Consumer protection at heart of new Ontario towing rules

New regulations for the towing industry in Ontario are now in effect.

As of Jan. 1, the Ministry of Transportation has taken oversight of the towing industry. The move is, in part, a response to urban turf battles in some sectors of the industry.

It also aimed at controlling towing rates.

The province plans to publish the maximum rate a tow operator can demand starting in late March.

Some established companies welcome the change.

“I think we need regulation because there is such a gap of what people are charged,” explained Rosemary Dean of Advanced Towing near Tillsonburg, Ont.

Another part of the sweeping changes now requires operators to carry a provincial identification card. Motorists can request to see the card in person or search for it online before they agree to a hook-up.

“As drivers, myself and our crew, we all had to apply for a certificate to be a tow operator, so we did that back in July 2023,” said Rosemary.

But, it took until Dec. 30, 2023 Dean said for her and her husband, Mike, to receive the list of changes tow operators must abide by over the coming months.

A collision at Horton and Ridout streets in London, Ont. on Tuesday, Nov. 9, 2021. (Sean Irvine / CTV News)

Mike is frustrated their business has little time to adjust.

“There are just so many unanswered questions on my end that we don’t know,” he said.

While the Deans support controlling tow-rates, at the same time, they oppose blanket fees.

Mike said rates must reflect the complexity of each towing job and the equipment used to retrieve a vehicle. He added that operators cannot be left unpaid if a driver does not have insurance.

“How do you make up for that one you tow in, that no one anybody ever comes for?” he explained.

Yet, the Deans agree change is needed to improve the image of their industry.

Mike pointed to a recent case where a customer asked for help with another tow operator. He said the customer was told to pay a substantial fee, just to release a set of car keys.

“Just for that customer to get the keys back, they wanted $3,700. So, if there are things that regulate that, I can see that becoming a positive for the system,” he concluded.