BRAMPTON — A nearly $78 million investment by the City of Brampton in a new automated speed enforcement (ASE) camera processing centre could go to waste if Premier Doug Ford’s planned legislation to ban speed traps moves forward.
The 15.74-acre property at 175 Sandalwood Parkway West, purchased by the city in September 2023 for $77.9 million, was intended to house Brampton’s new ticket processing hub. The 100,000-square-foot building, formerly owned by Alectra Utilities, officially opened nearly a year later and was expected to bring ticketing operations in-house, moving them from Toronto to Brampton.
Mayor Patrick Brown hailed the facility as a local job creator and a key step in improving road safety by cracking down on speeding. But Ford’s upcoming ban on automated speed enforcement now threatens to shut the centre down just months after it began operations.
Council’s Unanimous Approval
City council unanimously approved the property purchase during a closed-door session on September 29, 2023, through a motion moved by Mayor Brown and seconded by Councillor Rowena Santos.
The $77.9 million purchase was financed equally from two sources:
- $38.95 million from Reserve Fund #2 – Cash-In-Lieu of Parkland
- $38.95 million from the city’s Legacy Fund, originally created in 2002 with a $100 million balance.
An additional $1.3 million was spent in 2024 on interior alterations, while $91,000 went toward technology for new hires, and $300,000 was spent on a dedicated truck for ASE signage installation and relocation.
Financial Stakes
The city had projected that moving ticket processing to Brampton would generate $30 million in annual revenue, with operating expenses of approximately $13 million per year. The 2025 budget also included a $7.8 million contribution to the Legacy Fund for repayment of the ASE loan issued in 2024.
Now, if the provincial ban is enacted, Mayor Brown is urging Queen’s Park to reimburse municipalities for their investments.
Impact and Program Results
According to city data, the ASE program has delivered measurable results since its rollout, showing an average speed reduction of 9.33 km/h at monitored locations. Five zones recorded reductions of 20 km/h or more, with the steepest drop of 25.39 km/h on North Park Drive west of Massy Street.
Despite these outcomes, the city has not publicly released a full accounting of how much has been spent on the ASE program overall, nor provided details on staffing levels at the new Sandalwood facility.
If Ford’s ban goes ahead, Brampton may be left with an expensive, underutilized property — and major questions about how to recoup nearly $80 million in public funds.