Council votes down settlement offer for towing company that billed city $1.1M

Winnipeg city council has voted against a settlement with a local tow truck company that billed the city $1.1 million for tows the city says never happened.

A review by public works last year found an 'unreasonable discrepancy' between the number of parking tickets issued and the tows done by Tartan Towing. The company had been providing courtesy tows based on three contracts between 2016 and 2021.

A further probe of the contract work, going back to 2016, found a significant number of tows were invalid, and the city overpaid by $1.1 million.

On Thursday, council voted against a legal settlement with Tartan Towing which would have seen the city recoup less than half the total billed.

A report to the city had recommended council approve a payment from Tartan of $446,250, requiring the company to pay the amount in $15,000 per month increments.

All councillors voted against this settlement Thursday, with the exception of Coun. Ross Eadie.

"I think it is incumbent upon all of us as stewards of the public purse to be responsible, to get all of the dollars back that are due (to) the City of Winnipeg," Coun. Markus Chambers (St. Norbert-Seine River) told council.

When reached by phone Thursday, Tartan Towing told CTV News it had no comment.

CTV News will update this story.

-with files from CTV's Jeff Keele