About the Service Central Traffic Unit

Reporting A Motor Vehicle Collision

Rules For Towing

Occasionally, a tow truck may be summoned to tow a vehicle from a City Street, and the owner/driver may be responsible for towing charges. A Contract between the City of Winnipeg and a Towing Company (currently Dr. Hook Towing) expresses the following scenarios:

If the owner/driver of the vehicle attends the scene and claims the vehicle before any preparation for towing or attachment of the hoist mechanism, the vehicle shall be released to the owner/driver without payment.
If the owner/driver of the vehicle attends the scene and claims the vehicle after work has been performed but before the tow is under way, the vehicle shall be released to the owner/driver upon payment of half the towing rates applicable to that vehicle.
If the owner/driver of the vehicle attends the scene and claims the vehicle after the tow is under way (ie. the tow truck has moved under power with the vehicle in tow), the vehicle shall be released to the owner/driver upon payment of the full towing rates applicable to that vehicle.
If the owner/driver of the vehicle attends the compound and claims the vehicle before it has arrived and been placed in storage, the vehicle shall be released to the owner/driver upon payment of the full towing rates, but no storage charges.

On Private Property, the Private Parking By-Law 6549/97 governs the act of towing as follows:

No vehicle shall be removed from private property if there are any occupants in the vehicle.
If the owner/driver of the vehicle attends the scene and claims the vehicle prior to the vehicle actually being towed off the private property, the vehicle shall immediately be released without fee or charge.
If the owner/driver of the vehicle attends while in or during the process of being towed (vehicle is off the private property but has not arrived at the compound) the vehicle shall be released immediately upon payment of the removal charges only. (currently $50.00 for a vehicle less than 4500 Kg's GVW, $70.00 if the GVW exceeds 4500 Kg's, and $120.00 if the GVW exceeds 6500 Kg's)
Storage charges (currently $8.00/day) shall only be applied once the vehicle removed from Private Property has arrived at the Towing Company's Compound.

Enquiries or Breeches of these rules can be reported to the Office of the Towing Contract Coordinator at 986-6275.