'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.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'They needed people inside Air Canada:' Police announce arrests in Pearson gold heist
Police say one former and one current employee of Air Canada are among the nine suspects that are facing charges in connection with the gold heist at Pearson International Airport last year.
Why drivers in Eastern Canada could see big gas price spikes, and other Canadians won't
Drivers in Eastern Canada face a big increase in gas prices because of various factors, especially the higher cost of the summer blend, industry analysts say.
Customers disappointed after email listing $60K Tim Hortons prize sent in error
Several Tim Horton’s customers are feeling great disappointment after being told by the company that an email stating they won a boat worth nearly $60,000 was sent in error.
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter banned from NBA
Toronto Raptors player Jontay Porter has been handed a lifetime ban from The National Basketball Association (NBA) following an investigation which found he disclosed confidential information to sports bettors, the league says.
House admonishes ArriveCan contractor in rare parliamentary show of power
MPs enacted an extraordinary, rarely used parliamentary power on Wednesday, summonsing an ArriveCan contractor to appear before the House of Commons where he was admonished publicly and forced to provide answers to the questions MPs said he'd previously evaded.
Woman who pressured boyfriend to kill his ex in 2000s granted absences from prison
A woman who pressured her boyfriend into killing his teenage ex more than a decade ago will be allowed to leave prison for weeks at a time.
Attempt to have murder charge quashed against alleged serial killer dismissed by judge
A motion filed by the man accused of killing four Indigenous women in Winnipeg to have one of those murder charges quashed has been dismissed by the judge – weeks before the start of his trial.
Government proposes new policy for federally regulated employees to disconnect from work
In their 2024 budget, the federal government wants to amend the Canada Labour Code, so employers in federally regulated sectors will eliminate work-related communication with employees outside of scheduled hours. If implemented, this would affect roughly 500,000 employees across the country.
Earthquake jolts southern Japan
An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 6.4 hit southern Japan late on Wednesday, said the Japan Meteorological Agency, without issuing a tsunami warning.