Timmins man returns home to launch Snow Tow business

Timmins man comes home to launch snow tow business An engineer from Timmins returns to the city with an innovative business set to take the snowmobile industry by storm.

TIMMINS — For the past two years, Domenic Lacaria has been building his towing snow machine to help others.

"I’ve been stuck many times, I know what it’s like to be in the cold, try to call someone but you’re far in the bush, there’s no one to come get you so now there’s someone you can call who can come right down the trail to where you are and help get you back to safety," said Lacaria, owner and operator of Star Towing.

His new business is launched and he’s ready to respond to snowmobile enthusiasts who find themselves stuck or out of fuel, among other situations, when they're out adventuring.

"It’s got a rotating crane that extends out to fifteen feet with outriggers to support itself. So I can winch up a machine and lift it straight up in the air and pull it out of a stuck situation or with all the winch lines I have, I can reach way off the trail and grab someone and pull them close as well."

Lacaria has yet to help anyone this season, but he’s already received calls from people in the United States.

For now, he’s sticking close to home with plans to eventually expand his coverage area to the surrounding region to include Kapuskasing, New Liskeard, Iroquois Falls and Cochrane.

The Timmins Snowmobile Club said it does not keep statistics on stuck snowmobilers.

"They don’t want people to know that they got stuck so I don’t thing they advertise it that often. It’s the people that veer off the trails that get into trouble 99.99 per cent of the time. So if you stay on the trail you should be fine," said Gilbert Fortin, club communication co-ordinator for the Timmins Snowmobile Club.

However, Fortin said he likes the concept and wishes the new entrepreneur well.

Lacaria’s machine is licensed to travel Ontario’s snowmobile trails system.  He’s also fabricated a sleigh to haul a broken-down machine off the trails and has a heated cab to keep a stranded driver warm.