Towing of vehicles impeding snow clearing operation in Toronto begins
The City of Toronto says it has begun towing vehicles that are impeding snow clearing and plowing operations after the big blizzard.
“We're encountering abandoned vehicles blocking plowing routes and TTC operations in addition to vehicles that are illegally parked along designated snow routes,” said a city spokesperson late Wednesday afternoon.
The city said the problem vehicles will be tagged and towed to a car compound and residents whose vehicles have been towed should contact the Toronto Police Service.
The powers to tow come as a result of the city declaiming a "major snow storm condition."
That means avoiding a tow and trip to the compound is on the minds of many who use city streets to park their vehicles.
“Last night I heard someone else got a warning for towing, that he was parked incorrectly on the road,” said Hamza Khan, who was out shovelling his car on Dundas Street East.
“We’re picking up a lot of vehicles stuck in the snow; probably where they shouldn’t be,” said Abrams Towing President Joey Gagne, one of the companies with a city contract.
Gagne told CTV News Toronto that depending on the circumstance, vehicles ending up at the compound could cost motorists up to $300.
Toronto police said tows are done in conjunction with the contracted tow providers and Toronto Police Parking Enforcement officers.
“It has to be a police officer, a Parking Enforcement Officer or a specifically trained and authorized Municipal Law Enforcement Officer (MLEO) that authorizes the tow and completes the required paperwork,” said a police spokesperson.
FRIENDLY TOWS TO START IN COMING DAYS
The city said friendly tows to fully remove snow will also start in the coming days, which Gagne said generally means relocating it nearby, but not always.
“The problem with relocating as you can see everywhere you go there’s nowhere to put cars, there nowhere to move your car, so unless you have a strategy, hopefully you have your own parking spot.”
To avoid a possible trip to the compound, Gagne recommends paying for a parking spot.
The said city staff will reach out directly to residents, where required, to provide an opportunity to move their vehicles prior to any friendly towing taking place.
“More information will be provided soon about how City staff will connect with residents,” said a spokesperson, adding as an example in 2019 bylaw officers went door-to-door to inform residents about any friendly towing.
The city says the snow clearing and removal operation remains in full swing and is expected to last several more days.
Toronto Mayor John Tory said snow removal is expected to start today on the Gardiner Expressway.
“The work has been ongoing 24 hours a day and will continue 24 hours a day until the job is done. 600 road plows, 200 salt trucks, 200 sidewalk plows are out,” Tory said at a news conference Wednesday.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Something in the water? Canadian family latest to spot elusive 'Loch Ness Monster'
For centuries, people have wondered what, if anything, might be lurking beneath the surface of Loch Ness in Scotland. When Canadian couple Parry Malm and Shannon Wiseman visited the Scottish highlands earlier this month with their two children, they didn’t expect to become part of the mystery.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
An Ontario senior thought he called Geek Squad for help with his printer. Instead, he got scammed out of $25,000
An Ontario senior’s attempt to get technical help online led him into a spoofing scam where he lost $25,000. Now, he’s sharing his story to warn others.
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.