Ottawa councillor looks to keep photo radar cameras in school zones

An Ottawa city councillor is pushing to keep photo radar cameras in school zones, as Premier Doug Ford looks to ban them. CTV’s Kimberley Fowler reports.

An Ottawa city councillor wants to keep photo radar cameras in school zones, as Premier Doug Ford vows to ban automated speed enforcement cameras across the province.

Coun. Tim Tierney introduced a notice of motion at Ottawa City Council on Wednesday, calling on the Ontario government to allow municipalities to permit automated speed enforcement cameras in school zones. The motion will be debated at the next Council meeting on Oct. 22.

“The narrative is the school zones must remain, that is the critical part,” Tierney said.

• 1 million tickets issued by Ottawa’s photo radar cameras since 2020: Here are the hot spots for tickets

The motion recommends Council “affirm the proven safety benefits” of the photo radar program and “urge the Province of Ontario to permit the retention” of photo radar cameras in school zones.  Tierney recommends that if the Ontario government proceeds with removing photo radar cameras, Council request municipalities be granted the opportunity to phase out the cameras over a 12-month period.

There are currently 60 photo radar cameras installed across Ottawa, with work underway to install 24 new cameras this fall. Of the 60 photo radar cameras currently in operation, 50 cameras are adjacent to schools.

The City of Ottawa says on Oct. 3 staff were instructed to halt the installation of any poles or cameras at new sites until further notice. However, some work that had already been started is still underway.

Poles and camera have already been installed at 13 sites, and work is expected to be complete by Nov. 14.

Mayor disagrees with Premier Ford

Mayor Mark Sutcliffe told reporters Wednesday afternoon he doesn’t agree with the Ontario government’s decision to scrap photo radar cameras.

“I don’t agree with Premier Ford on this, I say that respectfully. We aren’t going to agree on everything, but on this we disagree,” Sutcliffe said.

“I see the evidence and the evidence shows that speed cameras are effective . They reduce speeds in school zones and in other places where they’ve been deployed.”

Tierney’s motion says data from the automated speed enforcement camera program shows a “significant increase in driver compliance with posted speed limits,” noting compliance increased from 16 per cent before the cameras were installed to 87 per cent four years later.

“We know the effectiveness in school zones. We already have traffic calming measures, speed bumps if we want to put in. We got the sticks, the lights – we got all that stuff,” Tierney told Newstalk 580 CFRA’s Ottawa Now with Kristy Cameron Tuesday afternoon.

“But we all agree that school zones are the key to victory here and that’s what will be tabled as notice of motion.”

On Tuesday, the premier reiterated his government will introduce legislation this fall to ban automated speed enforcement cameras, calling them a “municipal cash grab.”

A group of 20 Ontario mayors sent a letter to the premier last week, asking the Ontario government not to implement a total ban on the cameras. Mayor Mark Sutcliffe did not sign the letter, but said he wants to keep cameras in school zones.

“The answer is no,” Ford wrote in response to the letter from the mayors. “Our government is banning this municipal cash grab once and for all.”

The Ontario legislation would require municipalities to remove the cameras and install large new warning signs by mid-November, with permanent flashing-light signage by the fall of 2026.

Sutcliffe says photo radar cameras are “not a cash grab” for Ottawa.

“We reinvest the money in road safety measures, making the streets even safer for our residents,” Sutcliffe said.

“We have a ‘Made in Ottawa’ solution for this that’s working and I’d like to continue doing this. I hope the premier lets us do that.”

Tierney says, “unlike some other Ontario municipalities,” the city allocates revenue from photo radar tickets to the Road Safety Action Plan to fund “critical road safety measures” such as intersection upgrades, enhanced signage and other infrastructure improvements.  

Tierney says photo radar cameras could be turned off in high-speed and rural areas of Ottawa.

“If we turn those off, so be it. I’m just concerned about the school zones where we know they are very effective,” Tierney said.

“I think it’s been debunked several times, no one has gotten a ticket for going two or four (kilometres) over – they might think they do, and then they look at the ticket and go, ‘Oh right, that’s not the case.’ If you’re doing 61 or over in a 50 zone, you’re getting a ticket.”

Tierney says the City of Ottawa has been “extraordinarily responsible,” noting traffic calming measures have been installed across the city.

Statistics available on the City of Ottawa’s website show 1,054,055 speeding tickets have been issued through the automated speed enforcement program since the program was launched in July 2020. A total of 190,439 speeding tickets were issued between January and July 2025.

The photo radar cameras generated $60 million in revenue for the City of Ottawa between 2020 and 2024, with another $20 million in revenue generated between January and August this year.

The city says revenues generated from the automated speed enforcement program cover the cost of photo radar cameras and support initiatives in the Road Safety Action Plan, including engineering and enforcement to promote road safety for all road users.