EDITOR’S NOTE: This article originally appeared on The Trillium, a Village Media website devoted exclusively to covering provincial politics at Queen’s Park.
Premier Doug Ford’s government confirmed that it plans to get rid of speed cameras, one way or another.
The Toronto Star reported on Wednesday, based on government sources, that the Progressive Conservatives will introduce legislation banning speed cameras when the house returns — a date as of now set for Oct. 20.
The government would not go that far on Wednesday, only suggesting that it was “prepared” to do so.
“We are exploring alternative tools to enhance traffic safety without the use of automatic speed cameras that are nothing but a cash grab,” Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria’s spokesperson, Dakota Brasier, said in a statement. “We want to see cities take steps to remove them, otherwise we are prepared to help get rid of them when the House returns in the Fall.”
Ford’s spokesperson said she had “nothing more to add” beyond Brasier’s statement and the premier’s public comments.
Reached by phone, Brasier would not confirm or deny the Star’s reporting.
Ford has argued speed cameras are a "cash grab" for municipalities, saying the method of fining speeding drivers is “unfair.”
Vaughan Mayor Steven Del Duca, who wrote the speed camera legislation that was taken over the finish line by the Ford government in 2019, scrapped his city’s program after the premier’s comments.
Ford is set to make an announcement on Thursday in Vaughan.
Data show speed reductions
Many mayors, as well as the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police, have been resistant to the idea of getting rid of speed cameras.
The police association said it “strongly supports” the use of speed cameras, also known as automated speed enforcement (ASE).
“ASE is proven to reduce speeding, change driver behaviour, and make our roads safer for everyone — drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, and especially children and other vulnerable road users,” the chiefs said in a statement, noting that cameras are used in areas like school zones “where slowing down saves lives and prevents serious injuries.”
The chiefs of police said they view speed cameras “not as a revenue tool, but as a traffic safety tool.”
Several mayors have spoken out in favour of speed cameras, saying they have slowed down speeders and provided money for more traffic calming measures like speed bumps and stop signs.
Brampton has seen an average speed reduction of more than 9 km/h in speed camera locations, with five areas seeing slowdowns greater than 20 km/h, according to a Sept. 4 staff report.
Drivers only get a ticket for going 11 km/h or more over the speed limit, Mayor Patrick Brown said.
“There is no one getting a ticket for being 1 km/h over,” he said in a statement Wednesday, calling speed cameras “an effective tool to combat reckless drivers.”
“I don’t believe we should be taking police off more serious criminal investigations to be running speed traps,” he added. “It’s much more expensive.”
In Mississauga, the average ticketed speed is 16 km/h over the limit, according to city statistics. The city said it has issued 165,044 tickets in 171 school areas since 2021, including 448 for drivers going 50 km/h over the limit.
Mayor Carolyn Parrish said she plans to write a letter to Ford asking him to exempt school zones from the ban on speed cameras.
Speeds have slowed an average of 14 km/h in Mississauga’s camera zones, which were “selected based on complaints, volume of speeding tickets, dangerous conditions, proximity to schools etc.,” Parrish said.
“Money received from fines is invested in traffic calming and safety measures such as flashing signs close to school sites, bollards, educational pamphlets, road calming measures etc.,” she said in a statement. “None of the money goes into general revenue.”
Money to be put into traffic-calming measures: Burlington
In some areas, speed cameras are the only option, said Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward, whose city is planning to install speed cameras near six schools this fall.
“We've tried everything in these areas,” Meed Ward said, including flashing lights, crossing guards and police, who can’t be there all the time. Speed bumps would compromise first responders, she said.
As for speed cameras: “They work,” she said. “You get a ticket once, you don't speed through there again.”
All the revenue generated will go back into traffic-calming measures like stop signs, speed bumps and pedestrian islands — meaning the city’s traffic safety program will essentially be funded by speeders instead of taxpayers, Meed Ward said.
If Ford doesn’t want drivers getting ticketed for going a certain amount over the speed limit, he can legislate that — as well as where the money can be spent, the mayor noted.
London's deputy mayor recently said speed cameras aren't a “tax grab” if you “go the damn speed limit.”
Ottawa, Niagara Falls, Windsor, Welland, Midland, Renfrew, Petawawa and Laurentian Valley are all reportedly in the process of adding speed cameras.
The organization representing Ontario municipalities said speed cameras are “making roads safer.”
“ASE cameras in Toronto have reduced speeding by 45 per cent across 250 urban school zones,” Association of Municipalities of Ontario president Robin Jones said in a statement, adding that the cameras free up police officers.
“Municipalities understand the need to use these tools thoughtfully and can be counted on to do so. Most Ontarians support ASE with nearly three-quarters of Ontario drivers supporting its use in targeted areas like school zones or community centres,” she said.
Meed Ward said she was “pleading” with the premier not to kill the program.
“I know the premier to be a compassionate person. He doesn't want the injury of a child in front of a school to be on his conscience,” she said.