Ottawa taxi driver fears for family after cab is vandalized overnight

An Ottawa taxi driver fears for his family's safety after his cab was vandalized overnight, believed to be a result of his willingness to pick up fares at the Ottawa airport.

Ottawa police officers have responded to seven reports of taxi vandalism since Tuesday, according to DutyInsp. JohnMedeiros.

• Taxi passenger dodges flying glass as protesters attack cab near Ottawa airport
• Airport Parkway protest turns violent as police investigate

Most of the reports flowed in during Tuesday afternoon rush hour, including one where a passenger from New Brunswick was left dodging broken glass.

A video posted to YouTube also caught protesters swinging bars and smashing the rear windshield of a Blueline taxi.

Another of the reported incidents happened overnight when Bilal Sabra, who drives for Capital Taxi in Ottawa, says his tires were slashed and front and rear windshields were damaged.

They're going around right now, they're smashing cars. What's the next step?- Bilal Sabra, Capital Taxi driver

"I'm not afraid of [the protesting drivers], but I'm afraid of [them] getting to my family now, for my own safety, because they know my address now and I have five kids," Sabra said.

"They're going around right now, they're smashing cars. What's the next step?"

This swath of violence also comes one week after three taxis were vandalized during the overnight hours in the suburb of Barrhaven. The owners of the vandalized cabs told CBC News they believedthe attackers were also upset over fares picked up from the airport.

Taxi driver blames union for violence

Each of the cases is believed to be connected to a five-week-old protest by drivers who hold a monopoly on pick-ups from the Macdonald-Cartier International Airport in Ottawa.

The drivers have been locked out from the taxi stand at the arrivals level as they dispute the new pick-up fee charged by the dispatcher, Coventry Connections. That means any taxi driver can pick up a fare.

Sabra, who said he's driven a taxi for 17 years, claimed he has left the taxi union, Unifor, and blamed union officials for dividing taxi drivers from the various Ottawa companies.

He also accused the union of allowing violent behaviour.

"I feel sad for them you want to be this way, acting like thugs? It's not going to help your cause," Sabra said.

Abed Madi, who heads the Unifor local representing airport taxi drivers, said Wednesday signalled a level of calm for protesting drivers. He did say the violence during Tuesday afternoon's sit-in along the Airport Parkway resulted from pent-up frustration.

"What happened yesterday is not something we advocate or condone. We don't want to see any of that happening," Madi said.

"But as you can understand, people have been out of work for over four weeks now, and people are frustrated, and yesterday was an outburst of the frustrations that people have."

Police said there were approximately 70 to 80 taxis sitting along the Airport Parkway on Wednesday, but none were blocking the parkway. Medeiros said police continue to investigate each report of taxi vandalism and charges could be laid.

"Our priority remains to both keep the peace and ensure there is public safety. At the same time, allow those who have the right to protest to protest according to the Charter of Rights and Freedoms," Medeiros said.