A mix-up by the Calgary Parking Authority has left a vehicle owner wondering why his car was mistakenly towed and ticketed — then ticketed again.

James Dewart came home in May to discover his car had been ticketed and towed for having an expired plate.

The only trouble was, his plate wasn't expired.

But when he arrived at the city impound lot to get his ride back, Dewart says he was told he must first pay a $200 towing fee.

Ticketed again

"We weren't paying a damn cent to get the car out," he said.

His mom, Margaret, says she also doesn't understand how the Calgary Parking Authority could take the car, then expect him to pay.

"They all have access to computers," she said. "They coulda typed in the licence plate and found out that those plates were valid."

She helped her son get the vehicle back penalty-free.

Then more than a month later, Dewart got another ticket for the same issue.

"I can't believe a corporation like parking enforcement would make mistakes like this, where they tow a legal car then when they give it back to you they still give you a ticket. That just didn't sit well with me."

On Friday afternoon, he received a call saying the second ticket has been cancelled, but he'd still like an apology.

Parking authority officials called the mistake a "very rare" situation.