Premier Doug Ford says Ontario will ban municipal automated speed cameras next month — a decision that could bring Niagara Region’s photo radar program to an abrupt end.
In a press conference held Thursday in Vaughan, Ford called the devices “nothing more than a cash grab” and said municipalities should instead use speed bumps, flashing signs and other traffic-calming tools.
Niagara Region says it acknowledges Ford’s announcement, but its cameras — including the unit on Niagara Stone Road in Niagara-on-the-Lake — will keep running until the law takes effect and regional council decides what to do next.
For a smoother transition, Ford said a new fund will be launched for municipalities to install new road safety measures.
The camera on Niagara Stone Road in front of Crossroads Public School has been the target of multiple acts of vandalism, with unknown individuals chopping down the camera six separate times this summer during its tenure on Niagara Stone Road.
The region said having speed cameras on-site “has shown positive results,” slowing down drivers and improving their behaviour.
That sentiment is echoed by the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police, which released a statement on Sept. 18, stating that automated speed enforcement tools have been proven to “reduce speeding, change driver behaviour and make our roads safer for everyone.”
“Ontario’s police leaders view (automated speed enforcement) not as a revenue tool, but as a traffic safety tool,” its statement read. “Its purpose is deterrence and prevention.”
Scott Fraser, Niagara’s associate director of transportation planning, said speed cameras remain part of the Vision Zero initiative — “which is aimed at reducing and eventually eliminating traffic fatalities and injuries on the regional road network.”
The Lake Report is still awaiting answers on the status of the NOTL enforcement site — including the new CCTV camera and repairing the damaged pole — as well as program costs to date and any unrecoverable expenses.
Also unknown is what this means for the region’s contract with the vendor, including any penalties or termination terms, and whether Niagara will pursue the province’s proposed traffic-calming fund — details also not provided by deadline.
