Mayor Olivia Chow is calling for a return of speed cameras in school and community safety zones after a report found a significant spike in speeding in those areas since the province banned the devices.
The city began employing Automated Speed Enforcement cameras in 2020 to reduce speeding and improve road safety, and in 2025, a study showed it had a measurable effect on driving habits and by the end of that year, the city saw its fewest fatalities and serious injuries since the beginning of the Vision Zero program.
However, Premier Doug Ford called the data “a bunch of hogwash,” adding that the program was simply a cash grab before moving to ban the cameras in October 2025.
More than 20 mayors across the province asked his government to tweak instead of scrap the speed camera program, but Ford denied the request, vowing to eliminate speeding through other measures.
New data being presented at City Council on Wednesday shows that since speed cameras were pulled off city streets, there was a 380 per cent increase in the number of drivers going 16 km/h or more above the posted limit.
The report says the increase in speeding was “generally more prominent” on streets with a posted limit of 30 km/h.
Chow calls the data “horrifying.”
“People are driving like it’s a highway. It’s a school zone for God’s sake. So, bring back those speed cameras because this is just inexcusable.”
As well, the report noted there have been 25 fatalities recorded in the six-month period between December 2025 and May 2026, with two of those fatalities occurring within 100 metres of where speed cameras were once located. By comparison, there were 20 deaths recorded in the six-month period December 2024 to May 2025, 21 deaths from December 2023 to May 2024, and 16 deaths from December 2022 to May 2023.
It says, however, that multiple factors can play a role in traffic fatalities, so more time is needed to measure and understand the impact of removing speed cameras on fatal crashes.
“Too many municipalities were using speed cameras as a cash grab rather than a safety tool,” said Prabmeet Sarkaria, Minister of Transportation, in a statement to CityNews, while pointing out that the Ford government has provided municipalities with $210 million for the installation of speed bumps and other speed mitigation measures.
While city officials say the amount of money made available is not sufficient, Sarkaria noted that Toronto has received over $10 million of the initial allocation and has yet to submit its application for further funding through the Road Safety Initiative Fund.
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