A speed camera on Tenth Line Road in Orléans is the latest to be vandalized this year, as Ontario’s premier calls on municipalities to scrap photo radar altogether. Someone spraypainted over the lens of the camera. It’s unclear exactly when it happened, but the paint was still present on Sunday. Area resident Pierre Collins says he spotted the damage on Saturday on his way home. Several other speed cameras across the city have been vandalized this year, some multiple times, along with three red light cameras. “I thought it looked strange, so I came back on foot to take a look,” Collins said. “This is a very bad area, it’s a high-speed area and I understand why we need it.” It’s not just happening in Ottawa. In Toronto, around 20 cameras were damaged this month alone, highlighting just how divided residents are. “I’m against vandalism in general; I don’t think that’s the right answer. I don’t think they’re a cash grab because I think they do reduce their speed that people take because it’s insane and safety first,” said one resident. “I think in a limited number they can make the community safer but the numbers we have now is starting to feel more and more like a cash grab,” said another. Premier Doug Ford is siding with the critics, saying there are better ways to slow traffic than gouging taxpayers. He’s expected to outline alternatives this week and says he’ll move to eliminate photo radar this fall if municipalities don’t act. The City of Ottawa is taking the opposite approach, spending nearly $2 million to install 24 new cameras this fall. Orléans East-Cumberland Coun. Matthew Luloff says the Tenth Line site was chosen to address chronic speeding along a busy east-end corridor. “To be clear, these things work,” Luloff said. “I understand some people don’t like the tool itself, but it’s important not to take tools away when we have so many issues in our community when it comes to speeding.” Luloff said he expects cleanup to happen quickly, but for Collins, the vandalism underscores a larger problem. “Something has to get done or else we’re going to see more of this,” he said. “It’s the taxpayers paying to put them up and paying again when they’re torn down.”
