Fallout from collapse of Téo Taxi
It’s notable how much money Téo Taxi got from Quebec while the Liberals were in power, and thus no surprise that Alexandre Taillefer put his efforts into trying to get them re-elected. TVA reports “5 millions $ du ministère des Transports, 5 millions $ du Fonds provincial de modernisation de l’industrie du taxi, 5 millions $ du ministère de l’Environnement et 4,5 millions $ du ministère de l’Économie à Téo Techno, ainsi que près de 1 million $ du gouvernement fédéral.” More millions were injected by Investissement Québec, the Caisse de dépôt, the FTQ solidarity fund and the CSN.
It’s the coda to this piece that has me steaming. François Legault says that he’s only worried about the twenty or so well paying jobs and the app. “Mon obsession, ce n’est pas de créer des emplois à 15 $ de l’heure. Mais des emplois payant à 25-30, 40 $ de l’heure.” To hell with the 450 drivers for whom a steady $15/hr was a solid deal. Legault just can’t imagine people for whom a regular job $3 over minimum is a matter of aspiration, not disdain.
And yet the CAQ remains popular.
david100 03:30 on 2019-01-30 Permalink
Wow, that’s a remarkably high poll score. That 16% for Solidaire is looking pretty good though.
Kevin 08:42 on 2019-01-30 Permalink
Quebec is at the bottom of the chart for income per person in North America. Only three provinces and one state have lower average incomes.
It may not be polite to say so, but creating a bunch of near-minimum-wage jobs isn’t going to let the province afford the services so many people want and need.
dhomas 09:09 on 2019-01-30 Permalink
That type of logic doesn’t seem to make sense. We want higher paying jobs, I get it. But there is a need for taxis. Téo was paying drivers more than Uber is, thus driving the average up. Should we be paying taxi drivers 25$/hour when we couldn’t even make it work at a modest 15$/hour?
Spi 12:07 on 2019-01-30 Permalink
@dhomas
Legault’s point was that he wants to create high- skilled/higher-value jobs not to simply pay workers above market wages.
qatzelok 12:21 on 2019-01-30 Permalink
Kevin, Quebec already has some of the best services in North America, and our “low income” is more than offset by the low cost of living. It’s called “social programs” and it’s why Cubans live longer than Americans now, with one twentieth the money to play with.
You can’t really compare “disposable incomes” when the regional supply of collective social programs differs as dramatically as it does in North America.
dwgs 17:10 on 2019-01-30 Permalink
Qatzelok, I fear you may be ignoring the Quebec debt that is approaching 200 Billion dollars. One day that chicken will come home to roost.
qatzelok 18:18 on 2019-01-30 Permalink
dwgs, debt-strangulation is all over the world, and I am as concerned about it as anyone.
https://www.politicsforum.org/forum/viewtopic.php?f=45&t=173128
Kevin 19:12 on 2019-01-30 Permalink
Who is comparing disposable income? I’m talking overall income, and there are many places nearby where people earn more and spend less to live.
Our public services are wonderful, but we know we can’t afford to pay for them unless the average income goes up.
(And despite those services, Quebec’s lifespan is lower than the average in Canada… )
So, let’s use our debt wisely to improve our collective lot.
It’s about self-reliance as a people. Surely that is a good thing?