On September 9, 2025, Premier Doug Ford praised Vaughan Mayor Steven Del Duca for pausing the Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) program in June 2025. On September 15, 2025, the City of Vaughan decided to end the use of speed cameras. Yesterday, Premier Ford announced that legislation will be passed to end their use. Efforts to remove speed cameras must be stopped in its tracks. Speed cameras save lives and are necessary to redesign roads to make neighbourhoods safer for everyone.
I walk, cycle, ride transit and drive in Vaughan. I care about this issue because many of my neighbours in Vaughan are seniors and children, society’s most vulnerable people. I want them to feel safe while they walk, play outside or walk to school. Speed cameras are necessary for improving their safety on the street.
The data backs this up. A study by Toronto Metropolitan University and the Hospital for Sick Kids found that vehicles speeding through school zones in Toronto dropped by 45% between 2020 and 2022. The study was published in the journal for Injury Prevention in July 2025.
Speed cameras can play a critical role in providing the data needed for road redesign. Under the Highway Traffic Act, ASE can only be used in community safety zones and school areas. The data on the number of tickets issued and speeds recorded can lead to road narrowing in these zones. Despite the inconvenience of motorists being ticketed, removing speed cameras would be like driving without a map. No data, less chances of road redesign. Speed cameras are a first step. Safety can’t wait for a full re-design.
There were complaints about speed cameras in Vaughan. An illustrated breakdown of the fines and what they were funding would have been useful for building public acceptance. Inspiration can be taken from pie chart at gas station pumps explaining how the gas taxes breakdown. The municipality could have publicized this widely and moved quickly to redesign the most problematic roads to show how those dollars are being put to work.
Premier Ford lambasted speed cameras as a “cash grab”, but he should look at his own record for encouraging car use in Ontario. Outside estimates for the proposed 413 highway range between $6 billion to $10 billion. This breaks down to $374.21 to $623.69 per person in Ontario. A typical fine for driving 5 km/h over the limit in Vaughan was $43.25. Which one is the cash grab?
Some Ontarians will never use this highway, if it ever gets built. Meanwhile, a fine issued from a speed camera only impacts the offender. At a September 11, 2025, York Region Council meeting, police supported speed cameras because it allows them to dedicate resources to “other critical areas of policing”. On September 18, 2025, the Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police issued a statement supporting speed cameras. How does a law-and-order premier reconcile this?
How the decision was made to remove speed cameras in Vaughan raises red flags. At the June 24, 2025 city council meeting, communications on the item titled “Automated Speed Enforcement Update” were never published. Three others and I submitted letters before the deadline. The September 15, 2025 Special Committee of the Whole and Special Council meetings were not made public on the city’s website until late in the afternoon of September 12, 2025. I spoke in favour of keeping speed cameras at that special committee meeting.
Despite the challenges, citizens are organizing. The Vaughan Community Road Safety Advocacy Group has grown on Facebook. Talking with ratepayers associations, schools, parents, seniors’ groups and faith groups are areas for where support can be found for keeping speed cameras and having roads be redesigned.
The tactics being employed to remove speed cameras should raise alarm bells for everyone. The reason being provided of saving drivers money is a distraction. People’s lives are at stake.
