Christine Whelan, FEO, April 3, 2025, VOL. 6 ISSUE 15
When Councillor Pat Chiocchio recently heard from two different Niagara Region tow truck companies with concerns, he sought answers. He invited the company owners to present at the March 20 Regional Council Meeting.
The two men both admit they are rival companies, but agree on one issue: the Niagara Regional Police (NRP) tow rotation list.
Chris York, Jo’s Auto Collision Towing
York stepped to the podium first. “I’m not going to sugar coat this. We’re in a dangerous situation here.” He was referring to the tow rotation system for the police.
He presented, “The Region was in charge of the towing rotation when they took over the licensing. The province has since decided to take over the licensing to try to fix the towing industry in Ontario.” He mentioned the shootings that have occurred in the Toronto area.
York commented that, before all of this, the NRP held and maintained that rotation list. “When they held that list, it worked flawlessly. They had a tow liaison that we all answered to and we had a contract to sign to be on that list.”
He stated that eventually, the list fell into the hands of the Niagara Tow Alliance (NTA), which is run by a rival tow company.
“At no time should a tow company in the private sector have control over a police rotation list. It opens things up to corruption and exposes it to severe problems. And make no mistake, it’s happening now.”
York proposed to leave the tow rotation in the hands of the Niagara Regional Police, where, according to York, it rightfully belongs.
He stated that the list being held by the NRP will ensure compliance with their expectations and compliance with the industry rules that are set by the province.
Joe Vieira, Regional Towing
Vieira, owner of the 23-year-old towing business, which now operates with 12 trucks, has been sending letters to towing stakeholders in Niagara with the goal of raising awareness about the state of the towing rotation list for the Niagara Region Police.
The owner of Regional Towing began by echoing York’s statement, “The towing rotation for the police is in some serious trouble,” and also believes that it should be returned to the care and control of the police themselves.
Then he continued. “I want everybody to keep in mind, this towing rotation touches everybody, such as the residents of our community and the millions of tourists we see in our area.”
He began providing descriptions of scenarios of “some of the things that are now happening with the Region controlling the NRP towing rotation”, including, accompanied by a revealing photo, one scenario where a tow company, called out on behalf of the police, picked up a vehicle and took it to, not their holding compound, but their own residence.
“This particular company did this three times in a span of seven months. The vehicles were brought to the personal residence, and the vehicle owners or their insurance companies were still charged as if the vehicles were being held in a secure compound.
“This company represents the Niagara Regional Police. The towing for them should be held at a much higher standard than what it is.”
Mr. Vieira asked that a motion be put forward to investigate this further and that full carriage of the towing rotation be returned to the Niagara Regional Police.
“It should be noted that under the current structure of the Region overseeing the towing rotation, anyone can simply apply for a provincial towing certificate, go out and buy a tow truck — whether it be an old one for $5,000 or a new one for $200,000 — and request at the Region to be added to the NRP towing rotation list.”
There are other caveats to the loopholes that have been found, according to Joe. “For example, there is nothing stopping a tow company owner from opening several different towing companies under different names and putting those names on the rotation to get multiple police calls, making thousands of dollars more.”
Minimum Standards
“I’d like to suggest that minimum standards be made that will immediately clean up the issues we are having today.”
Mr. Vieira suggested a tow company must be in business for at least two years in the Niagara Region.
“I believe this will keep the people out who are just after the quick dollar that being on the NRP rotation list provides.”
After describing how one-truck companies are not equipped for multi-vehicle calls, he stated he would like to see the implementation of minimum truck standards. Each company must own a wheel lift, a flatbed and a heavy-duty tow truck.
Vieira admits that he believes, “One-truck companies included on the list defund the real companies that can respond to every single incident that the police may request of a towing company.”
In closing, Joe asked, “Would the police rather deal with around 55 companies in the Niagara Region on the towing rotation or would they rather deal with approximately six competent companies with the manpower?”
Council: No Horse in This Race
Chiocchio spoke, mentioning that this concern was brought to his attention by both York and Vieira about a month prior. He was looking for clarification. Who is responsible?
Clerk Norio verified that the province did take over the licensing responsibilities on January 1, 2024.
Regarding the NRP rotation list, she stated, “It was put together by the Region. I would suggest that we currently still have authority over it. But technically, with the legislation changing to be under the province, there’s no responsibility for the Region any longer.”
A continued conversation between councillors and staff unfolded as they attempted to clarify responsibility and determine where these concerns should be directed.
Mayor Wayne Redekop inquired, “If the Region has no responsibility or authority, what would we be directing staff to do?”
The Region’s Chief Administrative Officer (CAO), Ron Tripp, spoke, “The Province has now given this jurisdiction to the Police Services. We have no horse in this race. Both men’s requests are appropriate, that the police take it over.”
A frustrated Chiocchio, who had been searching for this information for weeks, stated that this was a waste of time if it was no longer the Region’s responsibility and withdrew his motion.
Councillor Steele, who serves on the Police Services Board, asked for Clerk Norio to contact the Executive Director at Police Services and have her bring this up at the April board meeting, “So that we can deal with it there.”
Vieira agrees with the outcome from the March 20 Council meeting. “The NRP have to take back their own rotation. The Regional Councillors need to speak to the NRP to have them take back control of it. Once the NRP takes control back, there will hopefully be minimum standards set in place that will weed out those who are after the quick buck.
When asked what Joe’s next step is, he explained that he plans to raise awareness with the NRP because he believes they are unaware of the current state of the Niagara towing industry. “My goal is to speak in front of the Police Services Board, and hopefully they will enact a change immediately.”
He ended our conversation with, “I’m going to continue to lobby for the NRP tow rotation to consist of reputable tow companies that represent the Police Service adequately.”
To watch the video of the Niagara Regional Council Meeting where these concerns were presented, go to www.niagararegion.ca and search “March 20 live stream”
Photos taken by C. Whelan
