The Town of Innisfail has teamed up with First Choice Towing on a pilot project that encourages people to rid their properties of derelict vehicles.
Community peace officer Ryan Anderson said junk vehicles often clutter lawns because the homeowner simply can’t afford to get rid of them.
Under section 16, subsection 3(d) of the town’s Nuisance Bylaw, a person can be liable for a fine for having an accumulation of cars, or car parts, on their property that “is visible to a person viewing from the outside of the property.
“It’s not that a person has five vehicles and they’re all registered and insured – that’s not considered accumulation,” Anderson explained. “Accumulation would be if they have five vehicles on their property (and) none of them are registered, none of them have been registered for several years, and they’re missing parts.”
While the Kidney Foundation of Canada has a car program that offers free towing in exchange for the donation of the used car, the program is available only in the larger centres in Alberta, Anderson said.
“This gives people an opportunity to have somebody that can take it away for them, and they don’t have to pay the tow fee, and the disposal,” he said of the town’s initiative.
The program has been in the works since the fall and has mainly been through word of mouth so far, Anderson explained. Anderson began examining the possibility of establishing a program after he was tasked with dealing with the issue of unsightly yards within town limits.
“This is part of a sub-initiative of that – (to) cut down on the amount of derelict and unusable vehicles that are being stored in people’s yards,” he said. “This is all kind of part of the spring cleaning program. It all falls in line with that, just trying to get the town cleaned up for summer.”
First Choice’s Duane Grover said anyone with a derelict vehicle they would like removed can call him at (403) 227-2477. They will have to sign a bill of sale, with the vehicle being sold as a salvage vehicle. The reason, Grover said, is to remove any liability from the original owner in the future if a vehicle part came back into circulation.
“It covers everybody’s behind,” he explained.
Residents can also call Anderson at (403) 227-3376, which will allow him to update his files if he has received any complaints regarding the property.
As of Friday, First Choice had removed 25 vehicles through the program. While many are destined for the scrap heap, Grover said some have been given to the Innisfail Fire Department for extrication training.
“It works out pretty beneficial for everybody,” he said.
Grover said he jumped at the opportunity when Anderson first approached him with the idea.
“It helps me. It helps other people. It helps the town.”
