Flora’s vehicle was towed by the City of Maple Ridge’s bylaw department for being parked on a public street for more than 72 hours. At the same time, a Notice and Order was issued by Commercial Vehicle Safety Enforcement (CVSE) that required Flora’s vehicle to pass an inspection before she could drive it.

Flora was not advised in advance that her car would be towed, nor did she receive a copy of the Notice and Order until several weeks after it was issued. Flora’s vehicle was impounded and would not be released back to her until the order was resolved. Due to the delay in receiving the notice, Flora did not know the reason for the order or the tow, nor did she have any information about how to resolve the problem as there were no details on what was wrong with her vehicle.

Flora called CVSE to find out what it required but could not get answers to her concerns. Feeling frustrated, Flora called us for help.

In response to our investigation, CVSE was transparent about problems it had identified with its own process, including the lack of information provided to Flora in the Notice and Order, and its response to her requests for help. We also found that CVSE’s publicly available information regarding the process for appealing or disputing a Notice and Order was not clear.

To resolve Flora’s complaint, CVSE discussed the situation with the officer responsible and emphasized the importance of informing registered owners immediately of a Notice and Order, including an explanation of why it was issued and what options were available to dispute or resolve it. In addition, CVSE informed us of its plan to update the system it uses for Notices and Orders to require clear information on each form moving forward. CVSE also agreed to update its dispute process and the information on its website to ensure the steps and corresponding timelines were clear.