Mobile salon for homeless returned after being towed
City parking authority waives $900 fine, Christmas charity haircut event saved
A Calgary woman is relieved that city parking officials have returned a converted school bus that she planned to use as a mobile salon for the homeless, after it was towed from her property earlier this month.
Misty Wind Shingoose was fined about $900 and had her ‘Care Cuts’ bus towed to a Calgary Parking Authority impound lot after she was forced to temporarily park it on the street while the exterior of her southeast home was being renovated.
Shingoose had been away on holiday, but had family regularly checking on the bus when it was towed by the city on Nov. 13.
It would be a few days before Shingoose and her family realized what had happened, since they were expecting the bus to be removed in order for some mechanical work to be completed on it.
Shingoose said she felt disheartened when she realized it had been towed, likely as a result of a neighbour’s complaint.
“I cried for about four hours,” Shingoose said.
“The past few days have been an emotional roller-coaster.”
Shingoose decided to post online about her predicament: she had been collecting donations for a Christmas Care Cuts event that was in danger of being cancelled if she didn’t get the bus back in time for the repairs and upgrades to be completed on it.
Then, on Saturday, an official with the parking authority informed her that the bus would be returned and all the fines dropped.
“They’ve delivered it back to our house. It’s actually here. They called me and waived all the fees,” Shingoose said Saturday. “It’s really amazing.” A spokesperson for the Calgary Parking Authority said it’s not their policy to comment on specific situations, but confirmed that “given the circumstances, we have waived all fees as a donation and returned the vehicle.”
Jennifer Whitaker, a spokeswoman for CPA, said the process for impounding a vehicle typically begins with a complaint from the public about an abandoned vehicle.
A CPA officer will then place a “72-hour sticker” on the vehicle that informs the driver that the vehicle will be removed within 72 hours if it’s not moved. If the 72 hours expires and the vehicle hasn’t been moved, a ticket will be issued and the vehicle towed.
Shingoose said she’s fairly certain her family did not receive the 72-hour notice, but said she’s just happy to have her bus back.
The certified stylist has been giving out free haircuts for almost three years and recently decided to expand her mobile operation by upgrading from a van to a school bus.
Previously, Shingoose would take her Care Cuts van to the streets or to the Calgary Drop-In Centre to offer free haircuts and grooming to people who couldn’t afford to pay.
Now that she has the bus back, Shingoose said she looks forward to relaunching the service with a big Christmas event in December.
“It’s the greatest feeling of personal connection to somebody who otherwise might feel ignored or not cared for as much as human beings should be cared for,” Shingoose said.
“You get the greatest amount of appreciation. It’s super heartfelt. It’s really beautiful.”