Doug Ford says he'll force delivery apps to lower fees if they don't do it themselves
If there's anything Ontario Premier Doug Ford can't seem to stand (aside from red tape and yahoos), it's greedy companies refusing to help struggling small business owners where they can.
Fordonce again pledgedto take regulatory action against "greedy" peopleduring his daily pandemic press conferenceon Thursday when asked about the exorbitant fees charged to restaurants by third-party delivery apps.
The premier had on Tuesday publicly asked companies like Uber Eats and DoorDash to considering lower their commission fees or businesses impacted bymodified Stage 2 restrictionsthat prohibit indoor dining.
加州是否巨人misse交付d Ford's plea or simply decided to ignore it, they have yet to reduce the amount of money (up to 30 per centof every order) they take from restaurants per delivery.
Ford warned the delivery app industry today that they wouldn't have many more chances to cooperate with his requests voluntarily.
Toronto residents have been calling upon government officials for years tocap delivery commissions at 15 per cent, at least temporarily, like San Francisco, Los Angeles and New York City have done.
"What I've done from the beginning of this pandemic, I always ask nicely, then I start begging, then I put down the hammer," said Ford on Thursday.
"I'm asking: Don't charge these restaurants upwards of 30 per cent."
Ford told commercial landlords similarly back in May that he would impose restrictions upon them if they didn't start offering some sort of rent relief to struggling small business tenants. Many landlords didn't comply, prompting Ford toissue a complete ban on commercial evictions.
It's unclear if Ford has the power to regulate commission fees for American companies, or even Canadian companies, like Winnipeg-based SkipTheDishes, but history has taught us that he takes this stuff seriously.
"All I'm asking is be part of the team. Don't be greedy, because I can't stand when people are greedy," said Ford to delivery app owners, noting that they're making "an absolute fortune" right now.
"Don't charge these restaurants 30 per cent, and then on top of it the delivery charge, the service charge... they keep tacking it on, and the poor restaurant owners, they're the ones holding the bag."
"So, you know, you guys, pitch in," he concluded. "That's warning number two, by the way, for the delivery folks."
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