Ride-share may be coming to Vancouver

> Provincial government announces that Uber and Lyft will be allowed

Mercedes Deutscher News Editor

ransportation and Infrastructure

Minister Todd Stone announced on March 7 that ride share services will be allowed to start operating in the province in December of 2017— after the provincial election.

“We know that British Columbians want additional choice and convenience and that ride-sharing companies such as Uber and Lyft provide real opportunities to provide new services for consumers through the use of technology,” Stone said during the announcement.

Peter Fassbender, the minister responsible for TransLink, alluded to the decision on March 3 at the Greater Vancouver Board of Trade summit. Further evidence to future ride-sharing in Vancouver was found after an Uber advertisement was spotted online by people all over the Lower Mainland.

“We are looking to expand our driver support team in Western Canada,” said the advertisement, according to CTV. “We need sharp people to support and educate our Uber partners as they grow their business of being an Uber driver.”

It isa decision that has brought both praise and criticism.

Taxi companies, who have been long opposed to ride-share in Vancouver, have said that they have no plans of backing down over the decision, and hope to see it overturned.

Provisions to ease the introduction of ride-share services for taxi companies

are already being planned. There will be $1 million invested in creating apps that will make ordering a cab as easy as ordering an Uber. Taxis will also retain exclusive rights to be hailed via phone or in person, whereas ride-share services may only be procured by their respective apps. “They say it’s an even playing field, but they’re lowering the standards all the way around [...] The government- proposed method of deregulating the taxi industry is going to destroy the small business and livelihoods of Vancouver Taxi Association owners,” said Carolyn Bauer, spokesperson for the Vancouver Taxi Association, to CBC. Others are concerned about the safety risks that could come when the ride-share services arrive. “What I’m worried about here is we're going to see reduction in the insurance standards and reduction in oversight of the drivers,” said Vancouver City Councillor Geoff Meggs to CBC. Ride-share drivers will supposedly be held to the same standards that are imposed on taxi drivers—that is, they must be over 19, hold a Class 5 license, have a safe driving history, have a safe vehicle (as determined by inspection), and passa criminal record check. The City of Vancouver has a history of opposing ride-share services. In October 2016, the city passed a moratorium preventing any ride-share services from operating until at least October 2017. Should the provincial government uphold its decision to permit the ride-share services, they will likely not be operational until late 2017.

SPOTLIGHT: Care for a game of bubble soccer?

> DSU Exercise is Medicine Club excited to integrate exercise into student life

Aaron Guillen Staff Reporter

Coles students have been known to experience the Freshman 15—a weight gain during their first year at college—due to their lives becoming more sedentary and at ease. Understandably, most students have hectic lives surrounded by worries and deadlines, which allows health to take a backseat. Meanwhile, the leaders at the DSU Exercise is Medicine Club hope to dispel stigma around a routine exercise regimen by providing a variety of sports and group outings that get the blood pumping.

“We want to promote health and get people moving. Clearly, health is a broad spectrum with many dimensions to it. Physical wellness is just one dimension, but a powerful one. Through group activities we are able to reach many more aspects of health and wellness to help students be happier and healthier,’ explained a club representative.

According to one of the organizers, the idea of the club started with Kate Milne, an instructor in the Sport Science department. As the owner of Cardea Health Consulting, a health and wellness company, Milne promotes health through physical activity every day. Though the club began less than a year ago, it is excited to recruit and build membership with strong leadership from a president, two co-VPs, and a treasurer.

“To our great surprise and delight, when we first began promoting the club

[in January], there were many students eager to join and who enthusiastically wanted to be more physically active.

At this point in time, especially with midterms just passed, students seem more preoccupied with relaxing through other means than physical activity,” said a club representative.

Recently, the club led a gentle hike through Lynn Valley Canyon on the North Shore. In the future, the leaders hope to hold several hikes around the Lower Mainland. DSU Exercise is Medicine Club hopes to secure a spot at the College Health Fair, taking place on March 14 in Coquitlam and March 15 in New Westminster, both from 10 a.m.-3 p.m.

The club encourages those considering to join to reach out on the DSU Exercise is Medicine Facebook page and ask for events they find interesting. During Club Days in January, hiking, soccer, dodgeball, and badminton were among the top five choices for group activities outside of school. Bubble soccer, a contact soccer variant where players wear a zorb-like sphere, claimed the top spot, highly favoured by students who stopped by their booth. In the near future, the club plans to organize a bubble soccer event.

“Students who are looking to be more physically active tend to gravitate towards our club. We do not [simply] focus on exercise, since there is a distinct difference between exercise and physical activity, so it is a safe environment for those just wanting to move a little more,” said a club representative.