Following the approval of provincial legislation contested by some of Ontario’s big city mayors, municipalities are now being forced to remove speed cameras from their roads.
In a memo to the mayor and council from Alain Gonthier, general manager of the Public Works Department at the City of Ottawa, said the province has repealed part of the Highway Traffic act which had previously allowed municipalities to use automated speed enforcement systems.
The introduction of Bill 56 – Building a More Competitive Economy Act, 2025, which contains the repeal, brought criticism from municipalities across the province who said speed cameras were necessary for protecting children and pedestrians in school zones.
“We will turn off the ones that are not there. We’ll sit at the table and continue to negotiate, but please protect the students, keep the school zones and let’s keep the conversation going,” Ottawa Councillor Tim Tierney said during a meeting where councillors voted unanimously to request that municipalities be able to keep speed enforcement cameras.
But Premier Doug Ford held strong to his position that speed cameras are simply a “cash grab” that have not contributed to speed limit compliance.
Gonthier said the city can still use their cameras and any infractions incurred prior to Nov. 14 will still be fined, even if it arrives after the repeal date.
“The repeal does not affect red light cameras. Any infractions captured by these cameras will continue to be processed and mailed to vehicle owners as usual. Other than the removal of automated speed enforcement cameras, community safety zones – which are designated to protect vulnerable road users like children and cyclists – remain in place,” the city said. “To reinforce safety, fines for certain offences – like speeding or careless driving – issued by Ottawa Police Services within these designated zones will remain doubled.”
Did Ottawa’s speed cameras have an impact?
Despite premier Ford’s claim that speed cameras were a reactionary measure that did not prevent speeding, the city says it had success from it’s speed camera pilot.
Ottawa began implementation of cameras with eight pilot cameras at various sites. Prior to camera implementation at these cites, the city said only 16 per cent of drivers were compliant with the posted speed limit. Within three months, that number became 57 per cent. Three years later, compliance was sitting at 81 per cent.
Prior to implementation, the city also said 14 per cent of drivers were high-end speeders. This number decreased to four per cent after three months and 0.7 per cent after three years.
To date Ottawa has about 60 automated speed enforcement cameras and the city was prepared to implement 24 more this year.
According to City of Ottawa data, the camera located on Ogilvie Road between Appleford Street and Elmlea Gate has the lowest compliance with only 30 per cent of drivers obeying the speed limit.