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We Nova Scotians like to think of ourselves as tolerant and willing to accept outsiders into our little slice of paradise.

After all, we have it good here, and most of us realize we need immigrants from other parts of Canada and from other countries to help pay the bills and maintain the services we have come to expect.

But every once in a while, we’re reminded that ignorance and hate still walk among us.

One of those reminders came in a story this week about taxi driver Navneet Jaggi, who recounted for Herald journalist Andrew Rankin his story about being assaulted by a group of young men who entered his cab.

He said he had a bad feeling when he first encountered them, so he asked for payment up front. The man in the front seat then punched him in the face, breaking his nose.

Then the group ran, calling him a “f---ing immigrant.”

Jaggi is from India and has been driving a cab in Halifax since 2012. He’s now a Canadian citizen.

Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of the story was the casual racism he hears from his passengers. Both he and another driver said they’re used to it now, after several years.

“Yes, I hear racist comments. Most of the time, I ignore it because if I get into that, it would give me a bad day,” said driver Pardeep Sanhi, who is also from India.

Discouraging, to say the least.

Driving a cab is stressful and dangerous. Cabbies are routinely robbed and assaulted and several drivers have been murdered in Halifax over the years. The hours are bad, pay is low, passengers skip out of paying fares and ferrying drunks from Halifax’s downtown is no picnic.

Then there is the chorus of voices calling for reform of the industry. A large online survey of taxi patrons listed a litany of complaints about cab service in the city, some of which focused on drivers.

Halifax council has agreed with a report recommending hundreds of new taxi licences be approved, a move we applaud, since the city is growing and no new licences have been granted for years. The report also advocates higher standards for drivers, including criminal record checks and English language proficiency.

And finally, several drivers in the city have been charged with sexual assault. No doubt that results in some uneasiness or tension in many situations where a woman hires a cab.

So cab drivers have been taking shots from all sides.

We don’t envy cabbies their job. But if you’re an immigrant trying to feed your family, adjusting to a new country and culture is hard enough. You shouldn’t have to accustom yourself to racial insults, no matter what you do for a living. We should be better than that.

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