Loss of value of taxi permits
The class action aims to compensate taxi permit owners for expropriation by the Quebec government, in an amount equivalent to the market value of the permits before the decline observed following the arrival of Uber. The plaintiff alleges that by adopting the Loi sur le transport rémunéré de personnes par automobile, the Quebec government expropriated taxi permit owners without paying fair and reasonable compensation.
Latest news
Conditions to be part of this class action
You are part of the class action if you hold or have held a taxi owner’s licence in the province of Quebec since October 28, 2013.
Registration form
You can register at the bottom of the page to receive information on the developments of the class action.
For more information on what it means to be a member of a class action, you can consult our What are class actions section.
Summary of the class action
On September 20, 2016, Dama Metellus, a taxi owner and driver’s permit holder, filed an application to authorize a class action against the Government of Quebec alleging that, by gross negligence and refusal to respect and act respect the laws of Quebec, it has in fact expropriated the taxi licence holders.
On October 31, 2018, Justice Mark G. Peacock authorized the class action for taxi owner permit holders.
On December 18, 2019, the Applicant filed an Application for Leave to Amend the Originating Application. The purpose of this amendment was to include all holders of taxi owner’s licences in Quebec in this class action, regardless of the territory covered by the licence. On January 16, 2020, Justice Silvana Conte granted the Application.
On June 21, 2024, Judge Silvana Conte issued a judgment on the merits, ordering the Government of Quebec to pay more than $219 million in compensation to thousands of former taxi permit holders. The Government of Quebec appealed this decision, and the plaintiff filed a cross-appeal requesting that the compensation be calculated based on the value of the permits in 2014 rather than in 2016. The hearing before the Court of Appeal took place on November 25, 2025, and the Court of Appeal rendered its decision on March 25, 2026 (see “Latest News” above), dismissing the class action and Mr. Metellus’s cross-appeal.
For information on the loss of income for taxi drivers, see the class action Jean-Paul v. Uber Technologies Inc.