By Chad Ingram

Published Nov. 20 2018

With snowfall in the county beginning in earnest last week residents may want to remember that if their parked vehicles interfere with snow removal opera tions those vehicles can be towed.

Councillors on Haliburton County’s roads advi sory committee reviewed the associated bylaw during a Nov. 14 committee meeting as it was updated with names of current roads department staff who are rec ognized as enforcement officers able to issue notices.

“So essentially what we do is we’ll put a notice on the windshield and/or knock on the door to say move your car or worst case we’ll have to tow it and then contact the police as well” county public works direc tor Craig Douglas told committee members.

“I’m just wondering about the timing of that” said Algonquin Highlands Deputy Mayor Liz Danielsen. “If you put a notice on the car . . . if that’s a one-time thing or . . . what process do you follow before you tow it away?”

“Since I’ve been here we’ve never towed a car” Douglas said. “If it’s really a danger then we would

have to do that. Honestly we’ll put a notice and another notice and try to do everything we can before we tow it. I haven’t had to make that difficult decision.”

He said notices are typically issued within villages “where you’re trying to plow against a curb and you have cars parked there overnight.”

Douglas said residents are usually quite accommo dating once they’ve been asked to move their vehicles.

“It isn’t exclusive just to winter” Minden Hills Mayor Brent Devolin said of parking issues referenc ing the problems Minden Hills has been having with people accessing the Queen Elizabeth II Wildlands Provincial Park leaving vehicles parked along town ship roadways in such a way that they obstruct traf fic. Concerned residents recently made presentations to Minden Hills council. The park is currently non-oper ational which means it has no facilities such as park ing lots which leaves visitors leaving their vehicles wher ever they please.

“If it doesn’t go operational in Minden Hills we will become a lot more aggressive” Devolin said. “We have some zones that are problematic and we will take a more aggressive hands-on approach.”

Dysart et al Deputy Mayor Andrea Roberts won dered if the county issued fines with the notices.

“The car is removed and impounded and essentially they’re paying to get it back” Douglas said.