Ontario taxi drivers protest Uber on Parliament Hill

The head of the union representing taxi drivers says he has given uphope that the City of Ottawa will fight the ride-hailing service Uber and others like it.

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UniforCanadapresident Jerry Dias made the comment during a protest on Parliament Hill late Tuesday morning.

Taxi drivers from the Greater Toronto Area travelled by businto Ottawa for the event. In all, about 250 to 300 people showed up, according to RCMP.

Liberal MP Raj Grewal, who represents Brampton East, also attended the protest, telling the crowd of drivers he's proud to have been raised by a taxi driverand that he knows their struggles.

The protest comes about a week afterEdmonton city councillors votedtolegalize Uber, making Edmontonthe first Canadian municipality to do so.

Uber will be allowed to legally operate in Edmontonstarting March 1, provided the company's drivers are able to get legal commercial insurance approved by the province.

Other cities, including Ottawa, have been grappling with whether and how to regulate services such as Uber, and taxi drivers fearsome could be looking to Edmonton asan example.