Heavy-duty towing experts say it will be difficult or impossible to remove the hundreds of heavy trucks entrenched in Ottawa’s downtown — unless the drivers allow it.
Highlights
- CBC counted 40 trucks on Kent Street and 109 on Wellington Street Friday, with dozens more on other streets spread around the downtown core.
- The City of Ottawa has declared a state of emergency amid the protests.
- Sources say companies contracted by the city are refusing to tow trucks involved with the demonstration.
- Heavy-duty towing is a much more complicated process than towing a regular car or pickup, expert says.
- Many companies who provide heavy towing would be hesitant to risk their relationships with trucking companies, David Allen, president of Gary’s Towing in Thunder Bay, Ont., says.
- The backlash against tow trucks brought in to clear the blockade at the border in Coutts, Alta., has dissuaded many towing companies from taking work in Ottawa.