In 2025, Toronto’s streets were the safest they’ve been in over a decade, for both pedestrians and drivers. But this year, speed cameras have been reduced to stumps, not by vandals, but by the Premier of Ontario, and some officials say that will make roads more dangerous and more deadly.
Toronto doubled its number of speed cameras from 75 to 150 last year, a measure that studies show did change driving habits. By the end of 2025, the city saw its fewest fatalities and serious injuries since the beginning of the Vision Zero program.
“Speed safety cameras keep people safer, they keep kids safer, they actually keep drivers safer, and to throw them out the window was, I think, one of the worst things the Ford government has done,” said Coun. Paula Fletcher.
“There were less people seriously injured in crashes when we had speed cameras because they were going slower!”
But not everyone is convinced the cameras saved lives last year.
“Those cameras did reduce speeds at the points they were installed, but I think there’s still a lot of questions and a lot of proof required that it had a lasting and large effect on safety in the city,” said Coun. Stephen Holyday, who put forth several motions to try to limit the use of the cameras during specific periods of the day.
“I think that council here lost their way and lost the faith of the public in the program, and that’s what I see as one of the drivers causing the province to cancel the program. It felt like it was less about safety and more about revenue.”
Premier Doug Ford railed against the cameras for months before finally banning them last November. Two months later, his stance hasn’t softened.
“That’s just a bunch of hogwash,” Ford said when asked about the Vision Zero data at an unrelated event on Thursday.
“How about talking to the people on Parkdale Drive that had 70,000 tickets – 70,000 – and they just let it continue. Someone with half a brain would figure out with 70,000 speeding cars, would you not put turnabouts? Would you not put speed bumps? And not find out three weeks later you were speeding? That doesn’t stop accidents; what stops accidents is actually physically slowing people down.
“This is a tax grab. All they want to do is gouge the people. Put me anywhere in the province, I’ll slow the traffic down below the speed limit.”
Officials in Toronto say speed cameras were effective, but they’re simply no longer a part of their toolbox and work to keep the city’s streets safe must continue.
“The main premise of the safe system approach, which is what every successful Vision Zero uses, is to have multiple layers of redundancy,” said Sheyda Saneinejad, manager of Toronto’s Vision Zero strategy.
“This past year in 2025, we had the largest traffic calming program with almost 700 humps and cushions going out on the road, and this year we’re programming over 1,000, that’s a growth we’re seeing. The school crossing guard program was the largest last year, at about 900 and again we’re growing that by another 50 this year. Red light camera program is growing by another 50 in the next couple of years.”
Despite the fact that the province has legislated an end to automated speed cameras, city officials say if you received a ticket before November 14, you are still responsible for paying the fine.
