- Over 800 vandalism incidents reported as Toronto’s speed cameras face backlash.
- Ontario Premier Doug Ford calls the cameras a “tax grab” and backs their removal.
- Advocates say data proves speed cameras reduce crashes, injuries, and traffic deaths.
Almost a decade ago, Canada’s provincial government of Ontario authorized speed cameras. What started out as a project aimed at improving safety is now facing serious opposition. Over the last nine months, the City of Toronto alone has reported no less than 800 incidents of vandalism on the cameras.
Ontario politician Doug Ford has gone as far as to say that they’re a ‘tax grab.’ Proponents say that removing them will reduce safety once again.
Read: Drivers Say School Zone Cameras Are Fining Them Even When Lights Never Flash
In the last week, at least 16 more cameras have been damaged, and police are hunting for those responsible. Some have been cut down, others have been spray-painted, and some have been hit multiple times. One camera cut down in recent days has been taken out of commission by vandalism seven times in the last ten months, says NowToronto.
Ford Calls for Removal
The attacks come as Ontario Premier Doug Ford says the cameras should be scrapped altogether. “They should take out those cameras, all of them,” Ford said at a Toronto Region Board of Trade event, calling the program “nothing but a tax grab.”
He argues that drivers are being unfairly ticketed for “driving through a neighbourhood, and they are five, 10 kilometers over, they are getting nailed. It’s not fair. So, I’m dead against this photo radar that they have.”
Ford’s government group echoed the threat in a statement to CTV News, saying, “We are exploring alternative tools to enhance traffic safety without the use of automatic speed cameras that are nothing but a cash grab. We want to see cities take steps to remove them; otherwise, we are prepared to help get rid of them when the House returns in the fall.”
Safety Advocates Push Back
Of course, safety is the entire point of these cameras in the eyes of those who back them. They argue that the issue is not about revenue but about lives saved. Jess Spieker of Friends and Families for Safe Streets told CP24 that every installation is placed with purpose. “These cameras save lives. People have died where these cameras have been put up, and the people cutting these down are risking other people’s lives,” she said.
Importantly, there is some data that automatic speed cameras have reduced speeds in areas where they exist. That said, it’s worth noting that the government hasn’t released any data proving that pedestrian injuries and incidents are down after the introduction of the cameras, leaving the larger debate unsettled.