Kitchener mayor joins Premier Ford in call to ban speed cameras
Posted Sep 25, 2025 04:24:00 PM.
Last Updated Sep 26, 2025 06:36:12 AM.
Ontario’s premier said the government plans to table legislation banning speed cameras across the province, and putting Waterloo Region’s program in jeopardy.
The municipality has been a leader in automated speed camera enforcement. Back in 2021, a pilot project was launched, looking at the effectiveness of speed cameras in school zones.
It proved successful enough that soon the project was expanded into a full-fledged program, now with 22 speed cameras in school zones across the region. Thursday’s announcement from Premier Doug Ford, aiming to end the use of municipal speed cameras, puts the future of the program in question.
In a statement to 570 NewsRadio, the Region of Waterloo said it’s business as usual, at least for now.
“At this time, there has been no formal directive or legislative change from the Province. The Region of Waterloo’s Municipal Speed Camera Program continues to operate, focused on improving road safety in school zones. Municipal speed cameras remain one of tools ‘in our toolbox’, that the Region and our area municipal partners use to protect children and other vulnerable road users in School Zones. Should provincial legislation change, the Region of Waterloo would assess the impacts at that time.”
Not everyone has been a supporter of municipal speed cameras. Kitchener Mayor Berry Vrbanovic has been a vocal opponent. The city opted out of the region’s program in 2024, choosing to take another approach.
Vrbanovic was at Thursday’s announcement and addressed the gathered media. He said everyone universally agrees that road safety is vitally important.
“But when it comes to automated speed enforcement, that’s where folks go onto different pathways. People want traffic calming. People want infrastructure improvements. People want speed enforcement but want it from a real live officer,” he said.
The Region of Waterloo said since launching its speed camera program in February 2025, average speeds in school zones have dropped by 15 km/hr.
Research from CAA South Central Ontario shows 73 per cent of drivers support the use of speed cameras in targeted areas and 76 per cent believe the cameras do deter speeding.
Waterloo Mayor Dorothy McCabe told 570 NewsRadio she’s not surprised by the announcement.
“Well, we knew this was coming, but it is disappointing that what I would call ‘populist politics’ is taking over versus good public policy.”
McCabe said it was a bit of surprise to see Mayor Vrbanovic speak at Thursday’s presser. She was asked if she was disappointed in her Kitchener counterpart and fellow regional council member.
“The general practice is, you go forward, as this is the decision that the majority of council members have made. So yeah, it is disappointing that he worked so vigorously behind the scenes to overturn that.”
The province is planning a number of measures, including a fund to help municipalities pay for things like roundabouts, speed humps and signs with flashing lights.
Vrbanovic went on to say Kitchener is on the same path and it strikes the right balance for residents.
“We believe our Vision Zero initiatives, built on a foundation of changing behaviour through road design and not punitive measures, has been the best tool to balance safety and affordability for our community.”
McCabe pointed out that speed humps and illuminated signs aren’t cheap. She said the provincial fund is great, but the measures the premier is suggesting will still cost millions of dollars that will have to come from somewhere, either provincial or municipal taxpayers — and, that doesn’t sound affordable.
McCabe also expressed concerns about what she believes is another example of provincial overreach.
“My real question with this is, why is the province and the premier particularly continuing to insert himself into municipal jurisdiction?”
The premier intends to table the anti-speed camera legislation when the legislature returns in late October.
