Ontario Premier Doug Ford says his government will introduce legislation next month to ban speed cameras across the province, arguing they amount to a municipal “cash grab,” even as several regions and academic studies credit them with reducing speeding.
Speaking at a press conference in Hamilton alongside Mayor Andrea Horwath (who supports speed cameras), Ford said he has no issue with red-light cameras, but wants to pivot to community-approved “cameras on crime.” The concept would deploy cameras to identify stolen vehicles and suspects in home invasions, with licence-plate reads automatically flagged to local police.
“We’ll only put those cameras in if the city or town wants them, and the community gives a green light,” Ford said, adding that several GTA regions “are just getting hammered” by crime.
The Association of Municipalities of Ontario urged the province to leave decisions on speed cameras to municipalities, warning against “continued provincial overreach” and advocating improvements rather than a ban.
Ford said Canada’s York, Etobicoke, Peel, Halton, and Durham regions could be candidates for crime-focused cameras if communities opt in.
What’s next: The government plans to table the speed-camera ban in the next legislative session; details of any “cameras on crime” framework and local consent process have not yet been released.