Tow truck turf wars remain source of violence despite Ontario legislation

It appears the violent ‘turf wars’ between Ontario’s towing companies have not come to an end, despite the PC government’s efforts over the past three years — at least, not yet.

Last month, York Region Police Chief Jim MacSween said that violence between tow truck operators remains a significant problem in his jurisdiction.

“Organized crime is also behind both the nationwide increases in auto thefts that we have all witnessed and the ongoing conflict in the tow truck industry,” said MacSween.

“We continue to see some tow truck organizations resorting to both gun violence and arson as a means of threatening their business rivals.”

According to York Region Police data, there have been 28 incidents involving a crime committed by someone “due to their involvement in the tow truck industry” so far this year. Of these, 16 were arson and four involved guns being fired.

“These numbers include incidents where tow trucks or shops were targeted,” explained police spokesperson Const. James Dickson in an email to Queen’s Park Today.

“These numbers do not include incidents that involve someone who works in the tow truck industry, where there is no evidence that the offence was committed as a result of their employment.”

After creating an advisory committee to help design a response to the long-standing issue, the PC government passed the Moving Ontarians More Safely Act and the Towing and Storage Safety and Enforcement Act in 2021.

The government said the legislation would “strengthen the province’s oversight of the towing sector” by imposing a new certification system for towing company operators and drivers, which includes background checks for any criminal convictions or outstanding court orders.

The legislation also created the position of the director of towing and vehicle storage standards, who is tasked with running the certification system. But the identity of this official is a secret.

Although someone was chosen for the job after the legislation was passed, no order-in-council exists specifying who was appointed.

Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria’s office told Queen’s Park Today that the director’s identity is being kept confidential to protect them from threats and possible violence; a decision prompted by threats made against government officials involved in crafting the industry reforms back in 2021.

Three years later, the legislation finally came into full force on July 1, 2024.

The Ministry of Transportation said it has issued a total of 10,096 towing certificates to date while also refusing 350 applications due to disqualifying convictions and court orders.

The Towing and Vehicle Oversight Office created by the legislation also issued 658 interventions in response to transportation ministry investigations. Of these, two certificates were cancelled, 31 were suspended and 574 certificates had additional operating restrictions placed on them.

The York police declined to comment on whether the Towing and Storage Safety and Enforcement Act has helped reduce violence because they “do not have sufficient statistics to determine the impact of legislation on the incidents.”

Sarkaria’s office notes that work on stopping the turf wars is still ongoing.

“Violence and criminal activity in Ontario’s tow truck industry is unacceptable,” said the minister’s spokesperson when asked about MacSween’s concerns about continuing violence.

“The ministry is also closely monitoring tow and vehicle storage operators and drivers and is working with enforcement partners to combat non-compliance.”

The province is also undergoing a pilot project to test out so-called “tow zones” along 400-series highways, allowing only authorized towing companies to operate in an attempt to cut down on territorial clashes and the practice of “accident chasing.”

The zones were met with angry resistance from tow truck operators. The four-year pilot began in 2021, with 10 towing companies and seven subcontractors working across the four tow zones.

The executive director of the Canadian Towing Association Doug Nelson — who has been vocal about violence in the industry and participated in the province’s advisory committee — notes the legislation has only been fully implemented for two months and will need more time to bring turf wars to an end.

“Trying to straighten out this damn industry has been a challenge … and it’s one of those things that just takes time,” Nelson told Queen’s Park Today by phone. “The government is working on it, but there’s still a long way to go. You can’t just dedicate 500 people to go and straighten it out quickly. It’s not going to happen.”

“It took 50 or 60 years to get to this point, it’s going to take a year or two to straighten it out — probably closer to two. But they’re working at it, that’s the main thing.”