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City council could approach regulating ride-sharing companies the same way it tackled marijuana retail stores — with fees high enough to cover the city’s expenses.

Council’s transportation committee voted Wednesday to study the cost of regulating ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft, with an eye on recovering that money through fees.

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Council on Monday imposed licence fees of $20,000 for marijuana stores justifying the high price by citing the anticipated costs of regulating cannabis businesses.

Mayor Charlie Clark said at Wednesday’s meeting that the time and effort needed to regulate ride sharing could dwarf that of marijuana stores.

“It’s not seven stores like cannabis,” Clark said.

The committee tweaked proposals from the city administration on how to approach ride-sharing rules before council votes on them July 23.

The city is trying to get regulations in place by the time provincial laws that will allow ride sharing come into effect in October.