Mississauga is joining a growing list of Ontario municipalities pushing back against Premier Doug Ford’s plan to eliminate automated speed enforcement (ASE) cameras, warning the move would undermine road safety—especially around schools. Ward 2 Councillor Alvin Tedjo called the pledge “a dangerous decision” that shifts police away from serious crime and onto traffic stops. He urged residents on X to sign a petition to keep the cameras, saying the program should be improved, not scrapped.
Ford announced legislation coming in October to ban ASE provincewide, arguing municipalities use cameras as a “cash grab” that hits drivers with tickets weeks after the fact. The province says a new fund would instead support measures like speed bumps, roundabouts, raised crosswalks, curb extensions, better signage, and public education. If passed, the ban would take effect immediately.
Mississauga’s leaders say that would be a costly mistake. Mayor Carolyn Parrish said council will send a “strong letter” asking Ford to at least allow cameras to remain in school zones, where the city’s 22 units have produced long-term speed reductions since 2021. Replacing them with physical traffic calming at roughly 150 school sites would be cumbersome and expensive—even if the province pays—she argued.
Ward 6 Councillor Joe Horneck said ASE has been effective in Mississauga and elsewhere, countering Ford’s “cash grab” claim. City data show the average ASE ticket is issued to drivers going 16 km/h over the 30 or 40 km/h limit, not to those barely over; 484 drivers were clocked at 50+ km/h above the posted limit. “I would hate to see this program go away,” Horneck said.
Ward 7 Councillor Dipika Damerla acknowledged room to improve the program’s rollout. Because cameras rotate locations, some residents feel they “suddenly appear,” creating a “gotcha” perception. She called for clearer deployment notices and visibility to keep the focus on safety. Ward 5 Councillor Natalie Hart added that speed bumps are slow and costly to implement and don’t hold drivers accountable, while ASE fines are reinvested into local road-safety programs.
Mississauga renewed its contract for the existing 22 cameras in June 2024 and approved adding about five dozen more through 2028. Under ASE, plates are photographed and tickets mailed; signs are posted at least 90 days before installation and remain during operation, and the city keeps an online map of locations. Residents can follow the rotating deployments as cameras concentrate on community safety zones near schools where children are at risk from speeding drivers.