Toronto Tow Truck shootings and their union dues

March 5th CTV reported that "The number of tow truck-related shootings that Toronto police have responded to in 2025 now stands at 13 after another two incidents over the past 24 hours."

Vandelheuvel said gun violence is not representative of the “mainstream towing industry” and is “not something that makes any sense.”

On average a tow can cost a customer roughly from $500 to $1,000, he said, which he said he “doesn’t believe for a second” justifies people shooting at others.

“Somewhere there’s something else in this that we’re not seeing on the ground level,” Vandelheuvel said, pointing to “something that is bringing in funds that doesn’t make sense at the base level.”

The Toronto Star is reporting that "Those illegal taxes, also called union fees, are suspected by police to be at the root of at least one murder and a rash of arsons in the GTA since midsummer." All the links to the original story about the union fees have disappeared. 

‘If you don’t pay, you will have your truck burned or shot’: Toronto tow truck drivers are being illegally ‘taxed’ https://t.co/M7WAFH03P0

— Hamilton Spectator (@TheSpec) December 8, 2024