Edmonton’s vehicle-for-hire bylaw has been cleaned up to end confusion over some criminal activity that until now, may or may not have meant a driver is disqualified from getting a city licence.

In a report released by the City of Edmonton on Thursday, the rules were tightened to take in more background information on police information check requirements. They better fit the provincial guidelines.

In a report going to city council’s community and public services committee next week, any driver who in the previous 10 years has a record that includes several Criminal Code of Canada offences, including any offence of a violent nature — including assault and firearms or weapons offences, any sex offence, trafficking, any offence involving fraud, extortion or theft, or any offence related to the unlawful operation of a motor vehicle, can’t get licensed by the city.

Prior to the changes, drivers might have had a criminal record but kept being allowed to be behind the wheel until their licence was up for renewal.

“That’s one thing that we were asking for, is clarity,” Councillor Aaron Paquette said. “The way that was working before was subject to interpretation.

“With these new clarifications, we don’t even have to question, it’s very cut and dried, so it makes things a lot simpler and it actually helps build public confidence in the system.”

Councillor Scott McKeen was on the community standards and licence appeal committee, which also had councillors Tony Caterina and Moe Banga on it. He said he didn’t like the ambiguity that led to confusion. Especially, he said, when chairman Banga wanted to differentiate previous convictions that were on and off the job.

“I just think we need to be clear-cut here, for the sake of the industry too,” McKeen said, “for other cab drivers, who have clean driving and criminal records, that they’re not thrown under suspicion as well.

“I feel bad for the individual people and I want them to find a clear path in their life to success. But the integrity of that system is important. We want vulnerable people to be able to get into a cab, knowing that that cab driver has a clean record.”

The report also includes results from an Insight survey that strongly support the more stringent criminal checks.

Police information checks were considered to be an important aspect of the vehicle-for-hire licensing process by 94 per cent of the survey’s respondents.

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