Summary#
Montréal city council unanimously adopted a position asking the agglomeration council to adopt an amendment to the 2026 agglomeration tariff bylaw, Règlement sur les tarifs de l’agglomération de Montréal (exercice financier 2026) (RCG 26-003). The stated goal is to align the vehicle-weight categories used for towing fees with the current towing contract until that contract ends. The agglomeration council makes the final decision at a later meeting; this amendment is not yet adopted under this decision.
- The amendment would change the first two weight categories used to set towing fees: from vehicles of 4,500 kg or less and over 4,500 kg up to 8,000 kg, to vehicles of 3,000 kg or less and over 3,000 kg up to 8,000 kg.
- The change applies to the listed towing-fee provisions, including the extra per-kilometre charge for towing beyond 10 km. The $4.00-per-extra-kilometre rate is not changed in the supplied text.
- City staff say the categories would later be aligned with those used by the transport ministry when the next contract is expected to start on July 1, 2027.
What it means for you#
- People whose vehicles are towed: If the agglomeration council adopts the amendment, a vehicle’s weight category—and therefore which listed fee applies—would change for vehicles weighing over 3,000 kg and up to 4,500 kg. The actual fee amounts are not provided.
- Towing companies: The fees they charge under the tariff would use the revised weight categories.
- Residents and businesses generally: The decision does not itself change who may be towed or create a new towing service.
Money#
City staff say changing the weight-category limits has no impact on Montréal’s financial framework; no estimate of its effect on individual towing bills is provided.
- The fees are paid by citizens to towing companies, according to city staff.
- The supplied material does not list the fee amounts or show how bills would change for vehicles shifted into a different category.
What is unclear#
- The precise date the current contract ends is not stated; the next contract is expected to start July 1, 2027.
- The material does not show the full fee schedule, so the dollar effect for a vehicle moving into another category cannot be calculated.
- The text does not explain how the tariff would apply if the contract and tariff categories differ before the planned 2027 alignment.
Case for#
- City staff say using the same weight categories as the current contract would make fees easier to understand and reduce disputes over which scale applies.
- The change would be temporary, according to staff, while the next contract is prepared to use the transport ministry’s categories.
Case against#
- A possible trade-off is that vehicles weighing over 3,000 kg and up to 4,500 kg would fall into a different fee category, but the supplied material does not show whether their fees would rise or fall.
- The decision depends on a later agglomeration council vote, and the materials do not provide the full fee schedule needed to judge the practical cost change.