92 bylaw penalties laid against London tow truck businesses

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London’s bylaw enforcement officers have laid 92 charges against local tow truck companies.

According to a release from the city, a proactive tow truck business license enforcement initiative resulted in in 92 by-law penalties and 10 warnings against 12 towing firms.

Additional penalties as well as business license suspensions are pending.

“Through collaborative and consistent enforcement, we will ensure compliance with local and provincial regulations for the towing industry,” said Orest Katolyk, director municipal compliance. “Business licensing regulations were enacted in response to price gouging and issues at accident scenes raised by citizens and first responders.”

In 2021, City Council passed an amendment to the Business Licensing By-law to introduce towing regulations which focused on consumer protection and safety of the public and first responders at accident scenes.

The enforcement project, scheduled over one week in November, focused on business licensing regulations including record keeping, impound yard requirements and maximum fees for towing and storage.

Prior to the proactive enforcement project, 42 penalties and two license suspensions were issued in response to complaints since July 2021.