$10,000 fine for predatory tow truck drivers considered in Calgary

Calgary city council is considering new measures aimed at protecting drivers from predatory tow trucks.

Councillors are responding to situations where motorists involved in a collision are pressured by quickly arriving tow truck drivers to accept their service and clear the road, without getting a quote upfront.

Drivers are then hit with sticker shock when they're charged $1,000 or more for a tow, and are sometimes barred from even accessing personal items in their vehicles.

Calgary's community development committee met on Thursday and councillors voted 6-0 in favour of bringing recommendations for new bylaw amendments to the next regular council meeting for approval.

The recommendations include barring tow truck drivers from coming within 200 metres of a collision on the road, unless requested by a driver involved in the crash, a police officer or a member of the Calgary Fire Department. The tow truck driver will have to demonstrate they were invited to the scene or face a $10,000 fine.

Jeff Kasbrick, Alberta Motor Association vice-president of advocacy and operations, welcomes the proposed amendments, arguing predatory towing has been a growing practice within the past year in Calgary and Edmonton.

"We think that not only is it important to be creating that buffer, but it's even more important to be making sure there's enough of a disincentive for operators to be breaching that buffer," Kasbrick said.

"They are, in these moments of great stress and moments of great uncertainty, preying on [drivers] and creating this great sense of urgency."

The problem can even lead to predatory tow trucks impeding the actions of first responders trying to assist drivers involved in the collision.

Kasbrick would like to see the measures enforced more broadly, with similar penalties applied to predatory tow truck drivers across Alberta.

Last year, the AMA launched the "Know Before The Tow" awareness campaign to remind drivers of their rights to request a quote upfront, choose who tows their vehicle, refuse service unless otherwise directed by police, and access personal items from their car after it's been towed.

"It's not just what it is that we do through bylaw or through legislative means, but it's also about making sure that Albertans are aware that this is happening in the province and that they're empowered to stop it in its tracks," Kasbrick said.

Coun. Courtney Walcott, who chairs the community development committee, said he was surprised to learn just how much the practice has taken advantage of some drivers, not just in Calgary but on a national level.

"A 200-metre buffer might be enough to satisfy what's happening now, but I think it might raise some questions about what are the fines, will they be enough and will they prevent this predatory practice," said Walcott, who represents Ward 8.

Jackie Richards, the Calgary director for the Towing and Recovery Association of Alberta, told council on Thursday her association supports any measure to curb "malicious practices" by rogue operators.

"This conduct has created unnecessary anxiety for individuals, and it undermines the public trust in the towing industry," said Richards, who is a third-generation owner of a towing company in Calgary.

To go even further, Richards suggested the city should consider seizing and impounding the offending tow truck when it arrives at the scene of a crash it shouldn't be at, to prevent the drivers from finding a way to avoid the fine and continue the practice.