Tow story is not one to be proud of

Image courtesy of Town of Cobourg.

By Cecilia Nasmith, Northumberland 89.7 FM News

Maria Papaioannoy's experiences with the Town of Cobourg's bylaw service is not a story the town is proud of.

Papaioannoy appeared before council at its March meeting to relate her experiences on the morning of Feb. 8 “after our millionth snowstorm.” On her street, where there is no on-street parking permitted, someone was parked in such a way as to block her driveway.

Her first call to the town's bylaw department was at 8:42 a.m., connecting her (to her surprise) with an answering service. She asked for a bylaw officer and waited.

She saw bylaw trucks cruise past her home periodically, and called again at 9:40 a.m.

Papaioannoy was gratified to get a text from Councillor Aaron Burchat who said he would get some answers for her and, by 10:15 an officer showed up.

This visit proved far from satisfactory, as the officer asked her to show some empathy for the driver who had blocked her in, adding that she was not allowed to institute a tow for 12 hours.

The car did get towed after about another hour, but the effort she had to expend to get the matter resolved did not seem right.

“I'm not looking for someone to get fired. All I am looking for is that we learn from our mistakes, we lean into them and then we get better,” she said.

Chief Administrative Officer Tracey Vaughan said they are currently rolling out a customer-service framework, and she encourages everyone in the community to share their stories with the town – good, bad or indifferent, so they can know what they are doing right and what they could be doing better.

And in Papaioannoy's case, Legislative Clerk Brent Larmer said, the bylaw officer was incorrect. While there is a 12-hour policy for tows, Larmer noted, “blocking a driveway is an immediate tow.”