Mississauga council caves on a key demand to Uber

Mississauga council did a 180 Wednesday, paving the way for ride-sharing companies such as Uber to operate under a pilot program even though the company ignored council’s main condition to proceed with the plan — that it shut down operations until the pilot is launched.

“I’ve changed. Yes I have,” said Councillor Pat Saito, who two weeks ago stated in council that she was adamant about the condition and led a motion that included directions to scrap the pilot plan if Uber did not shut down its operation in the city.

But Uber ignored that directive and continued to operate. On Wednesday council caved, and Saito contradicted her earlier resolution with a new motion that removed the requirement for Uber to stop operating before the pilot could proceed.

“I want the pilot to move forward,” she said during a break in the meeting, after her motion passed. “Things are changing on a daily basis. I wanted to get as much support on council for the pilot (as possible), and if that meant massaging the motion and making amendments that other councillors could support it if those changes were made, then I’m prepared to do it.”

Meanwhile, staff and councillors detailed Uber’s continued “illegal” operation, after a separate motion two weeks ago banned ride-sharing companies unless they got traditional taxi licences and operated under similar regulations.

Staff said 50 charges were laid against Uber drivers in the past week, with fines that can reach as high as $25,000 for operators and $50,000 for the company.

But Uber, they said, is fighting the charges in court, using Charter challenges that staff said are complex and difficult to argue against.

While all of this goes on, and a pilot is now set to be drafted by a special committee, councillors described a wild-west scene on the streets of Mississauga, as Uber drivers operating illegally try to duck 11 city bylaw officers who are on the chase — up from nine.

Councillor Jim Tovey described Uber as “robber barons” during the public council debate. Councillor Ron Starr described the app-based company, which he said had directed drivers to keep operating illegally while bylaw officers try to chase them down, as “a group of bandits.”

Mayor Bonnie Crombie, who pushed for the pilot, said she would like to see a cap on the number of ride-sharing drivers allowed under the one-year test plan. She suggested again that a cap of 50 might make sense, because that’s the number of traditional taxi plates sitting on the city’s shelf.

It’s a number that represents a huge reduction from the 5,000 drivers Uber says are currently operating in the city.

“There was a determination by the majority, by the will of council, that the industry be modernized and that a test pilot be put into place to really test drive this new technology,” Crombie said during the break. “The reality is that it exists, and I think we need to be able to regulate it, to control it.”

Four councillors refused to support the motion, with some calling the proceedings “Groundhog Day” as council continues to extend Uber a lifeline despite its repeated refusal to shut down.

“We’re not dealing with equals,” Councillor George Carlson said during the debate, warning his peers of what he described as the tactics of an enemy that has no interest in ever co-operating. “We’re dealing with invaders.”

Council has given itself a deadline of the end of June to come up with rules for a pilot. If Uber does not agree to them, they said Wednesday, once again, the plan will not proceed.

Mississauga’s renters feeling the heat as summer temperatures continue to rise

Another week of sizzling temperatures and high humidity means another week of unbearable living conditions for Paula Torres.

“Every time we get these exaggerated temperatures, it’s like murder,” Torres said, describing her cramped two-bedroom apartment located at the corner of Hurontario and King streets in Mississauga.

Torres keeps her balcony door open most of the day in her two-bedroom apartment, which she shares with her 22-year-old son and 92-year-old mother.

“It’s difficult when there’s no breeze outside. But if we keep the balcony door closed, we would feel like we’re dying in here,” she said.

She has three fans going all hours of the day to circulate the air, but it’s still “unliveable” when temperatures soar above 30.

Hydro is not included in the price of Torres’ unit and installing an air conditioner in the only 14” by 19” window in her apartment is out of her price range.

“It’s a tough time,” reflected Torres, who works part-time as a graphic designer.

The province requires landlords to provide sufficient heat supply to renters from Sept. 1 to June 15 through the Residential Tenancies Act.

Temperatures must be maintained to at least 20 degrees Celsius.

But there are no cooling requirements during summer, which in Ontario, are becoming increasingly hot and humid.

“In regards to extreme heat events, it is important to remember that municipalities have the ability to undertake emergency measures to protect vulnerable populations,” said Conrad Spezowka, spokesperson for the Ministry of Municipal Affairs and Housing (MMAH).

Municipalities may issue heat warnings and make cooling centres available for residents until the heat event has passed, he said.

The City of Toronto is studying the possibility of mandating a maximum indoor temperature at Toronto’s rental buildings.

Mississauga’s municipal enforcement staff have never considered studying the matter.

Under the City’s property standards bylaws, landlords that provide air conditioning for renters must make sure they are in good working order.

But Torres, who has been looking for a new apartment in the Cooksville area for a decade, says hydro is not included in what little rental properties are left in the city.  

With cooling costs bumping summer hydro bills up as much as 60 per cent, according to Hydro One, the added expense for renters is not feasible.

“It’s painful, but what can we do?” asked Torres.

Spezowka said landlords are responsible for providing and maintaining rental units fit for habitation.

If a tenant believes that the lack of cooling causes his/her rental unit to be unfit for habitation, the tenant can apply to the Landlord and Tenant Board, he said.

Torres says she’s already tried that, but because she couldn’t provide medical documentation to explain how it was affecting her, she was unsuccessful.

Originally from Panama, Torres described the situation as similar to “living in the third world.”

Temperatures are expected to range from 26 degrees to 31, with high humidex warnings for the next two weeks. 

Kontrol Energy enters into Letter of Intent to Acquire Log-One Ltd.'s Energy Management System (EMS)

TORONTO, Sept. 20, 2016 /CNW/ - Kontrol Energy Corp. (CSE:KNR) (the "Company") announces that it has entered into a Letter of Intent to acquire (the "Proposed Acquisition") the assets of Log-One Ltd.'s Energy Management System ("EMS"), an intelligent, occupancy-based heating and air-conditioning control product, including the hardware, software, intellectual property and patents (combined to be referred to as the "EMS Technology"). The Proposed Acquisition is conditional on the completion of a definitive asset purchase agreement and would involve the payment by the Company of $250,000 in cash, the issuance of 1 million common shares of the Company and the payment of a royalty on future product sales to Log-One Ltd.

The EMS Technology is an integrated smart, occupancy-based thermostat system which has been designed for commercial and industrial use. Unlike a programmable thermostat which requires a high level of attention by the property owner and is subject to ongoing manual adjustments, the EMS Technology provides for pre-programmed automation, smart learning algorithms and more environmental control while delivering best-in-class energy savings.

The EMS Technology is a leader in its field, with more than 10,000 units installed and operating across Canada.  It is specifically designed for both retrofit of existing buildings and new building applications, and uses unique patented technology to control pre-heat cycles, room temperatures, ventilation and lighting based on actual occupant behavior. The EMS Technology has been delivering independently verified, market-leading energy savings for customers for the past ten years, producing between 24% and 33% savings in multi-residential buildings and between 30% and 40% in classrooms and offices.

"We are very confident with the ability of the EMS Technology to deliver significant energy savings," says Paul Ghezzi, CEO of the Company. "Our plans are to add Internet of Things (IoT) capability to the EMS Technology and to deliver a series of robust mobile applications. By making the energy savings produced by the EMS Technology visible and interactive we see the potential opportunity of accelerating the deployment of the EMS Technology across North America."

Kontrol Energy seeks to finance the Proposed Acquisition through its recently announced Debenture and Common Share Unit Offering. The closing date of the Proposed Acquisition is anticipated to occur in mid-December, 2016.

About Kontrol Energy Corp.

Kontrol Energy Corp. (CSE:KNR) is a leader in energy efficiency solutions and technology. Through a disciplined mergers and acquisition strategy, combined with organic growth, Kontrol Energy Corp. provides market-based energy solutions to our customers designed to reduce their overall cost of energy while providing a corresponding reduction in Green House Gas (GHG) emissions.

Through our Energy Savings Simplified Program® customers can gain immediate financial savings and the ability to monitor and modify energy consumption and demand in real-time through cloud based IoT solutions. To learn more about Kontrol Energy Corp., please visit the Company's website at www.kontrolenergy.com.

Additional information about Kontrol Energy Corp. can be found on its website atwww.kontrolenergy.com and by reviewing its profile on SEDAR at www.sedar.com

Neither IIROC nor any stock exchange or other securities regulatory authority accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.

About Log-One Ltd.

Log-One Ltd. Is a Canadian private company and over the past decade has manufactured and supplied more than 10,000 EMS devices into the Canadian market and has serviced a wide and diverse client base including multi-residential property owners and managers, commercial landlords and school boards.

Forward Looking InformationThis news release includes certain forward-looking statements, which may include, but are not limited to, the completion of financing transactions and the provision of energy solutions to customers. Any statements contained herein that are not statements of historical facts may be deemed to be forward-looking, including those identified by the expressions "will", "anticipate", "believe", "plan", "estimate", "expect", "intend", "propose" and similar expressions. Forward-looking statements involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties that could cause actual results, performance, or achievements to differ materially from those expressed or implied in this news release. Factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from those anticipated in this news release include, but are not limited to, failure to complete the Proposed Acquisition, the future savings and earnings of the EMS Technology not being consistent with past performance and risks associated with the energy efficiency and/or carbon emission measurement and verification sectors generally. The Company assumes no obligation to update the forward-looking statements or to update the reasons why actual results could differ from those reflected in the forward-looking statements except as required by applicable law.