Central council seeks answers to who pays abandoned vehicles’ costs
CENTRAL MANITOULIN—A vehicle left the highway and spun into a ditch during a recent snowstorm in Central Manitoulin and the driver made their way to a neighbouring house. What followed ended up prompting the question—who is responsible for public safety when a vehicle is abandoned on a highway? Council passed a motion at its March 14 meeting instructing the CAO/Clerk to write a letter to the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) seeking clarification on that agency’s roles and responsibilities regarding municipal roadways, especially regarding abandoned vehicles.
“It was a terrible night out, you couldn’t see the road in front of you,” recalled Central Manitoulin Mayor Richard Stephens of the night the incident occurred. “The vehicle went into the ditch up by Jim Gilpin’s house. The driver went to one of the neighbours. It became quite a kerfuffle to find someone to move the vehicle.”
“The OPP were called, but even they weren’t going to take responsibility for it,” said Mayor Stephens. “It was too dangerous to have people out at all. So, whose responsibility was it?”
The incident occurred on provincial Highway 542 and, since the vehicle was half in the ditch and half out on the roadway, “it was an iffy situation,” said the mayor. “A tough call for everybody.”
In light of the confusion over who was responsible for dealing with the issue, council decided to seek clarification.
During discussion on the motion at the council table, Councillor Al Tribinevicius noted that he had discussed the matter during a recent committee meeting with Manitoulin OPP detachment commander Inspector Megan Cavanagh. “She said that she didn’t think the towing was an issue, they can just call any towing company available to take it away,” he recalled.
On a related note, Councillor Tribinevicius said plans were in the works to install cameras at the highway near Bridal Veil Falls and that tickets would be issued for vehicles parked illegally at that site. “Maybe something similar could be considered for Jake’s Corner,” he said, referencing the ongoing issue of parking too close to the intersection located in front of a Mindemoya furniture retailer.
“(I recall) from an earlier meeting on the issue of parking on the side of the highway that the OPP couldn’t issue a ticket if the driver wasn’t there,” said Councillor Derek Stephens.
“That is going to be changed,” noted Councillor Tribinevicius. “They won’t have to wait for the driver. If you have kids that are driving your car, you will pay the fine. It will be the vehicle, not the driver.”
In another weather-related motion, council directed the CAO/Clerk write a letter to the Ministry of Transportation requesting clarification on the ministry’s responsibilities regarding curb to curb snow removal, focusing on why the parking lanes in Mindemoya have not been cleared of snow. The recommendation from the Road, Water and Waste Committee noted that the committee “feels this is a safety issue for the public and further that we express our concerns over flooding potential because the parking lanes and storm drains have not been cleared of snow.”
“We are starting to see some of that flooding right now because the storm drains have not been cleared,” said Councillor Derek Stephens. “I saw a young member of our Manitoulin Community Living family chipping away at the ice from the storm drains so the water could flow.”
“Our town crews do a great job in our community roads clear,” said Councillor Dale Scott. “There is no reason the MTO cannot do the same.”
Contacted on Monday, Manitoulin OPP Community Services Officer Marie Ford supplied that when it comes to snow removal, the Ministry of Transportation or the municipality would be the most likely agency to handle the towing of abandoned vehicles. “We don’t usually get involved in that,” she said. But when it comes to simply abandoned vehicles that are not causing an imminent safety issue, the OPP will make efforts to contact the owner. “We add the vehicle to the CPIC system,” she said. “People usually want to avoid the associated storage fees that would apply if we had to have the vehicle towed—then there is always the question of who pays for those fees.”
It is always a good idea to ensure that ownership has been transferred when selling or disposing of a vehicle.
