Restaurant visitor sues after his car was towed from private parking spot

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Parking in Vancouver can be a nightmare, and one man learned this the hard way when his car was towed from behind the restaurant he was eating at.

According to a BC Civil Resolution Tribunal decision, Chanan Williams parked his vehicle behind a restaurant in a private parking spot that wasn’t leased by the restaurant. Instead, the parking lot was leased and managed by Troika Management Corp, which had Williams’ vehicle towed.

The decision details that at around 4 pm on October 17, 2022, Williams came out to find his vehicle missing. He claimed that the towing was wrongful as there were “no visible signs advising not to park there.”

His solution? He filed a lawsuit against Troika for $1,200, including the $283.50 towing bill.

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Williams argued his case based on a lack of signage to indicate that the parking lot was privately owned and that “a large untrimmed tree blocked the signs.” He provided the court with undated photos from far away as evidence for his claim, but unfortunately for him, the court found that the photos were not enough to prove his point.

In addition to the photos, Williams also tried to argue his point based on a matter of wording. According to the decision, he claimed that the sign should have said “reserved parking” and not “private parking.”

You’re not alone if you think his argument was like splitting hairs. The court did “not find the distinction important.”

Unfortunately for Williams, his lawsuit did not succeed. The tribunal determined that based on his lack of evidence and the lack of a contract between him and Troika, they lawfully towed his car under the law of trespass.

Let’s take this as a lesson to check Vancouver’s parking signs carefully.