Premier Ford announced on Thursday, September 25, 2025 that the Province will be introducing legislation next month to ban municipal automated speed cameras.
The Municipality of Brighton installed its first Community Safety Zone on County Road 2 in the east end of Brighton.
The camera was installed on July 14 with numerous signs to drivers educating them they are entering a Community Safety Zone with a speed camera.
“I think it’s really unfortunate move,” said Brighton Mayor Brian Ostrander a day after the provinces press release was issued.
After much discussion the camera was installed where there are two schools, the towns largest public park and a seniors home.
“It’s saving children and seniors from possible harm.”
“We know that these speed cameras work and they work well.”
Initially in Brighton 300 vehicles were captured by the camera per day.
That’s down to 73 now said Ostrander.
“That’s reducing speeding by more than 75% in Brighton.”
Premier Ford stated in the release the cameras are nothing more than a “cash grab.”
Ostrander said Ford’s statement is “insulting at best.”
“What this is, is a fine for speeding. The Highway Traffic Act lists these. It’s no more of a cash grab then if the OPP were to pull you over for doing the same thing.
In the first six weeks of the Community Safety Zone/Speed Camera, approximately $300,000 was generated for the municipality.
“What we did plan to do with those monies was put them into traffic calming measures, pedestrian safety infrastructure.”
As an added bonus, the money generated was going to freeze taxes.
“I can’t do that now. So what the Premier has done is provided everyone in Brighton with a property tax increase.”
Having the Community Safety Zone/Speed cameras also frees up police officers.
“OPP have told us, by putting the speed camera here they are able to resource elsewhere in the community.”
Ostrander said he’s going to keep advocating for them with the Association of Municipalities of Ontario, the Association of Chiefs of Police and the Ontario Traffic Council.
“All of those organizations think that speed cameras work, because they know they do.”
Other municipalities were looking at speed cameras, but with the Province looking to ban them, “what’s the point if we don’t know what’s going to happen next.”
The cost to the Municipality was approximately $100,000, “and we made that up quickly.”
“And another interesting fact, another $100,000 went to the Province. So the Premiers just cut off his nose spite his face. Imagine the number of cameras alone that were raising millions of dollars for the Province – I don’t get it.”
Since 2019, over 700 municipal speed cameras have been installed in 40 municipalities across Ontario, with more currently planned for installation in the coming months.
If passed, the province will also introduce requirements for municipalities with existing speed cameras in school zones to install large new signs to slow down drivers by mid-November 2025, with permanent, large signs with flashing lights to be in place by September 2026. Municipalities will also be encouraged to implement alternative traffic-calming measures such as speed bumps, speed cushions, raised crosswalks, curb extensions and roundabouts, as well as enhanced signage and education and awareness campaigns.
Prior to 2025, a single municipal speed camera in the City of Toronto issued more than 65,000 tickets and took in nearly $7 million in revenue.
In the Region of Waterloo, close to 55,000 tickets were issued during the first six months of their municipal automated speed enforcement camera program.
Author: Pete Fisher
Has been a photojournalist for over 30-years and have been honoured to win numerous awards for photography and writing over the years. Best selling author for the book Highway of Heroes - True Patriot Love
