Richmond Hill is one of the only municipalities in the GTA without a bylaw in place to regulate vehicle towing, meaning there is no standard for what private towing companies may charge for services.

That is set to change soon following a recent Richmond Hill Town Council committee vote approving a set of recommendations to regulate the industry.

The suggested towing rate in the bylaw from a non-collision scene tow is $125 — far less than some of the fees reported to John DeVries, director, regulatory services for Richmond Hill.

“Tow fees off of private property are anywhere between $600 and $900,” said DeVries. “We’re trying to bring in uniform fares that we think are reasonable.”

In Toronto, specific tow truck companies are assigned to five different districts, and the base towing charges are all restricted to $164.90 or lower.

The bylaw must still go through the full Richmond Hill council for approval. A meeting was set to take place on Oct. 29.
Residents recently began reporting a trend of aggressive towing enforcement, particularly at a plaza at 10077 Yonge St.

“A lot of these folks [who speak] English as a second language parked to go to a school right next door,” said former Ward 4 councillor Lynn Foster.

The tow truck operators in the area have been identified as “chasers,” in the town’s recommendations, staking out awaiting opportunities to tow vehicles.

“They took the opportunity to do what perhaps might have been legally correct but certainly morally reprehensible to tow people out of this plaza,” said Foster. “There are elements in that industry that are quite predatory.”