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Ontario’s decision to put a ban on speed cameras has left Renfrew County with plenty of questions behind the reasoning.
Warden Peter Emon says Premier Doug Ford’s recent press conference labelling the traffic enforcement tools as an ineffective “tax grab” and the announcement that his government will soon table legislation that would ban them caught the county by surprise, especially as speed cameras were about to be set up near school zones in Renfrew, Petawawa, and Laurentian Valley.
The county’s plan for the three speed cameras was to use them to alleviate excessive speed along heavily used county roads and increase safety for crossing pedestrians, but Emon says they will now have to rally local authorities to make those changes a reality.
Ford’s announcement also leaves the funding for the project in limbo, as several municipalities from across Ontario with speed cameras are now urging him to reconsider the ban or reimburse them for the expects lost revenue from them, something that Emon says Renfrew County will need to plan around.
Ford’s government first allowed municipalities to install speed enforcement cameras with a law passed back in 2019.
(written by Kasey Egan)
