Ontario Bans Speed Cameras; Toronto Faces $50M Budget Shortfall

URGENT UPDATE: Ontario has officially banned speed cameras, leaving Toronto in a fiscal crisis. Mayor Olivia Chow is urgently requesting increased funding from the provincial government to mitigate the financial fallout, which could lead to significant job cuts at city hall.

This dramatic shift comes after a lightning-fast bill from Premier Doug Ford, which was enacted on September 15, 2023. The ban on the automated speed enforcement program has sparked immediate concerns for road safety and city budgets across Ontario.

Premier Ford has been vocal against speed cameras for months, labeling them a “cash grab” and asserting they do not effectively reduce speeding. In stark contrast, a recent study from SickKids Hospital showed a 45 percent reduction in speeding incidents in Toronto due to these cameras.

“We have to lay off — and fire, I guess — the 100 workers that do the work on speed camera tickets,” Mayor Chow stated. “Severance pay, for example, it’s a tremendous amount of money.”

With the cessation of speed camera operations, Toronto is projected to face a shortfall of at least $40 million to $50 million in its road safety budget. Mayor Chow emphasized that the $210 million allocated by the Ford government for speed bumps, roundabouts, and flashing signs is insufficient to cover the revenue loss from the speed cameras.

“Will we see any of that money? I don’t know,” Chow lamented. “We hope to see a portion of it. Is it enough? Nowhere near enough.”

The ban on speed cameras completes a swift legislative push by the Ford government against automated speed enforcement systems, which intensified in early September. Ford’s campaign against these devices has been met with mixed reactions from local leaders. While some mayors, like Steven Del Duca of Vaughan, have welcomed the ban, others are raising alarms about the potential rise in traffic incidents.

The new legislation effectively reverses a law from 2017, originally introduced by Del Duca when he served as Ontario’s Liberal transportation minister. The previous regulations allowed municipalities to impose fines for speeding, a measure that was reauthorized by Ford’s government in December 2019.

As this situation develops, all eyes will be on the provincial government’s response to Toronto’s fiscal needs and whether they will provide adequate support to ensure road safety remains a priority.

Stay tuned for further updates on this urgent issue affecting public safety and city finances.