'Last night was intense': Tow companies clear dozens of abandoned cars from Malahat
'Last night was intense': Tow companies clear dozens of abandoned cars from Malahat
Tow operators were in clean-up mode on Wednesday, after a night of desperation on the Malahat highway prompted people to abandon their vehicles Tuesday.
"Last night was intense," said Dave LeQuesne, owner of Westshore Towing Ltd.
Plows needed the work to happen as well so they could clear what was left of a messy dump of snow.
Peninsula Towing removed large trucks that got stuck in the snow while Westshore Towing took care of the smaller vehicles.
"27 cars that I had to move," said the owner of Westshore Towing.
Some of those drivers that became stranded may have ended up at the Malahat Chalet.
"It was taking people three hours from Langford to here," said Lori Strandlund, owner of the Malahat Chalet and the Moon Water Lodge.
On Wednesday, the owners of the chalet and lodge were digging out from a busy night.
"Anytime that we have an emergency on the Malahat, we do our best to stay open," said Strandlund.
The Malahat Chalet is pictured. (CTV News)
The business became a lifeline for those unable to make their way over the Malahat, even though the power had gone out at the business around 6 p.m. Tuesday night.
"Luckily our pizza oven was still working because it stays hot for a long time, and we had coffee, so we were still able to offer warm drinks," said Strandlund.
Don’t forget the luxury of having a washroom.
The parking lot filled up with abandoned vehicles on Tuesday, including many commuters who chose to park and walk home if they lived nearby.
The owners of the chalet and lodge also lowered the cost of a hotel stay for those who were out of options.
"Last night we were doing 35 per cent off the rooms, just as a way to help," said Strandlund. "We’re a community."
Of the 27 cars Westshore Towing moved off the Malahat, some still had summer tires equipped. Others had winter tires but they were too worn down to grip the road.
"Those aren’t good in the rain, so how could they be good in the snow?" said LeQuesne.
As a reminder, it is law if you are travelling over the Malahat highway to have either winter tires or all-season mud and snow tires, with a minimum tread depth of 3.5-millimetres, between Oct. 1 and April 30.
A gay man is taking the federal government to court, challenging the constitutionality of a policy restricting sexually active gay and bisexual men from donating to sperm banks in Canada, CTV News has learned.
A Quebec woman said she was very surprised to find her stolen Audi had been used in what’s being described as an “absolutely insane” Ontario mall robbery.
A team of preteen Ukrainian refugees that have been scattered across Europe by war arrived Wednesday in Quebec City, where they'll get the chance to compete in a renowned hockey tournament.
Nearly a year since Russia's invasion of Ukraine, community organizers say there is still work to be done to help the thousands of Ukrainian refugees looking to start a new life in Canada while coping with the hardships they've faced coming here.
After a tiny radioactive capsule went missing in the Australian outback, an expert in Canada says the likelihood of the same happening in this country is unlikely, given our strong regulations governing the handling of radioactive materials.
As Black History Month gets underway, Canada Post has unveiled a new stamp honouring Chloe Cooley, a young Black woman who was known to challenge her enslavement in the late 18th century.
B.C.'s Ministry of Health is continuing its multi-year trend of paying millions more dollars each year to private surgical centres for the delivery of public health care, CTV News has learned.
Changes to the amount of time the public gets to voice their opinion during Surrey City Council meetings has caused controversy among former councillors.
Alberta's former chief medical officer of health has landed a new role in British Columbia. Dr. Deena Hinshaw was named a deputy provincial health officer for B.C. on Wednesday.
A Quebec woman said she was very surprised to find her stolen Audi had been used in what’s being described as an “absolutely insane” Ontario mall robbery.
Hundreds of tenants at a midtown Toronto apartment building have been without heat for a week now, and many are worried with the arrival of bitter-cold temperatures.
Calgary police are looking for suspects involved in an altercation that lasted for approximately an hour, spanned several communities and ended with a gun being fired.
Tsuut'ina Nation Police Service officials are encouraging any local victims to come forward following the arrest of actor Nathan Lee Chasing Horse in Las Vegas on sex assault charges.
Canada's new special representative on combating Islamophobia has apologized for words that hurt Quebecers after leaders in that province called for her resignation.
Montreal police say two men are in hospital Wednesday night with stab wounds after an altercation in a home in the city's Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve borough.
A new 911 dispatch system in New Brunswick means that now fire departments aren’t getting dispatched to all medical calls leaving residents waiting and first responders in the dark.
More than four months after Hurricane Fiona hit Atlantic Canada, people are still dealing with damaged homes as they wait for help from insurance companies and provincial aid programs.
The organization regulating medical care and services in Manitoba is apologizing for racism directed towards Indigenous people when accessing health care in the province.
A hearing is underway to determine if Udo Haan is not criminally responsible for the death of his wife Edra Haan, who was found in the aftermath of the 2018 house explosion in Kitchener, Ont.
Chief Mark Crowell made a presentation at a council meeting Wednesday justifying the proposed $214 million budget for the Waterloo Regional Police Service (WRPS).
Connor Bedard has arrived in Calgary ahead of what's expected to be a completely full Scotiabank Saddledome when the Calgary Hitmen and Regina Pats square off.
The Saskatchewan Environmental Society (SES) is drawing their line in the sand on the controversial Saskatchewan First Act, calling it “bad news” for the environment, economy, and the province’s energy future.
As the City of Barrie prepares for extreme cold to move through the area later this week, local shelters are working on expanding space for those in need.
Tsuut'ina Nation Police Service officials are encouraging any local victims to come forward following the arrest of actor Nathan Lee Chasing Horse in Las Vegas on sex assault charges.
The Malahat Chalet is pictured. (CTV News)
