Let's Talk About Speed Cameras!

One thing that has gotten a lot of attention this month in Toronto is speed cameras. On September 7, 2025, the speed camera on Parkside Drive – where Helen and I used to live near until 2022 – was cut down for the seventh time in less than 12 months! That camera was first put in place in 2022 in response to the crash in October 2021 which saw Valdemar and Fatima Avila get killed; something which prompted the group Safe Parkside to organize and demand a redesign of that street. On September 9, 2025, another 16 speed cameras were reported to be damaged across the city. You would think there would be calls for action to hold those perpetrators accountable?

A downed speed camera on Parkside Drive in May 2025 (via Faraz Gholizadeh)

Unfortunately, Ontario’s Premier Doug Ford has instead called for the banning of speed cameras across the province! This is despite his own government approving them back in 2019. In all fairness, he wasn’t the only flip flopper on this issue given Steven Del Duca helped draft the speeding camera legislation when he was the transportation minister under Liberal Premier Kathleen Wynne, yet as Mayor of Vaughan, he was the first mayor in the province to ban them.

During my years of advocating for safe streets, never have I seen a politician so ridden with car-brain as Doug Ford with his stance on speed cameras being the latest example! Some other ways the Ford government prioritized drivers include his war on bike lanes through Bill 212, banning congestion charges, removing tolls on provincially owned highways, scrapping license plate renewal fees, permanently reduced the gas tax, (unsuccessfully) fought the federal carbon tax in court, and plans to spend billions on unnecessary highways such as Highway 413 and the Bradford Bypass. And don’t get me started on that Highway 401 tunnel idea which the Ford government is urging Prime Minster Mark Carney to deem a “nation building project” and would likely cost over $100 billion!

As many road safety advocates already know, the chances of pedestrians and cyclists dying in crashes goes up considerably the higher the speed of impact. A crash at 30 km/h leads to a 90% chance of survival while that rate is practically zero at 60 km/h. Speed cameras are also effective in reducing speeding with a recent report by SickKids noting the number of speeding vehicles dropped by almost half. Given this, it’s no wonder why even the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police supports speed cameras.

Unlike with Bill 212 where bike lanes hardly register within suburban communities, the opposition to the speed camera ban is considerably more widespread and has a higher chance of stopping Ford. Per a recent column by Edward Keenan, even suburbs like Brampton – which make up Ford’s base – saw as high as 86% of people supporting them! Mayor Olivia Chow has promptly come out against the speed camera ban as have most people on City Council, while Progress Toronto already launched a petition calling on Doug Ford to keep the speed cameras. Please sign and share widely!

If you live in Ontario, please e-mail your MPP and Premier Ford urging them to back off with the speed camera ban and get your contacts to do the same. Especially if you’re outside of Toronto.