Toronto officer now allegedly linked to illegal tow truck scheme
June 24, 2020 Paola Loriggio - THE CANADIAN PRESSTORONTO – A Toronto police officer arrested last week in the theft of a police radio has now allegedly been linked to an illegal operation benefiting the tow truck industry. Toronto police said Monday that 11 people, including 47-year-old Const.…
Guns, drugs, cash seized in organized crime probe of Toronto area tow truck industry
May 26, 2020 Liam Casey -THE CANADIAN PRESSVAUGHAN, Ont. – Four alleged organized criminal organizations that operated as rival tow truck companies involved in a violent battle for territory in the Toronto area have been dismantled, police said Tuesday. York regional police said the alleged crimes involved…
Why this motorist is not entitled to compensation for towing damage claim
October 1, 2019 by Greg MeckbachA motorist seeking nearly $4,000 for a vehicle that was allegedly damaged while being towed cannot recover the money from either the Insurance Corporation of British Columbia or BCAA Insurance Corporation, the province’s civil resolution tribunal has ruled. In October,…
How Intact lost this battle over vehicle storage fees
May 16, 2019 by Greg MeckbachCanada’s largest P&C insurer has suffered a setback in its quest to minimize vehicle storage fees. A recent Ontario court ruling means that, for the time being, Intact Insurance has to pay J.P. Towing Service & Storage Limited storage fees…
How this ‘gap’ in privacy law affects tow-truck operators
December 13, 2018 by Greg MeckbachIf your client’s vehicle is towed in Manitoba, the auto insurer will not normally tell the towing company who owns the vehicle. “There is a gap in the [Manitoba privacy] legislation or, at a minimum, the administrative practices of the…
Company calls for tow truck operator training standards
November 14, 2018 by Greg MeckbachTow truck drivers should not be allowed to hook up and haul vehicles damaged in collisions without some sort of certification above and beyond a driver’s licence, says CAA South Central Ontario. “If you have a Class G driver’s licence,…
Tow referral fee rules ‘hard to monitor and enforce,’ insurer warns
August 23, 2018 by Greg MeckbachAuto insurance providers should remind motorists that in the event of an accident, it is usually the driver – not the tow truck operator – who decides where the car gets towed. Motorists often don’t know what rights they have…
Should body shops be allowed to pay referral fees to towing firms?
March 15, 2018 Greg Meckbach, Associate EditorA recent Aviva Canada auto repair fraud investigation raises the question of whether body shops should be allowed pay referral fees to tow truck operators. CSN, which has more than 335 collision repair centres in Canada, does not give referral…
January 1, 2017 Legislative changes: Will they mitigate motor vehicle property claim costs?
November 3, 2017 Lisa M. CarrOntario passed Bill 15, the Fighting Fraud and Reducing Automobile Insurance Rates Act in 2014. That law made changes to both the Repair and Storage Liens Act and Consumer Protection Act.