Uber today won a major victory in Edmonton when a court injunction to block their operations failed.
Citing Star Trek and science fiction author Ray Bradbury, an Alberta court denied the city’s attempt to stop Uber from operating in Edmonton.As a result of this ruling, Uber can continue operating in Edmonton. One of the primary issues is that Uber Canada is just a front company, and that courts probably would have to really push to block the international conglomerate from operating an app that is administered in Holland.
Bradbury’s worlds and those experienced by occupants of the Starship Enterprise “seemed unimaginable 30 years ago,” wrote Queen’s Bench Justice Michelle Crighton in a decision released Thursday.
The Internet is opening new avenues for what might be possible, she said. “It is not surprising, therefore, that legislation drafted to accommodate a more static, paper and people driven environment, sometimes lags behind the technical response to individual preferences and demands.”
All the city can do at this point is go after individual drivers, a measure that probably wouldn't be very politically expedient. Instead they'll have to wait until they pass their ride sharing legislation. On the bright side for the city, if they draft too ridiculous a legislation Uber will leave, just like they did in San Antonio. Bear in mind, though, that this may turn out to be a scorched earth policy.
What I find enjoyable about this is that the Uber vs. Edmonton fight, as encapsulated by the scoreboard above that K'mpec texted me earlier today, causes cowardly Don Iveson's far-left base to become disillusioned with him. Now that he's offended basically everybody who uses the roadways, there's a good chance that the shelf life of this useless sack of shit is coming to an end.
