Ontario Confirms Speed Revenue Camera Ban, Effective November 14
- Thursday, October 30th, 2025 - 3:17 pm
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Ontario’s government has approved legislation ending municipal use of automated speed-enforcement revenue systems, with the ban coming into force on November 14. The provision is part of Bill 56, the Building a More Competitive Economy Act, which passed this week and is set to receive royal assent Monday.
The bill moved through the legislature on an expedited schedule. It cleared third reading with support from Progressive Conservative members.
Premier Doug Ford has argued that speed cameras act as revenue tools rather than proven safety devices and has pointed to physical roadway changes as more effective long-term solutions. The province says it will shift focus to traffic-calming design features such as speed humps, raised crossings, tighter lane widths, roundabouts, and enhanced signage.
Transportation Minister Prabmeet Sarkaria confirmed that temporary warning signs will be installed ahead of the ban taking effect. New physical infrastructure will not be in place immediately, but the government maintains it provides more lasting speed control than post-ticket enforcement.
Ford and Sarkaria have repeatedly said speed cameras do not deliver sustained safety improvements, noting that drivers often slow only at camera zones and quickly resume speeding once past them.
Municipal Responses and Financial Reliance
A number of Ontario municipalities have opposed the change, including Guelph. Mayor Cam Guthrie and Ward 2 resident Erin Caton have supported continued access to the automated-enforcement program. Guthrie also endorsed a recent Ontario Big City Mayors letter urging the province to keep the camera use in place.
Municipal leaders have cited road-safety concerns, particularly in school zones. The same OBCM letter acknowledged that losing camera revenue would create “financial and operational challenges” for participating cities.
In Guelph, residents have paid an estimated $2.3 million in speed-camera fines since the program began. A significant portion of that revenue did not remain in the community and instead went to private operators and out-of-province vendors managing the system.
A local poll conducted by Caught in Guelph found more than 90 percent of respondents supported removing the cameras. Feedback from residents focused on costs, lack of visible safety improvements, and frustration that funding left the city rather than being used to improve neighbourhood infrastructure.
Physical Design vs Enforcement
Traffic-engineering research and municipal results show physical street-design features consistently reduce speeds and collisions. Measures such as raised crosswalks, curb extensions, narrowed lanes, and speed humps create permanent, predictable slowing because drivers cannot bypass the change. Cameras, by contrast, issue tickets after the fact, while not providing any safety in the immediate area at the moment when it matters.
Critics of automated enforcement argue that the devices function primarily as revenue collection systems rather than safety infrastructure. The province has echoed that position, saying communities should focus on built safety solutions instead of relying on fines.
Ticket Validity
Sarkaria’s office confirmed that all tickets issued up to November 14 remain valid and must be paid.
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