS Executive sent a petition to the Queen’s student body, protesting the city’s attempt to drive Uber out of Kingston. The petition, which was sent in a mass email, is addressed to the Kingston Area Taxi Commission and argues that Uber has been proven to ensure student safety, especially after a night of drinking. Uber — ­ a multinational transportation network that allows users to request rides through a smartphone app — they argue, allows a student to see the driver’s name,

photo, car, and license plate number, and that this transparency provides students with a sense of security when traveling. According to the petition, having a ride just one click away and knowing exactly when your car will arrive to pick you up also provides a convenience factor that is attractive to students. The petition form asks for student’s names, schools, email, and additional comments in order to sign. Speaking to The Journal, AMS President Tyler Lively said the issue first came to their attention in the summer, when The Kingston Whig-Standard published an article regarding an incident between Uber and the City. When Uber arrived in Kingston, many taxi drivers and others in the city voiced their concerns that the service, if left unregulated, could be detrimental to other transportation companies in the area and to the general safety of the community.

According to Lively, at a City Hall meeting attended by the team, Mayor Bryan Paterson had stated that the City would be following “best practices” that were implemented in other jurisdictions for regulating ridesharing companies. Lively said he was subsequently surprised to see that the recommended regulations the Kingston Area Taxi Commission put forth were a lot more stringent than in other cities. According to The Whig, the Kingston Area Taxi Commission received a report recommending Uber adopt taxi industry practices such as imposing minimum fares, dress code and behaviour standards for employees, and required police background checks. Furthermore, the report recommended that Uber vehicles should have either a security camera, plastic shield or a blinking

PHOTO BY JULIA BALAKRISHNAN

See Petition on page 4

INSIDE THIS ISSUE

Opinions

Practice sustainability for more than just a week page 7

Features

Sports

Lifestyle

page 5

pages 10 & 11

page 13

A look at the experience of women in engineering disciplines Online:

queensjournal.ca

@queensjournal

Queen’s volleyball tournament recap and season preview facebook.com/queensjournal

How to thank your family this weekend

instagram.com/queensjournal

qjlongform.com

Postscript

How a boarding school experience shaped me page 15


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