Ford denies mayors’ request to tweak instead of scrap speed camera program

Toronto·NewMore than 20 municipal leaders in Ontario signed a letter to Ford last week saying his plan implement a total ban on automated speed cameras would reverse years of progress on safety in school zones and place more pressure on police.22 leaders signed letter to Ford last week saying speed cam ban would hurt road safety, put pressure on policeAllison Jones · The Canadian Press · Posted: Oct 07, 2025 12:05 PM EDT | Last Updated: 25 minutes agoOntario’s premier responded to a letter from 22 municipal leaders Tuesday by saying he’s not backing down on his plan to ban speed cameras, like this one in Toronto, across the province with legislation to be introduced this fall. (Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press)Ontario Premier Doug Ford is denying a request from more than 20 mayors across the province to tweak instead of scrap the speed camera program.The mayors say a total ban on automated speed cameras would reverse years of progress on safety in school zones and place more pressure on police.But Ford says they are nothing more than a cash grab and the fact that they continue to issue tickets shows they are “failing miserably” at slowing drivers down.WATCH | Ford announces plans for speed camera ban: Ford government says it will ban speed cameras across OntarioOntario Premier Doug Ford said Thursday morning that his government will soon table legislation to ban the use of speed cameras — a traffic enforcement tool Ford has called an ineffective “tax grab.”Data from several municipalities that have analyzed the effect of the cameras on traffic speeds, as well as a study from the Hospital for Sick Children and Toronto Metropolitan University, show speeds are reduced.Ford says instead the province will install what he calls proven and proactive safety measures including roundabouts and speed bumps.A letter Tuesday from Ford to the mayors says that from 2020 to 2024, the number of fines issued by speed cameras in Ontario grew by nearly nine times, with a total of more than $52 million.