Just one day before speed cameras across Ontario are officially shut off, the Ford government has unveiled a $210-million fund for municipalities to install new traffic-calming infrastructure — everything from speed bumps and raised crosswalks to roundabouts and flashing signs.
Premier Doug Ford promised the funding weeks ago when he vowed to force municipalities to remove automated speed enforcement cameras, arguing that physical infrastructure slows drivers more effectively than tickets. Beginning Friday, all speed cameras must be turned off under the newly passed legislation.
The province says the new Road Safety Initiatives Fund will be available to the 42 municipalities that previously operated speed cameras. An initial $42 million will be distributed immediately, allocated based on existing camera programs — meaning Toronto is expected to receive the largest share. The remaining $168 million will be awarded next year once cities submit detailed plans outlining where and how the money would be used.
Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria said the fund aims to give municipalities the tools they need while easing financial pressure on drivers. “Ontario has some of the safest roads in North America,” he said, “and our new fund will ensure proven traffic-calming measures can be implemented without making life more expensive for drivers.”
The legislation banning speed cameras moved unusually quickly — going from introduction to Royal Assent in just two weeks, skipping committee hearings entirely. The government said speed camera proliferation was a public concern, though a poll from the premier’s office showed only four per cent of respondents viewed speed cameras as a significant issue.
Ford’s push to eliminate the devices began in September, when he began calling them a “tax grab” and questioning their effectiveness — despite a summer study from SickKids and Toronto Metropolitan University showing that speed cameras reduced speeding in Toronto by 45 per cent.
Reaction among municipal leaders has been divided. Some mayors, including Vaughan’s Steven Del Duca — who ironically introduced the legislation enabling speed cameras in 2017 when he was Ontario’s transportation minister — have embraced the ban. Others warn the province is stripping away one of the most effective tools for slowing drivers in school zones and replacing it with infrastructure that may take months to install.
With the ban taking effect Friday, cities now face a tight timeline to design, fund, and implement the traffic-calming measures needed to fill the safety gap left behind.