Keep courtesy tows in city winter plans: report

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This article was published 31/08/2022 (800 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A call to charge owners the cost of towing vehicles parked in violation of a key Winnipeg snow-related ban may not be added this winter.

Coun. Janice Lukes has pushed for the city to pass the fee on to vehicle owners. The city’s current standard practice is to complete “courtesy tows” to move offending vehicles out of the way of snow-clearing equipment during residential parking bans — a practice that cost municipal taxpayers $1.47 million last year.

However, a new public service report does not recommend making the change.

The report notes it would be tough for the city to recover the fee because Manitoba Public Insurance is not required to provide the names of vehicle owners for the purpose of recovering unpaid fees, making it difficult for the city to determine the identity of owners.

The city also expects it would require a judgment from small claims court to enforce payment, so the cost of collection would “almost certainly cost much more than the debt.”

The city also increased the fine for breaking a residential parking ban to $200 from $150 in January, which staff believe would be more effective in deterring scofflaws.

The report estimates it costs the city about $40 per courtesy tow provided.