Ottawa spending $1.7 million to install new photo radar cameras as Ontario threatens to remove them

The City of Ottawa has installed "Municipal Speed Camera - Coming Soon" signs at 24 locations across Ottawa. New photo radar cameras will be installed at the locations by the end of fall. (Natalie van Rooy/CTV News Ottawa)

The City of Ottawa is spending $1.73 million to install 24 new photo radar cameras this fall, as the future of the automated speed enforcement camera program in Ontario is now in doubt.

Premier Doug Ford is calling on all municipalities to remove the photo radar cameras from streets, calling them “nothing but a tax grab.”

“Hopefully, the cities will get rid of them… or I’m going to help them get rid of them very shortly,” Ford said on Tuesday.

There are currently 60 photo radar cameras installed in school zones, community safety zones, and “high-speed” areas across Ottawa. Work is underway to install 24 new automated speed enforcement cameras across the city, with the goal of having all cameras operational by late fall.

City staff tell CTV News Ottawa that the design and construction cost for each automated speed enforcement camera is approximately $72,000.

“With 24 cameras scheduled for installation this fall, the total cost for the city is expected to be approximately $1.73 million,” Kunjan Ghimire, program manager of automated enforcement programs, said in a statement.

“Once operational, the average vendor’s cost to operate and maintain (on behalf of the city) each camera/site per year is about $48,500.”

While the Ontario government wants to scrap the cameras, Mayor Mark Sutcliffe says a photo radar camera costs “a lot less” than a police officer.

“We’re happy to work with the province on some of the details around the automated speed enforcement program; maybe the threshold of which a fine is issued, maybe the locations where the cameras are placed – we’re open to amending the program,” Sutcliffe said. “But the evidence shows that it’s effective, it works, it helps reduce speed and it makes the streets safer for our residents.”

A spokesperson for Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria said the Ontario government wants to take steps to remove the cameras, “otherwise we are prepared to help get rid of them when the House returns this fall.”

A total of 190,439 speeding tickets were issued through the automated speed enforcement camera program in the January to July period. Between January and August, $20 million in revenue was generated from speeding tickets through the photo radar camera program, according to the city.

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.

Signs stating “Municipal Speed Camera Coming Soon” have been installed in 24 locations in Ottawa to warn motorists that photo radar cameras will soon be operational.

Council approved a plan to install 15 to 20 cameras a year during the 2022-2026 term.

Here is the list of locations for the new automated speed enforcement cameras in 2025

• Abbott Street East between Iber Road and Robert Grant Avenue
• Bank Street from Exhibition Way to Wilton Crescent
• Bearbrook Road between the continuation of Bearbrook Road and Westpark Drive North
• Carriere Street from Orleans Boulevard to Michaelsem Street
• Conroy Road from Lorry Greenberg Drive to Hunt Club Road
• Donald Street from Barnaby Private to Telford Avenue
• Dunrobin Road from Porcupine Trail to Thomas A. Dolan Parkway (Village of Dunrobin)
• Fisher Avenue between Trent Street and McCooey Lane
• Fisher Avenue between Meadowlands Drive and Urbisci Private
• Klondike Road between Sandhill Road and Marconi Avenue
• Lanark Avenue from Beechgrove Avenue to Briarway Private
• Longfields Drive from Mountshannon Drive to Silver Sage Avenue
• Manotick Main Street from Bankfield Road to Highcroft Drive (Village of Manotick)
• McArthur Avenue from Irwin Miller Street to Brant Street
• Meadowlands Drive East between Chesterton Drive and Tiverton Drive
• Old Richmond Road from Sanibel Private to Seyton Drive
• Osgoode Main Street from Elizabeth Street to Vance Street
• Perth Street between Cockburn Street and King Street North (Village of Richmond)
• River Run Avenue between Dovetail Heights and Grand Canal Street
• Rockdale Road between Horizon Drive and Buckland Road
• St. Georges Street between Marconi Drive and Galloway Drive
• Stonehaven Drive between Bridlewood Drive and Tamara Way
• Valin Street from Winsome Terrace to Provence Avenue
• Woodridge Crescent at Bayshore Drive near Bayshore Public School