Over 70% of people support speed cameras in Ontario school zones: poll

A move to ban speed cameras across Ontario has sparked concerns over safety, particularly in school zones.

Calling the devices a”cash grab” that don’t work, Ontario Premier Doug Ford announced a plan to ban speed cameras across the province. A bill was tabled this week.

However, mayors such as Toronto Mayor Olivia Chow, Mississauga Mayor Carolyn Parrish and Burlington Mayor Marianne Meed Ward oppose a complete ban.

Mississauga’s mayor, councillors and senior city staff say numbers produced by the enforcement program since it was launched in Mississauga in 2021 clearly show the speed cameras have been effective in reducing the speed of drivers in community safety zones near schools.

A recent study, led by researchers at The Hospital for Sick Children and Toronto Metropolitan University, found speed cameras reduced speeding around Toronto school zones by 45 per cent.

Ontario’s Big City Mayors (an organization comprised of mayors of Ontario cities with populations of 100,000 or more) wrote to Ford calling for collaboration on the Automated Speed Enforcement program.

“We believe that the ASE program is a necessary tool to keep our communities safe, ensuring the safety of vulnerable road users, including pedestrians, cyclists, children and seniors,” the letter reads. “A total ban on ASE would reverse years of progress on safety in school zones.”

A large majority of INsauga.com readers agree.

When asked, “Should cities be allowed to keep speed cameras in school zones?” most readers said yes.

As of Oct. 24, 7,292 (71.79 per cent) said yes, and another 2,866 (28.21 per cent) said no.

The bill to ban the speed cameras is working its way through the legislature. It had a second reading on Oct. 23.

It is part of Bill 56, Building a More Competitive Economy Act, 2025, tabled by Red Tape Reduction Minister Andrea Khanjin, and if passed, repeals the use of the use of automated speed enforcement systems by amending the Highway Traffic Act.

With files from Declan Finucane