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Ontario Provincial Police say two Ottawa-based tow truck companies, and one driver, are facing potentially thousands of dollars in fines after being charged under the province’s Towing and Stowage Safety and Enforcement Act.
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A news release from the provincial police force on Thursday said it received a complaint in late November after one of the two tow truck companies refused to release a vehicle from its impound yard. The vehicle had been towed there against the owner’s wishes following a collision, and the owner was told they had to pay more than $5,000 for one week of storage.
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Similarly, in early December, OPP received another complaint that a different tow company was refusing to release a person’s vehicle and was also over-charging.
The charges against the two companies and driver under the Towing and Stowage Safety and Enforcement Act aren’t criminal charges, but can result in steep fines and jail time in some cases. Businesses convicted of offences under the act can face fines of up to $100,000.
Southway Towing of Ottawa faces charges including tow operators demanding payment without consent, demanding payment for services without first providing invoices, vehicle storage operators failing to make reasonable efforts to release vehicles upon request, failing to obtain consent, failing to provide copy of consent and failing to comply with access requirements, among others.
A tow truck driver, whose name was not provided by police, faces charges of providing or attempting to provide services without consent and failing to provide copy of consent.
Pro Solution Towing of Ottawa faces charges in relation to demanding payment without consent, demanding payment without providing an invoice, providing misleading, inaccurate or false representation and pressuring a person to use a payment method.
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OPP said a member of the public could file an anonymous complaint online about any tow driver, tow operator or storage facility at https://www.ontario.ca/page/know-your-rights-when-getting-tow
In 2022, two Ottawa police officers were charged in a tow truck kickback scheme and resigned from the force in exchange for stays of the legal proceedings. Kevin Putinski and Andrew Chronopoulos admitted wrongdoing for their actions while working as officers, admitting they had “on many occasions” provided tips on locations where vehicles required tow services.
“This gave certain tow operators a competitive advantage by increasing the chances they’d arrive at accident scenes first,” the former officers told the court. “On those occasions, when the vehicle was towed as a result of the information I provided, I was paid money by the tow operator. I accept and acknowledge that my actions were improper and constituted a breach of trust with respect to my duties as a police officer.”
The two former officers were charged in April 2020 as part of a 10-month anti-corruption investigation by the RCMP.
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