Ottawa, February 9: The tow trucks operators on contract to the City of Ottawa are taking a hard pass on requests to haul vehicles out of protest areas, according to the city’s top public servant.
“I’ve contacted them all and they’re all refusing, as of today, to provide heavy tow truck work,” city manager Steve Kanellakos told reporters Monday evening after a six-hour special council meeting. “Right now we’re reviewing their contracts or standing offer, and reviewing what actions we can take to deal with this unprecedented situation.”
More than 400 vehicles are parked illegally in the downtown core, according to Ottawa police, the majority of them heavy trucks (and at least one crane). One of several challenges facing the Ottawa Police Service and the city is how to get them off the streets if protesters refuse to drive them away.
- Removing trucks could be almost ‘impossible,’ say heavy towing experts
- Protest supporters threaten tow truck operator for relocating protesters’ shack
The demonstrators, who began arriving in Ottawa more than a week ago, have said they will only leave after COVID-19 mandates are lifted. This is proving to be a serious issue for city officials. Experts say towing a truck without the help of a driver is already difficult. It’s impossible without towing equipment. It’s not clear how many towing companies have standing offers with the city, or the terms of their contracts.And it doesn’t seem like Ottawa is having much luck outside city limits.
According to Kanellakos, Mayor Jim Watson has reached out to his counterparts in other Ontario municipalities, but no dice.”Right now, the consensus seems to be that many of them — or most of them — don’t want to do the work because … they rely on the heavy truck industry for their livelihood, and they don’t want to damage that part of their business. That’s the position they’re taking, at least.”
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