Parents, councillors rally to ‘Save Our Safety Cameras’ after Ford’s plan to ban them

Ottawa parents and some city councillors stood in the rain Monday to call on Doug Ford to keep photo radar in school zones. CTV’s Josh Marano reports.

Parents, students, and local officials gathered outside Woodroffe Public School and Queen Elizabeth Public School Monday morning as part of a provincewide “Save our Safety Cameras” day of action, calling on the Ontario government to reverse its plan to eliminate automated speed enforcement in school zones.

Premier Doug Ford says the cameras are “a cash grab” and has announced his intention to ban them.

The move that has sparked backlash from communities across the province who say the devices are saving lives.

Outside Woodroffe Public School, parents and children held signs reading “Slow Down for Kids” and “Safety over Speed.”

Christina Bouchard has a son who attends the west-end school and says the cameras not only make the cameras safer for children, but for drivers as well.

“A blanket ban is very, very ill-conceived because this is one of the traffic control measures that actually has the most data proving just how effective they are,” she says.

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“At this very location, we know that compliance is only 77 per cent and in the short time that the camera has been installed, it’s shot up to 88 per cent, so it’s making a real difference.”

Bay Ward Coun. Theresa Kavanagh, who represents the area, said the stretch of road that leads to the parkway is extremely busy, and parents have been voicing their concerns about safety for years.

“Doug Ford should go to our parent council meetings and listen because that’s where we are hearing it from, parents care about their kids,” Kavanagh says.

“They want their kids to be able to walk to school and they’re worried about them crossing roads. They need to see that the speed cameras are forcing people to slow down. That’s key for safety.”

Under the province’s plan, municipalities would no longer be able to operate automated speed cameras in community safety zones, including near schools and playgrounds.

Ottawa currently has 60 such cameras issuing tens of thousands of tickets each year, with all fines reinvested into local road safety programs.

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For parents like Elizabeth MacDonald, that’s money well spent.

“I need (Ford) to explain to us why fines for bad behavior, fines for breaking the law, is a problem in this area and not in others. I’d love for Doug Ford to spend more time in our schools and less time in our LCBO. It’s very clear he cares more about alcohol than our children, and I’d like him to have to account for that,” MacDonald says.

“I need this camera to do its job, the job it’s already done and the job it continues to do, and I need Doug Ford to wake up and notice what the people of Ottawa want.”

The “Save Our Safety Cameras” campaign saw similar demonstrations in cities across Ontario, with organizers urging the government to consult with municipalities and parents before finalizing the ban.

In Ottawa, advocates say they plan to continue pushing for the devices to stay, especially in school zones.

With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Adam Beauchemin