in si de ha lto n. co m O ak vi lle B ea ve r | T hu rs da y, M ar ch 5, 20 20 | 2 BOGO IS BACK! TWO WEEKS ONLY. THE LOWEST PRICES YOU'LL SEE THIS YEAR! SAVE AT LEAST $4,600!* • Buy a Lennox SLP98V furnace and get an air conditioner free*. • Must be booked by March 15,2020 and installed by March 21,2020. • Installation cost is extra. • All work fully guaranteed. Visit atlascare.ca or call 1-833-682-0033 *Conditions may apply. Financing available OAC. Includes additional Lennox rebate up to $1,600. Cannot be combined with other offers. Pricing increases are coming due to rising costs. Take advantage now! ,600!, Lennox SLP98V Lennox 13ACX • Buy a Lennox SLP98V furnace and Install a Lennox furnace and get an air conditioner FREE. Those regulations state the maximum amount that can be charged for a non-consent tow is $150. The maximum lifting charge (fee paid when a tow truck has lift- ed a vehicle, but the driver returns before it is moved) is $75. Vehicle storage yards were re- stricted to charging an outside storage fee of $70 per day and an in- side storage fee of $100 per day. Another new regulation noted that these storage fees could only commence the day after the tow. The call-in fee to retrieve a vehi- cle outside of regular business hours is also capped at $60. No sooner had these new price restrictions come into effect than residents who had been towed from commercial plazas reportedfrom commercial plazas reportedf being charged an additional "ad- ministration fee" to get their vehi- cle back. One man who was recently towed from the Sobeys parking lot in Bronte reported being charged an administration fee of $100 on top of the $150 towing charge. "It appears the towing compa- nies have found a way to increase their towing charges," he said in an email to the Oakville Beaver. Boswell said a regulation was put in place as a result of input re- ceived through consultation from the tow truck and storage yard in- dustry to capture any additional fees required for vehicle storagefees required for vehicle storagef yard owners to recover costs asso- ciated with additional services pro- vided. Such services may include, but are not limited to, the towing of stored vehicles from their location within the yard to the front gates for release and using specializedfor release and using specializedf equipment to assist in the removal of the vehicle from the yard. During the meeting, Boswell said it was clear when the tow truck and vehicle storage yard li- censing bylaw was passed that the charges spelled out that there would only be charges assigned to vehicles towed without the owner's consent. She brought forward an amendment, which would prohibit the charging of additional storage fees for non-consent tows.fees for non-consent tows.f Council also heard from parale- gal Maria Imperiale, who spoke on behalf of numerous tow truck com- panies. She raised issues with both the existing tow truck and vehicle storage yard licensing bylaw and the proposed amendments. Imperiale said the $150 charge for non-consent towing is too low -for non-consent towing is too low -f $100 less than what the industry had proposed to the town during consultations. She said no explanation was provided to the industry about how the town arrived at this rate, which is lower than several surrounding communities. She also took issue with vehicle storage yards not be- ing able to charge residents the day a non-consent tow takes place. "When I go to a Green P parking lot and park my car, I pay for park- ing from the moment I park my ve- hicle. Why? Because Green P is in the business of making money. They must pay for the land on which my vehicle is being stored while I am in court or out in the mall doing my shopping," said Im- periale." She argued the town's actions take away 63 per cent of the income generated through a private prop- erty tow and questioned if the councillors understood what this will do to local tow truck compa- nies and their families. Councillors also heard from Ca- mila Cleveland who said her vehi- cle was towed from private parking lot in Oakville on Dec. 26, 2019. She said she requested an item- ized statement from the tow truck company and it was not provided. Cleveland also said the tow truck company's name changed and the new name was not on the bill. "This has to be regulated for consumer protection," said Cleve- land. With all delegations heard Oak- ville council voted to pass the tow truck and vehicle storage yard li- censing bylaw amendments. They take effect immediately. Efforts to change the rules around towing began after several councillors were inundated with complaints in 2018 from residents who said their vehicles were towed after briefly leaving commercial plazas, particularly in Bronte. At that time, many residents al- so complained about being charged around $400 to get their cars back. Towing in these areas continues to be an issue. STORY BEHIND THE STO- RY: Towing from commercial plazas continues to be a major concern for residents in Oakville so when a council meeting focus- ing on the issue was scheduled we attended and listened to what both residents and the towing industry had to say on this matter. NEWS Continued from page 1 ISSUES RAISED WITH BYLAW AND PROPOSED CHANGES "This has to be regulated for consumer protection. "Camila Cleveland, area resident