Thousands of ‘obstructed’ licence plates captured by Ottawa’s red light, photo radar cameras

Drivers’ damaged or hidden licence plates are costing the City of Ottawa millions in photo radar ticket revenue. CTV’s Tyler Fleming reports.

Thousands of Ottawa motorists have escaped potential tickets for photo radar and red-light camera infractions due to hidden, damaged and missing licence plates, costing the City of Ottawa millions of dollars in lost fine revenue.

Tickets for red light and photo radar camera infractions are issued to the registered plate owner of the vehicle after an officer views the evidence.

Statistics provided to CTV News Ottawa show 15,480 vehicles with damaged, obstructed or missing licence plates were captured by Ottawa’s automated speed enforcement cameras in the first three months of this year.

• These were Ottawa’s busiest photo radar cameras in March

A total of 71,238 speeders caught by the photo radar cameras in 2024 were rejected due to unreadable plates, while 52,851 vehicles captured by the cameras in 2023 had damaged, obstructed or missing plates.

“The total number of these instances represent a small number of cases overall,” Roger Chapman, Director of Bylaw and Regulatory Services, said in a statement to CTV News Ottawa.

“For example, the number of incidents captured by automated speed enforcement cameras involving vehicles with damaged or obstructed plates or missing plates represents about 13 per cent of the total incidents captured per year.”

A total of 1,502 vehicles caught running red lights by Ottawa’s red-light cameras between January and April had damaged, obstructed or missing licence plates. In 2023 and 2024, a total of 8,006 vehicles caught by Ottawa’s red-light cameras had obstructed licence plates.

“It is important to note that incidents captured by a camera are not automatically tickets,” Chapman said.

“The evidence must first be substantiated by an officer, following which a Notice of Offence is issued.”

A report for the finance and corporate services committee meeting on June 3 says there was a $1.5 million deficit in the Traffic Service department through the first three months of the year “primarily due” to lower-than anticipated revenues from photo radar cameras. Staff said inclement weather and changes in driver behaviour resulted in lower revenue from photo radar tickets, but covered or damaged licence plates resulted in potentially 15,480 speeding tickets not issued in the January to March period.

• Fewer photo radar tickets result in $1 million shortfall in Ottawa’s budget revenue

Under Section 13 of the Highway Traffic Act, drivers are required to ensure their licence plates are unobstructed, properly mounted, and clearly visible to officers and enforcement technology.

The fine for an obscured licence plate is $110.

The Ottawa Police Service said in February that it regularly conducts enforcement targeting improper or obstructed licence plates, but notes some drivers deliberately obscure or alter their plate to avoid photo radar or red-light cameras, “making enforcement more complex.”

• Thousands of Ottawa photo radar tickets ripped up due to ‘unreadable plates’

In a report for the Ottawa Police Services Board meeting on Feb. 24, Chief Eric Stubbs said another challenge is resource allocation, noting officers must balance enforcement of plate visibility with other traffic enforcement priorities, like speeding and aggressive driving.

“While significant progress has been made, the high number of unreadable plates remains a concern, particularly in relation to the effectiveness of ASE cameras and broader road safety objectives,” Stubbs said in the report for the February board meeting.

“OPS will continue to support the City of Ottawa’s initiatives by enforcing license plate regulations and exploring opportunities for enhanced collaboration in addressing this issue.”

• Police issue 1,000 tickets, warnings for obstructed, dirty licence plates on Ottawa roads