Ottawa woman says city-hired plow damaged her vehicle on Christmas Eve, causing $6K damage

An Ottawa woman says her vehicle was damaged by a snow plow, operated by a third-party contractor, hired by the City of Ottawa on Christmas Eve. (Tyler Fleming/ CTV News Ottawa)

An Ottawa woman says her vehicle was damaged by a snowplow, operated by a third-party contractor, hired by the City of Ottawa on Christmas Eve.

Kyla Rioux says the plow sideswiped her legally parked car while clearing snow from her street after her husband had moved the car to the road briefly to finish shovelling their driveway.

“When he went back to move my car into the driveway, he noticed that the vehicle was significantly damaged,” says Rioux. “There are yellow marks all across my vehicle.”

Rioux says she confronted the plow operator after returning for another pass, who inspected the damage and took photos, a supervisor also arrived to the scene later on. Rioux later filed a claim with the city, but she says the city denied responsibility, pointing to the third-party contractor.

“The city should take responsibility for the companies that they hire,” says Rioux. “They haven’t paid for the damages, and the company hasn’t returned my emails or calls.”

Rioux says the damage to the left side of her SUV is estimated to cost $6,000 and her insurance company requires additional information about the plow to process her claim, leaving her to face a deductible.

“I just want my car fixed,” she said. “They have insurance to cover the damage, so I don’t feel like that should be on me.”

According to the city of Ottawa’s website, the city frequently contracts independent companies to provide services, like snow removal, and garbage collection, and agreements require contractors to address any public claims for damage, loss, or injury caused during their work.

Only hours after CTV News Ottawa made inquires to the city and its third-party contractor, on Rioux’s behalf, she received a phone call and a resolution.

“The third party plow operator company called and said they are going to cover the damages on my vehicle,” says Rioux. “I don’t think that this would have happened without the help of CTV News Ottawa so thank you so much.”

The City of Ottawa said in a statement to CTV News Ottawa that its agreements with independent contractors require contractors to respond directly to claims for damage caused to the public during the execution of their work.

“On December 24, we understand that a vehicle was damaged on Livery Street by winter equipment operated by one of the City’s contractors. We understand that the contractor spoke with the resident to address the incident directly,” a statement said.

“Should a claim be received by the City and it is determined that a contractor had control over the subject location at the time of the loss/damage, the Claims Unit will notify the claimant in writing that a contractor is responsible for their claim, and will provide the name and contact information of the contractor involved so they may pursue their claim directly with the responsible contractor. In these instances, residents are encouraged to submit an online service request or call 311. Claims can also be submitted online.”

How claims are handled by the City of Ottawa

According to the City of Ottawa’s website, claims related to damage caused by City vehicles, like plows, are reviewed on the basis of legal liability or legislative requirements. Payments are only made if the City is found legally liable.

The review and resolution of claims can take up to or longer than six months. The City advises residents to file a claim if they believe negligence by the City has caused property damage or injury.

For claims involving city-hired private contractors

If a claim involves a contractor, the City’s Claims Unit informs the claimant in writing, providing the contractor’s contact details so they can pursue the matter directly. However, if a contractor denies the claim, the City is unable to intervene on the claimant’s behalf.