Mobility, and how much space there is to decorate it.
A Montreal taxi driver’s heading to court to protest tickets he received regarding the stuff he keeps on his dashboard.
Anyone entering Arieh Perecowicz’s taxi in Montreal quickly knows what’s close to the man’s heart. At various places around the dashboard, he’s posted photos of his family, religious artifacts, a couple of flags and a Remembrance Day poppy.
The items have never sparked a customer complaint or interfered with his work, the 65-year-old cabbie says. But it did provoke a series of tickets from Montreal’s taxi agency, which have resulted in a court battle that could test the line between personal and public space.
After successfully navigating through the chaos of Montreal’s streets for four decades, Mr. Perecowicz is steering into trickier territory: Whether a taxi can also be a vehicle for personal and religious expression.
I can see his side of it – you drive all day, it’s gotta get boring, you want to be able to look at your family or pause for a nod to your Jewish heritage on the special days or remind yourself of how great Canada is even when the traffic isn’t. Funny enough, he isn’t even that religious – he just likes the idea of having a couple protection prayer mezuzahs in the car while he drives. Again, Montreal traffic we’re talking about. They aren’t all sweethearts. Take all the protection you can, man, even if it’s all in your mind.
It’s unclear how they feel about the photos, flags and pins but the article definitely makes it look like the municipal agency that inspects taxis decided the Jewish stuff was “offensive” enough to justify giving Perecowicz $1,400 worth of tickets and make him remove it all.
Mr. Perecowicz can’t afford a lawyer and is representing himself in court next week. But he has been given support by the Quebec Jewish Congress, which says the case is an important test of Charter rights.
“This is an issue of freedom of religious expression,” said Abby Shawn, a human-rights lawyer with the congress. “This is the only case we know of where the taxi bureau has requested a taxi driver to remove his religious icons. It [the bylaw] has been applied in a very discriminatory fashion.”
Mr. Perecowicz is being prosecuted under Section 98 of Montreal’s taxi bylaw, which says cabbies can’t have objects or inscriptions in their cabs that are “not required for the taxi to be in service.”
I don’t know if I’d want to argue a religious angle on this. They’d have to prove the only reason he was targeted is because of his faith, wouldn’t they? He says he’s basically secular. Are they picking on anyone with bobble headed Virgin Marys or just him? It’s interesting to note that he never got any tickets about his dashboard until three years ago when he went to the media to complain about the agency not cracking down on unlicensed cabs. Methinks somebody can’t take criticism…
It’s hard to tell but I’m guessing the company he drives for has no problem with him keeping personal stuff in a car he sits in for 15 hours a day. Other drivers are certainly supportive.
His latest campaign is gaining sympathy from fellow cabbies in a city where it’s not uncommon to see everything from air fresheners to rosary beads and crucifixes dangling from cabs’ rearview mirrors, as well as family snaps on the dashboard.
“There are a lot more important things to look after than whether someone has a photo in his taxi,” said Dory Saliba, president of Coop de Taxi de Montréal.
At Taxi Champlain, which employs many drivers of Greek descent, cabbies often have a cross or icon of the Virgin Mary in the cab, a company official said. And photos of the family help during the long hours.
“If I’m at my desk at work I want to have photos of my family. This is like their office, but it’s their office on wheels,” said Betty Papanikolopoulou, acting president of Champlain.
She said she believes Mr. Perecowicz should be left alone. “His car is his business. As long as it doesn’t hinder the driver’s view and doesn’t put clients into danger, it should be respected.”
I agree. He has his license displayed where everyone can see. That’s the bylaw. If he wants to add some other stuff in there to make the space a home away from home, what’s the harm? He’s not peddling a religion on anyone, is he? He’s just driving them from point A to point B.
I hope he wins his case, even if they have to bring religious discrimination into it to do it. Better yet, I hope the judge dismisses the case and lets Perecowicz off the hook for the cost of those tickets. Taking this to court is a waste of time that would be better spent taking people to the airport and a waste of money that would be better spent on gas.
