Last Monday, the Hamilton City Council Public Works Committee voted unanimously in a 12-0 vote to double the number of speed cameras in the city.
Just one day later, in response to news that 17 Toronto speed cameras had been cut down in only one week, Ontario Premier Doug Ford called the cameras a “tax grab” and said he is going to help municipalities “get rid of them.”
The City of Hamilton currently has four automated speed cameras which are rotated around the city to a list of locations.
A new report from city staff received at the Public Works Committee recommended doubling the number of camera units from four to eight.
The report was well received by Councillors, all of whom supported the recommendation.
Councillor Matt Francis (Ward 5 – Hamilton East-Stoney Creek) was one of multiple councillors who advocated for even more speed cameras.
“It would be really nice in the future if we had at least one camera per ward that we could rotate where necessary,” he said.
“If you don’t want a ticket, just don’t speed,” Francis added.
However, Ford says that some people are getting ticketed by photo radar for going “five or 10 kilometres over,” which he contends is “not fair.”
“They should take out those cameras, all of them,” Ford said.
“If you want to slow down traffic at school, you put the big, huge signs, big flashing lights, crossing area. People will slow down. This is nothing but a tax grab,” he continued.
“Hopefully the cities will get rid of them, like Mayor Del Duca did in Vaughan, or I’m going to help him get rid of them very shortly.”
It remains to be seen what action Ford will take to have speed cameras removed.
Meanwhile, some Hamilton councillors asked why the city is not able to purchase more than the four additional units recommended by staff.
Staff explained that, currently, automated speed enforcement and red light camera infractions in Hamilton are processed via the Centralized Processing Centre operated by the City of Toronto under the Provincial Offences Administration system which is “constrained by court capacity.”
In July 2022, the Highway Traffic Act changed to permit processing such violations through the Administrative Penalty System, an alternative that has to be set up at the municipal level which reduces provincial court workload.
In 2023, city staff reportedly began reviewing whether or not the City of Hamilton should switch to the Administrative Penalty System, and a report will be coming to Council later this year.
The vote to double the number of speed cameras passed 12-0.
Hamilton’s Public Works Committee is made up of 13 of the 16 Hamilton Council members.
Those in favour were Maureen Wilson (Ward 1 – Chedoke-Cootes-Westdale), Cameron Kroetsch (Ward 2 – Downtown Hamilton), Nrinder Nann (Ward 3 – East Hamilton Centre), Tammy Hwang (Ward 4 – Hamilton East), Matt Francis (Ward 5 – Hamilton East-Stoney Creek), Tom Jackson (Ward 6 – East Mountain), Esther Pauls (Ward 7 – Central Mountain), Jeff Beattie (Ward 10 – Stoney Creek-Fruitland-Winona), Mark Tadeson (Ward 11 – Glanbrook-Binbrook-Mount Hope), Craig Cassar (Ward 12 – Ancaster-West Flamborough), Alex Wilson (Ward 13 – Dundas-Central Flamborough), and Ted McMeekin (Ward 15 – East Flamborough-Waterdown).
Councillor Mike Spadafora (Ward 14 – West Mountain) is on the committee but was absent at the time of the vote.
Councillor Brad Clark (Ward 9 – Upper Stoney Creek) and Mayor Andrea Horwath are not on the committee.
It should be noted that the results of each committee vote still have to be ratified at Council as a whole.
Based in Hamilton, he reaches hundreds of thousands of people monthly on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Twitter. He has been published in The Hamilton Spectator, Stoney Creek News, and Bay Observer. He has also been a segment host with Cable 14 Hamilton. In 2017, he received the Chancellor Full Tuition Scholarship from the University of Ottawa (BA, 2022). He has also received the Governor General’s Academic Medal. He formerly worked in a non-partisan role on Parliament Hill in Ottawa.
