Owned by Don Affleck and his partner Meg Affleck, Peninsula Towing has been keeping roads open for almost 50 years.
The company was founded in 1975 by local Gary Anderson, the current owner of West Coast Spill Supplies. It changed hands a few times, until Affleck purchased it in 1990.
Peninsula Towing is BCAA’s local tow contractor, and Saanich Police and Sidney/North Saanich RCMP rely on the company to tow vehicles and clear car crashes.
“Most people don’t realize all the things we do and how we keep the roads open,” said Affleck.
In the 34 years since Affleck has run the company, he and his team have towed everything imaginable, including dump trucks, construction equipment, shipping containers, houses and airplanes.
“It’s funny,” laughs Affleck. “I keep thinking that I’ve seen it all ... and then somebody phones.”
That’s exactly what happened in 2020 after Affleck purchased a tow truck that had been used during the filming of Highway Thru Hell, a popular Discovery Channel documentary series that follows vehicle recovery companies. Producers asked Affleck if they could film him buying the truck. He agreed, and that started a long relationship.
Crews have filmed Peninsula Towing tow everything from an 840-ton boat at Point Hope shipyards in Vic West to a Ford F-350 pickup that rolled down a 50-foot bank.
Despite undertaking some huge projects over the years, Meg says that Don is so humble about his work that he underplays a lot of what he does.
“I’m all about Tonka Toys – really big ones," said Affleck.
