Proposal
Oversight of the Towing Industry and Vehicle Storage Issues
Regulation Number(s):
Instrument Type:
Proposal
Bill or Act:
N/A
Summary of Proposal:
In the fall of 2013, the Ministry of Consumer Services (MCS) requested that a group of industry stakeholders come together to form the Towing Advisory and Storage Advisory groups. These groups were asked to provide input and advice on issues and factors associated with the oversight of the towing and vehicle storage industries.
The purpose of the report linked below is to summarize the work and recommendations of the Towing and Storage Advisory Groups resulting from consultation sessions held in January and February 2014 on the topic of towing and vehicle storage practices in Ontario.
The Advisory Groups were established to address towing and vehicle storage related issues identified in the Ontario Automobile Insurance Anti-Fraud Task Force's final report. Specifically, the Task Force made recommendations relating to a province-wide licensing scheme, road safety, consumer protection, and unreasonable storage costs. The full report of the Task Force can be found at: http://www.fin.gov.on.ca/en/autoinsurance/final-report.html.
In response, the government's 2013 Fall Economic Statement committed to work towards developing a province-wide system to oversee the towing industry, and to consider issues of vehicle storage. Recommendations from a recent Coroner?s Inquest also urged the government to address safety issues related to the towing industry.
MCS held a consultation kick-off meeting on towing and vehicle storage with stakeholders in December 2013. The purpose of the meeting was to start the discussion, raise interest in these issues, and secure participants for the next stage of consultations.
Additional consultation meetings on towing and vehicle storage, facilitated by KPMG, took place in late January and early February 2014 with two 18-member Advisory Groups representing diverse stakeholder communities. The Groups' primary objectives were to identify issues in the towing and storage industries, and provide consensus recommendations to government on how to address these issues, including the possibility of an oversight model.
The paper linked below explains and sets out the proposed recommendations in detail. Interested parties can respond by e-mail or mail.
The ministry welcomes feedback and encourages anyone interested to provide comments on its proposal.
The purpose of the report linked below is to summarize the work and recommendations of the Towing and Storage Advisory Groups resulting from consultation sessions held in January and February 2014 on the topic of towing and vehicle storage practices in Ontario.
The Advisory Groups were established to address towing and vehicle storage related issues identified in the Ontario Automobile Insurance Anti-Fraud Task Force's final report. Specifically, the Task Force made recommendations relating to a province-wide licensing scheme, road safety, consumer protection, and unreasonable storage costs. The full report of the Task Force can be found at: http://www.fin.gov.on.ca/en/autoinsurance/final-report.html.
In response, the government's 2013 Fall Economic Statement committed to work towards developing a province-wide system to oversee the towing industry, and to consider issues of vehicle storage. Recommendations from a recent Coroner?s Inquest also urged the government to address safety issues related to the towing industry.
MCS held a consultation kick-off meeting on towing and vehicle storage with stakeholders in December 2013. The purpose of the meeting was to start the discussion, raise interest in these issues, and secure participants for the next stage of consultations.
Additional consultation meetings on towing and vehicle storage, facilitated by KPMG, took place in late January and early February 2014 with two 18-member Advisory Groups representing diverse stakeholder communities. The Groups' primary objectives were to identify issues in the towing and storage industries, and provide consensus recommendations to government on how to address these issues, including the possibility of an oversight model.
The paper linked below explains and sets out the proposed recommendations in detail. Interested parties can respond by e-mail or mail.
The ministry welcomes feedback and encourages anyone interested to provide comments on its proposal.
Further Information:
Recommendations report
Proposal Number:
14-MCS008
Posting Date:
March 20, 2014
Comments Due Date:
April 8, 2014
Contact Address:
Ministry of Consumer Services
Policy Branch
777 Bay Street, 5th Floor
Toronto, ON M7A 2J3
Attention: Oversight of Towing
Policy Branch
777 Bay Street, 5th Floor
Toronto, ON M7A 2J3
Attention: Oversight of Towing