Doug Ford says the government is going after the GTA’s violence-plagued towing industry and assembling a task force.
The province-led task force will help develop a regulatory model that will “increase safety and enforcement, clarify protections for consumers, improve industry standards and consider tougher penalties for violators,” according to the government’s news release.
In recent years, the industry has seen at least four murders, numerous torching of tow trucks shootings and fraud across Greater Toronto. Last wee a police officer was charged with stealing police radios and accepting kickbacks as he worked with dishonest operators.
“To all the bad actors out there, my message is clear: the party’s over,” Ford said Monday at his daily briefing. “We’re coming for you, we’ll catch you, and we will lock you up.”
York police said earlier this month that four distinct criminal organizations had been fighting over turf in a complex fraud ecosystem that involves kickbacks and insurance fraud at auto centres, physiotherapy clinics, car rentals, body shops and more.
Leave a comment