“Luxury” means different things to different folks
I wrote an article about a Toronto-area entrepreneur trying to launch a green limousine service similar to services already operating in Boston and Los Angeles, where instead of your standard black or white (sometimes stretch) limo the car of choice is a Toyota Prius. But Toronto by-laws forbid such energy-efficient vehicles because they don’t fall into the standard definition of luxury, and because they can’t carry as many people or have slightly less legroom. The same roadblocks, at least with respect to legroom, apply to taxis in Toronto. What gets me is, why does the city get to decide what is “luxurious” to me or presume what I’d find a more comfortable ride. Leonardo DiCaprio took a Prius limo to the Academy Awards this year. Does this mean he was slumming it? Perhaps luxury to some people is being driven to the airport without the guilt of being hauled around in a gas-guzzling Lincoln Town Car, or even more crazy, a stretch Hummer. I think the City of Toronto needs to get its priorities straight, and here’s hoping the entrepreneur behind this new venture can talk some sense into our local politicians.
Hey Leo, if you want to give this city crap give me a call, I’ll make sure you’re heard. I’m sure you’d want to ride in a Prius limo at the next Toronto International Film Festival.
Tyler Hamilton is editor-in-chief of Corporate Knights magazine and a business columnist for the Toronto Star, Canada's largest daily newspaper. In addition to this Clean Break blog, Tyler writes a weekly column of the same name that discusses trends, happenings and innovators in the clean technology and green energy market. This blog is a personal project started in April 2005. It is not an official blog of the newspaper.
