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Home My WebLink AboutClinton News Record, 2015-07-22, Page 44 News Record • Wednesday, July 22, 2015 LJ1 11 ['1 1 www.clintonnewsrecord.com Clinton News PUBLISHED 53 Albert P.O. Box (519) 482-3443 www.clintonnewsrecord.com Record WEEKLY — EST. 1860 St. 39 Clinton ON NOM 1L0 1J POSTMEDIA MARIE DAVID Group Advertising Director - Grey Bruce Huron Division 519376-2250 ext 514301 or 510 364-2001 ext. 531024 NEIL CLIFFORD lirilla"). --L' --' ,. Advertising Director nei l.cl ifford@sunmedia.ca LAURA BROADLEY dillit ,gip ' Reporter t L. -.rt clinton.reporter@sunmedia.ca DAWN JOHNSTON rf Sales Representative clinton.ads@sunmedia.ca TERESA SMITH • Front Office clinton.classifieds@sunmedia.ca SUBSCRIPTION RATES 1 YEAR $50.00 (47.62+2.38 GST) 2YEAR $95.00 (90.48+4.52 GST) SENIORS 60 WEEKS $50.00 (47.62+2.38 GST) 120 WEEKS $95.00 (90.48+4.52 GST) Advertising is accepted on the condition that in the event of a typographical error, the advertising space occupied by the erroneous item together with a reasonable allowance for signature, will not be charged but that balance of advertisement will be paid for at the applicable rate. In the event of a typographic error advertising goods or services at a wrong price, goods or services may not be sold. Ad- vertising is merely an offer to sell, and may be withdrawn at any time. The Clinton News -Record is not responsible for the loss or damage of unsolicited manuscripts, photos or other materials used for reproducing purposes. Publications Mail Agreement No.40064683 RETURN UNDELIVERABLE CANADIAN ADDRESSES: CIRCULATION DEPARTMENT 53 Albert St., Clinton ON NOM1LO (519)482-3443 We acknowledge the financial support of the Government of Canada through the Canadian Periodical Fund (CPF) for our publishing activities. Canada �Member of the Canadian Community C11a Newspaper Association and the Ontario Community Newspapers Association editorial Reuters file illustration Wheels are falling off traditional taxi model Before it became short- hand horthand for all things awe- some, uber had a more sinister connotation to many. A German word, it means over, above or across. Canadians of a certain vintage know it from the first stanza of the Nazi -era German national anthem, "Deutschland, Deutschland uber alles," or Ger- many over all. Uber the ride -sharing app is not a villain, but its take -no -pris- oners approach has redefined both the meaning of the word uber and the modem cab indus- trywhose fundamentals the company is rewriting in cities around the globe. Simply put, U.S.-based Uber argues it's a technology com- pany, not a traditional taxi com- pany. Punch a computer app on your cellphone, and you hail an Uber driver. Anyone with a clean driving record, who clears crimi- nal screens and has a vehicle, can become a driver. Drivers aren't employees, but partners in a ride - sharing system that dangles the allure of faster, often cheaper, service. In countless cities around the world, Uber has been met by protests from the traditional taxi industry, defiant regulators and politicians insistent Ober be held to outdated regulations. In Canada, Uber is in almost every major market and has been taken to court in at least two in failed bids to halt its operations, most recently in Toronto. The backlash is understanda- ble: Cities tightly regulate the cab industry, down to the num- ber of taxis allowed and what they can charge. Owners who buy their plates on the street, at prices that rival many houses in this country, are naturally cha- grined when an upstart can undermine that business model. But U.S.-based Uber, now only six years old, isn't the problem; it's the inability of reg- ulators to anticipate and keep up with changes brought by the sharing economy. Just like countless other industries -- music, television, travel and publishing, among them -- the old-fashioned car- riage industry is being left behind in the Internet's digital dust. That doesn't mean the taxi is dead; it simply means that the answer is to broaden regu- lation to include a new ride - sharing category and levy the appropriate licensing fees. In the innovation economy, putting the horse before the cart isn't the issue; it's under- standing ahead of time that the wheels are falling off the cart. Postmedia Network LETTERS TO THE EDITOR The News Record welcomes letters to the editor. All letters must be signed and include a daytime phone number for verification purposes. Let- ters can be sent care of the Internet at clinton.news@sunmedia.ca, sent via fax at 519-482-7341 or through Canada Post care of The Editor, P.O. Box 39, Clinton, ON NOL 1LO. CLINTON NEWS RECORD - HOURS OF OPERATION MONDAY: 9:00 - 5:00 • TUESDAY: - CLOSED • WEDNESDAY: - 9:00 - 5:00 • THURSDAY: - 9:00 - 5:00 • FRIDAY: - 9:00 - 5:00 • SATURDAY & SUNDAY: - CLOSED ADVERTISING DEADLINE: FRIDAY AT 2:00 • PHONE 519-482-3443 • FAX: 519-482-7341 www.clintonnewsrecord.com