BRAMPTON — Brampton city council and staff are still grappling with how to repay nearly $34 million in outstanding debt tied to the city’s now-defunct automated speed enforcement (ASE) program, after Ontario’s ban on photo radar abruptly ended the ticket revenue officials had relied on to service the loan.
The financial uncertainty follows the provincial government’s decision last fall to prohibit municipalities from using automated speed enforcement technology — a move that cut off Brampton’s primary funding source for the expansive camera program.
According to a staff report presented to council on Nov. 26, ticket revenue generated in 2025 was sufficient to fully cover the program’s operating costs and repay $14.2 million owed to the city’s strategic reserve funds. However, as of the start of 2026, a remaining balance of $33.9 million is still outstanding, with no finalized plan in place for repayment.
“The ASE program is projected to maintain sufficient revenues to offset costs for the 2025 fiscal year, including a projected loan repayment of $14.2 million,” the report stated. “The ASE loan to Strategic Reserves is projected to maintain a year-end balance of $33.9 million.”
City staff noted they are developing a multi-year transition plan that includes continued collection of unpaid tickets issued before the ban took effect on Nov. 14, as well as exploring alternative approaches to road safety and options to address the remaining loan balance.
Questions submitted by the Brampton Guardian regarding the original loan amount and the specific reserve funds used were not answered by the city prior to publication.
Rapid expansion, sudden shutdown
Brampton first introduced photo radar in designated community safety zones in 2020. The program was significantly expanded in fall 2024, when the city purchased 185 new pole-mounted cameras and opened a centralized ticket processing centre in a building acquired for approximately $78 million.
Just over a year later, the Ontario government — led by Doug Ford — banned the technology altogether, leaving municipalities scrambling to deal with the financial fallout.
With ticket revenue no longer flowing, Brampton council and staff are now considering other ways to offset the debt, including repurposing existing camera infrastructure to generate alternative revenue streams.
Suggestions floated at council include converting some speed cameras into red-light cameras and adapting others to enforce municipal noise bylaws by targeting vehicles with excessively loud or modified exhaust systems.
Budget pressure heading into 2026
A comprehensive report outlining these alternatives has yet to be brought forward. In the meantime, city officials say the issue will be addressed as part of ongoing budget and long-term financial planning.
“As part of the city’s annual budget process and long-term fiscal planning, staff will continue to assess options to repay the outstanding reserve loan balance in a responsible and sustainable manner,” the city said in an emailed statement.
Brampton Mayor Patrick Brown released the city’s proposed 2026 budget on Jan. 9, and council is currently conducting public consultations. Under Ontario’s strong-mayor legislation, Brown and his office play a central role in crafting and presenting the budget.
When asked whether the proposed budget includes specific measures to address the ASE debt, the mayor’s office did not point to any line item, instead reiterating the city’s earlier statement that largely echoed the November staff report.
As budget deliberations continue, council faces growing pressure to identify a clear and transparent plan to deal with the lingering cost of a program that no longer exists — but left behind a sizeable financial obligation.