A Calgary story posted to social media sharing sites Reddit and Facebook is spurring questions on how auto wreckers are regulated.
Four months after his truck was stolen, owner David Lawrence said he spotted it at a local Pick-N-Pull Wednesday, about to be stripped down.
Lawrence is baffled as to how a stolen vehicle ended up marked for scrap metal.
The truck was marked with “ASAP Red Deer,” which is a towing company based out of Blackfalds. When Global News contacted the owner, he said his company was not involved in the tow and that another company in Calgary has used the same name in the past.
Pick-N-Pull declined to comment.
In order to sell a vehicle in Alberta, you must produce a bill of sale, which includes the vehicle identification number (VIN). That number can be run through a police database.
WATCH: Second Calgarian comes forward claiming towed truck found at scrapyard – Jenna Freeman reports
According to Calgary police, there are no clear rules or regulations for companies like Pick-N-Pull to run the VIN. However, the City of Calgary said it has a bylaw system in place where a business is required to record VINs and then pass that information on to police.
It’s unclear what happened in this specific case. City staff were investigating as of Thursday afternoon.
In an email, the Alberta Motor Vehicle Industry Council wrote there is nothing in Alberta’s Fair Trading Act or regulations that requires a business to check a VIN. However, an investigation can be launched if it’s believed that a company misrepresented a vehicle’s history or previous use.
Lawrence is hoping his situation will highlight what appears to be a gap in regulations.
With files from Erika Tucker