The Ontario Ministry of Transportation (MTO) has suspended its new tow permitting system for non-emergent vehicle recoveries, following pushback from towing and trucking industry stakeholders.
“MTO permits shall not be required for Vehicle Recovery Operations on MTO highways until further notice,” the ministry stated in a March 7 email update.
The decision comes after a storm-related incident near Cornwall on Feb. 15 highlighted flaws in the system, with some trucks left in ditches for up to 12 days due to delays in securing permits. Under the now-suspended process, planned towing recoveries—not deemed emergency removals by police—required operators to apply for an MTO permit before proceeding. The MTO acknowledged that those permits take more than 72 hours to complete.
The Professional Towing Association of Ontario (PTAO) warned that this process could lead to safety risks, longer response times, and out-of-town companies displacing established local operators.
In the Cornwall incident, four tractor-trailers were involved and left in a non-emergent state, subject to the new permitting rules.
“Unfortunately, none of the local companies were successful in their bids, but one out-of-area towing company secured all four recoveries. From what I understand, the nearest location for this towing company is between 250 and 300 km from the site of the incidents,” PTAO’s Gary Vandenheuvel told TruckNews.com last week.
“Furthermore, three of these trucks were not recovered until Feb. 21 — six days after the storm. One trucking firm even had to hire a private security firm to guard its cargo. As of Feb. 28, the fourth truck was still stuck in the ditch, 12 days after the incident, and its cargo had been breached.”
The industry had called on the government to reconsider the system or, at least, prevent its expansion to other Ontario regions.
While it remains unclear whether MTO will reinstate a modified version of the permitting process in the future, for now, tow operators can resume non-emergent recoveries without requiring government-issued permits.
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