Taxi company calls for Lunenburg mayor’s resignation, threatens legal action following licensing incident

'These are real significant damages to myself, it’s harassment to my driver and it’s put everybody involved in this business in a terrible position,' says taxi company owner

The owner of SaltWind Transportation Services says he’s ceasing operations in Lunenburg, seeking legal advice and calling for the resignation of Mayor Jamie Myra following an incident in the town Thursday. SaltWind owner Simon Gordon told The Chronicle Herald he feels his business was targeted by the town’s bylaw enforcement officer following Gordon’s allegations against the mayor last month that led him to cease operations in Lunenburg. “It became very clear that operating as a taxi in the town limits of Lunenburg is both unsustainable for the business and financially not viable,” said Gordon.

The town said it considers the incident Thursday an operational issue involving a bylaw infraction, a point Gordon contests. Paul Nopper, Lunenburg’s chief administrative officer, defended their bylaw officer and called into question Gordon’s response at town hall. “Bylaw enforcement was performing their duties as per normal day-to-day operations.

We do not condone how staff were treated in an unprofessional manner, and safety of all staff is our priority,” Nopper said. A regular stop or selective enforcement? Gordon said he’d hired more drivers due to Lunenburg’s busy tourism season.

Part of the company’s onboarding process has been to have drivers pick up fares outside town limits, as there’s no licensing component, and expose them to the job. On Thursday, he said, one of his new drivers — who was not yet licensed with the town — was asked at about 1:30 p.m. to drive a coworker across Lunenburg. “It’s not a taxi fare, there’s no money transferred, nothing of the sort.

I didn’t think anything of it,” Gordon said. However, he said he received a call from the town’s bylaw enforcement officer telling him they’d seen an unlicensed driver in his car and that they had not received an application. (A spokesperson for the town confirmed it had not received an application for the driver in question).

Gordon said he explained that he hadn’t submitted the paperwork yet, but his call dropped due to a poor connection. He said the officer then approached his driver, who was parked at the community centre, and accused her of operating illegally in town and that the town “would be watching her.” Gordon said he was frustrated by how his driver was treated, and he maintains other taxi companies not licensed with the town frequently park throughout the area, a point he said he’s raised with the town.

“To me, at this point, it feels like and looks like selective enforcement given the situation that had happened previously with the mayor and town council,” he said. Nopper offered the town’s version of events. “Upon bylaw patrols they saw the SaltWinds vehicle parked at the community centre and had an unknown driver in the vehicle.

Bylaw approached and inquired about the driver and licence to operate,” he wrote. “Bylaw enforcement’s job is to patrol and keep an eye on all activities that could contravene a bylaw of the town. “Bylaw issues the licences so we are aware of the drivers that are currently under licence to operate.”

SaltWind resigns their licenses Related Lunenburg taxi company at centre of incident involving mayor shuts down after owner allegedly accosted, slurred by members of public Lunenburg taxi company at centre of incident involving mayor shuts down after owner allegedly accosted, slurred by members of public Gordon said he headed to town hall and told officials he was going to turn in the business’s licences. He said he was unhappy with how he was greeted by one employee: “I heard you were operating a cab illegally.” The town issued a statement Thursday saying Gordon became confrontational with staff.

“The owner came to town hall and was extremely confrontational with frontline staff, upon which the owner voluntarily resigned all of his taxi licences and left town hall,” said Nopper. “The resignation of the licences was in no way prompted or encouraged by town staff or council and entirely voluntary on the part of the owner.” Gordon acknowledged he was frustrated but said that with his previous allegations relating to the mayor and the investigation of the mayor, he felt the town wasn’t telling the truth.

Gordon had banned the mayor after an alleged drunken incident in June. Calling for the mayor’s resignation Gordon is looking at next steps. He said the business is exploring operating in Lunenburg County, Mahone Bay and Riverport, as there are no regulatory components for taxis in those areas.

But he’s also looking at legal options to either earn a letter of retraction or compensation for damage to his and his company’s reputation. “These are real significant damages to myself, it’s harassment to my driver and it’s put everybody involved in this business in a terrible position because the town is lying to the public.” Gordon is also calling for the mayor’s resignation and shared his desire to run for mayor in the next election, stating it wasn’t his original intent but he wants to shed light on “the corrupt practices of town council and the mayor himself.”

Myra was previously investigated by the town following allegations of drunken and inappropriate behaviour. Council decided they couldn’t act in the mayor’s dispute. Jamie Deans, a spokesperson for the town, said it won’t be commenting on the matter “as this is entirely an operational issue, stemming from the town’s ongoing bylaw enforcement policy.”

Gordon said he’s starting a GoFundMe to help with legal fees.