Thessalon, Ontario — The Ontario Government has yet to meet with the Provincial Towing Association of Ontario (PTAO) to discuss standards and reform to the province’s tow truck industry, the industry organization wrote in an open letter on May 14.
“The PTAO has made numerous requests to meet with the Premier of Ontario to discuss solutions to an industry fraught with corruption and safety issues,” wrote the organization. “The Provincial Government continues to ignore the requests of the PTAO to meet, resulting in the need to escalate our concerns through legal counsel.
“The lack of consultation and appropriate stakeholder research is necessary to determine the required Government Regulations and policies that will provide safe towing on our highways.”
The PTAO said it has conducted its own research and consulted numerous groups, including the Ministry of Transportation, to “uphold the highest standards of practice in the towing industry,” the results of which were published and provided to the government in negotiations.
The PTAO also said it does not support the Ontario government’s launch of a ‘Tow Zone Pilot Project’, which was announced on March 2, 2021, and would see four sections of GTA highways become restricted tow zones. Each zone would only allow a single company to operate within the proposed borders, according to the rules laid out by the Ontario government.
“The PTAO does not support the Provincial Government’s decision to rush through legislation without sufficient industry and public consultation. Elevating the highest Standards of Practice to serve the public requires the Provincial Government to fulfill its obligation to Consumers through a proper and fulsome research process of the towing industry to best serve the public,” concludes the open letter.
