Should Ottawa tow all vehicles from streets during winter parking bans? City staff say no

A ticket is tucked under the windshield wiper of a vehicle buried in snow that is parked illegally during a winter parking ban in Ottawa on Friday, Feb. 14, 2025. (CTV News Ottawa)

City of Ottawa staff are burying the idea of towing vehicles from city streets during winter parking bans, saying there would be insufficient space in impound lots and a lack of staff and towing resources to tow all vehicles.

Bylaw Services officers issued 10,678 parking tickets for failing to observe winter weather parking bans between Feb. 12 and 18. That resulted in more than $1.1 million in fines. The City of Ottawa issues parking bans to allow crews to clear snow during heavy snowfall events, and only vehicles with an on-street parking permit permitted to park on city streets.

• $1 million in fines for violating Ottawa’s winter weather parking bans during back-to-back storms

Barrhaven Coun. David Hill asked staff what would it cost if “a more aggressive policy was taken to proactively tow vehicles” that are currently fined for violating parking bans during snowstorms.

In response to Hill’s inquiry for the emergency preparedness and protective services committee, staff said that, for “various reasons,” it would not be recommended to implement a policy to proactively tow all vehicles violating a winter weather parking ban.

Staff say there would be a lack of available tow trucks because collisions are treated as a priority for towing companies over an illegally parked vehicle. The City of Ottawa contracts towing services to private companies.

“Based on the number of parking tickets issued during the Winter Weather Parking Bans in February 2025, there would be insufficient space in the designated impound lot in the east end of the city to store all impounded vehicles,” staff said. “Further, significant time would be lost physically moving vehicles from their current location to the impound lot and then returning to the area where tows would be required.”

• Bylaw officers issue $560,000 in fines for violating Ottawa’s parking ban

The report notes a Bylaw officer would be required to remain at the scene until each vehicle is towed, “which further delays Bylaw and Regulatory Services’ response to subsequent illegal parked vehicles.”

Other issues flagged by the staff include:

• On-street parking permits: Staff say it would be necessary to “rescind” the policy allowing vehicles with on-street parking permits to park on streets during winter weather parking bans.
• Resourcing and scale: “Due to the vast scale of the operations and geographic size of the city, there would not be sufficient resources, both within RPS and BLRS, to provide adequate coverage of the city if a towing model were to be implemented,” staff said.
• Liability to the city: “Each time a vehicle is towed, particularly in adverse weather conditions, there is a risk of accidental damage. This increases the risk of liability and claims to the city,” the report said.
• Impact on residents and businesses: “A model whereby all vehicles were to be towed would significantly affect residents and local businesses who may not have access to private parking. It would also greatly affect the ability of businesses to conduct deliveries and of parents to drop off and pick up their children from school,” the report says.

If the City of Ottawa implemented a towing policy, staff say the winter weather parking bans would need to be “expanded to several days” to effectively tow all vehicles parked violating a parking ban.

The report concludes “it would not be recommended to implement a policy” to tow all vehicles violating the winter weather parking ban on City of Ottawa streets.

“Concerns regarding specific problematic streets will continue to be addressed on a case-by-case basis,” the response said.