25 | O akville B eaver | T hursday,January 23,2020 insidehalton.com Title sponsor: Presented by: Media sponsors: NOMINATE TODAY Visit canadianimmigrant.ca/rbctop25 NOMINATIONS ARE OPEN! Do you know an inspiring immigrant who has made a positive impact in Canada? Celebrate their achievements by nominating them for this coveted national award by Feb 27, 2020. Thank You! With sincere thanks, The Salvation Army would like to recognize the work of all of our dedicated volunteers, not only this past Christmas season but throughout the whole Year. It is without question that the success of The Salvation Army is due to the continued support and dedication of our many volunteers. Please accept our heartfelt thanks for the generous donation of your time and energy and for joining with The Salvation Army in providing Hope in our communities throughout the past year. Thank you for helping us Give Hope 905.521.1660 www.SalvationArmy.ca The start of a new year means new rules for tow trucks operat- ing in Oakville. Due to the passage of a tow truck/storage yard licensing bylaw on June, 25, 2019, effective Jan. 1, 2020 tow trucks and mo- tor vehicle storage yards re- quire a licence to operate in Oakville. Residents can check the back of the tow truck for a Town of Oakville licence plate and cur- rent sticker to ensure the com- pany is licensed to work in the town. Town staff said the annual li- censing of tow truck companies, their vehicles and drivers, will help ensure consumer protec- tion and promote safety within the industry. While the town cannot pre- vent the owners of private park- ing lots from having vehicles towed the bylaw does require tow truck companies, who tow vehicles from a private property without the owner's consent, to take that vehicle to a licensed storage yard within Oakville. The bylaw also regulates the fees charged for a non-consentfees charged for a non-consentf tow to a maximum $150 per vehi- cle and a $75 lifting fee (the fee paid when a tow truck has lifted a vehicle, but the driver returns before it is moved). Town staff said a fee for ei- ther towing or lifting can be charged, but not both. They said no fee can be charged for wait time and drop fees cannot be charged.fees cannot be charged.f Town staff also noted the tow truck driver must release the ve- hicle once it has been lifted if the motorist returns to the parking lot before the vehicle is towed (lifting fee applies). As part of the regulations un- der the motor vehicle storage li- censing there are set fees for storage: .$70 per day for each 24-hour period a vehicle (under 4,500 ki- lograms) is stored. .$100 for inside storage for each 24-hour period (under 4,500 kilograms). Storage fees will start after the first 24 hours of storage. The town bylaws state resi- dents have the option of paying towing, lifting and storage fees by credit card, cash or debit. Efforts to change the rules around towing began after sev- eral councillors were inundated with complaints in 2018 from residents who said their vehi- cles were towed after briefly leaving commercial plazas, par- ticularly in Bronte. Many residents also com- plained about being charged around $400 to get their cars back. Towing in these areas contin- ues to be an issue. For more information visit https://www.oakville.ca/town- hall/tow-truck-licensing.html. NEWS NEW YEAR MEANS NEW RULES FOR TOW TRUCK COMPANIES TOW TRUCK COMPANIES AND STORAGE YARDS IN OAKVILLE NOW REQUIRE LICENCES DAVID LEA dlea@metroland.com Signs at the Centriller Square plaza in Bronte caution motorists that parking is reserved for customers only. Graham Paine/Metroland SIGN UP FOR OUR WEEKLY NEWSLETTER AT INSIDEHALTON.COM