Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow Blasts Ford Cabinet Over Speeding Tickets Amid Plan to Ban Speed Cameras
Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow has weighed in on recent revelations that vehicles assigned to Premier Doug Ford’s cabinet ministers were caught by speed cameras more than 20 times in the past three years, saying, “No wonder they don’t like speed cameras.” Chow’s comments come as she and more than 20 Ontario mayors lobby the provincial government to abandon its plan to cancel automated speed enforcement programs.
Documents obtained by Global News show vehicles assigned to Ford’s cabinet ministers racked up 23 speed camera tickets, totalling more than $3,300 in fines. In a separate incident, one minister-assigned vehicle was recorded travelling more than 150 km/h by the car’s internal monitoring system, triggering stunt driving notifications to the Ministry of Transportation. Chow highlighted these violations in remarks to reporters on Wednesday morning, pointing out that in the past three years, some vehicles were caught speeding by as much as 50 km/h over the limit, reaching speeds of up to 162 km/h.
The Premier’s Office stated that all 23 fines were repaid by the staff or ministers driving at the time, but declined to name the individuals involved. Officials suggested that the stunt-driving incidents were tied to a single staffer, who remains employed by the government and has promised the behaviour will not be repeated. The stunt-driving speeds were detected by vehicle monitoring systems rather than speed cameras.
Chow said the speeding history of cabinet vehicles underscores why some officials may oppose speed cameras. “If they’re speeding and they got caught, maybe that’s why they don’t like these cameras—because they’re breaking the law,” she remarked. Her comments come as Premier Ford plans to introduce legislation to ban speed cameras, calling them a “tax grab” by municipalities and claiming they are less effective than speed bumps, flashing lights, or roundabouts.
Studies and local data suggest otherwise. A study from Toronto’s SickKids Hospital found that speed cameras reduced vehicle speeds by 45 per cent. Municipalities, school boards, and police chiefs across Ontario have written to the premier urging him to reconsider the ban. Chow pointed to Parkside Drive as a clear example of why speed cameras are essential. The area has repeatedly seen its speed camera vandalized but remains Toronto’s highest-grossing site, generating around $7 million in fines and issuing tens of thousands of tickets. It is also the scene of several deadly crashes, including one three years ago when a suspended driver travelling at over 100 km/h rear-ended another vehicle, killing two people. “These speed cameras were put there to help slow down the cars,” Chow said.
As debate intensifies, mayors and advocates are warning that removing speed cameras could undermine road safety efforts across the province, particularly in high-risk areas where speeding has caused serious and fatal collisions.