Twenty mayors, a deputy mayor and a county warden from municipalities across Ontario are urging Premier Doug Ford and the transportation minister, in a signed letter, to compromise on automated speed enforcement (ASE) measures in school zones, instead of issuing a province-wide ban.
If a ban is put in place, the 22 municipal leaders from Brampton to Ajax to Parry Sound requested the province “fully reimburse all municipalities for the costs” of cancelling the ASE program.
They said in a letter shared on social media Friday that the reimbursement would cover costs for increasing local policing, staff severance and public safety programs that are currently funded by speed camera revenues.
“For most of us, the intention has always been to install cameras in school zones to protect our most vulnerable residents – our children,” says the leaders’ letter.
“A total ban on ASE would reverse years of progress on safety in school zones. It would place more pressure on police, increase enforcement costs, and most critically, endanger lives,” it says.
The letter lists compromises the municipalities are willing to make to keep ASE measures in school zones, including the following:
- Warning tickets for a first-time offence.
- Setting cameras at a reasonable threshold of speed before a ticket is issued.
- Cameras only operate during school and community use times.
- Blackout on additional fines for seven days after a driver receives the first ticket to allow them to change their behaviour.
Leaders said the fees collected from speeding fines would be directed to traffic calming measures, such as speed signs and roundabouts – something “many municipalities do already.”
Ontario Premier Doug Ford says his government will introduce legislation to ban speed cameras, instead establishing a provincial fund to help municipalities put in place other “proactive traffic-calming initiatives.”
Last week, Ford said his government will soon table legislation to ban the use of speed cameras — a traffic enforcement tool he has called an ineffective “tax grab.”
Ford has claimed that speed cameras don’t slow people down, and has said the province plans to establish a new fund to help municipalities put in place other “proactive traffic-calming initiatives that stop people from speeding in the first place.” That includes speed bumps, roundabouts, raised crosswalks and curb extensions.
It was Ford’s government that passed regulations in 2019 allowing municipalities to run speed enforcement programs.
A new study by SickKids hospital shows speed cameras make the streets safer for kids. The hospital’s head of orthopedic surgery, Andrew Howard, spoke to CBC’s Metro Morning about the study findings and how they can improve kids’ safety.
Contrary to Ford’s claims that speed cameras are ineffective, a July 2025 study from SickKids hospital and Toronto Metropolitan University found ASE cameras led to a 45 per cent reduction in speeding vehicles in 250 school zones.
“These are not just statistics – they represent fewer injuries, fewer fatalities and greater peace of mind for parents and communities,” said the 22 municipal leaders, adding there is support for ASE cameras from the Ontario Traffic Council and the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police.
The letter also mentioned a survey by CAA South Central Ontario that found “nearly three-quarters of Ontario drivers support ASE” in targeted areas, including near schools and community centres.
Some municipalities, like Brampton and Toronto, have voted to continue their ASE program in the face of Ford’s objection, but others, like Vaughan, decided to remove municipal cameras, opting instead to focus on “traffic-calming measures.”
Vaughan launched its ASE program in April 2025, but paused it in June after drivers racked up more than 30,000 tickets in three weeks.
Meanwhile, Toronto has struggled to maintain its speed cameras after 47 cameras have been vandalized in less than a year.
