A push by Ward 11 Coun. Bill Leduc to have the city draft a letter to Premier Doug Ford advocating for speed camera reimbursements fell flat during tonight’s city council meeting.
Leduc stood alone, with his motion failing to get a seconder.
Speaking against Leduc’s motion, Mayor Paul Lefebvre clarified that he’s supportive of speed cameras, but that the approach to advocacy Leduc proposed is ineffective.
“There’s a lot of advocacy being done through the Association of Municipalities of Ontario,” Lefebvre said, adding that Greater Sudbury’s voice should be added to this united front.
There are 37 municipalities in Ontario with automated speed-enforcement cameras, Lefebvre added. These municipalities will lose the right to use speed cameras if Ford’s push to ban the devices passes. Greater Sudbury has six mobile automated speed enforcement cameras.
“If we have 37 different letters with 37 different directions for the government to go in, I don’t think that's very productive,” Lefebvre said.
“I am in support, certainly, of the automated speed enforcement program. I think we’ve seen success. It’s slowed down traffic, and we’re asking wrongdoers to pay for the traffic calming and not all taxpayers to pay.”
The Association of Municipalities of Ontario has, indeed, been advocating for the automated speed-enforcement cameras to remain in place, arguing last month, “There is strong evidence showing that ASE cameras work. People slow down, making our roads safer and protecting all of us – especially kids.”
Last month, the association urged members to provide data to quantify the financial impact of a speed camera ban, “which will support our request for the province to fund the costs of their imposed ban if it proceeds.”
Lefebvre said the Ontario Big City Mayors group may also weigh in as a united voice on this matter.
Where Leduc’s motion centres mainly on the revenue side of the equation, Lefebvre said that when it comes to speed cameras, “It’s ensuring public safety; that is No. 1.”
“There’s a process, and hopefully if we follow that process, the premier will hear the mayors and other associations,” Ward 1 Coun. Mark Signoretti later added.
Leduc’s rejected motion would have seen the city send a letter to government officials, including Ford, asking the province to fully reimburse municipalities for:
- Costs incurred due to the termination of the automated speed-enforcement program
- Lost revenues previously allocated to traffic calming measures
- Increased policing and enforcement costs resulting from the program’s elimination
The city’s automated speed-enforcement cameras have been active since March 22, 2024, and resulted in the issuance of 12,796 tickets last year, yielding a net municipal revenue of $753,003, which is being spent exclusively on traffic-calming measures.
Meanwhile, speed cameras have consistently proven effective at slowing traffic and carry a lasting impact after they’ve been removed. Greater Sudbury’s six cameras change locations every four months, and became active at six new locations earlier this month.
Lefebvre declined Sudbury.com’s previous two interview requests regarding automated speed enforcement cameras, with his office responding that he would “wait for the final legislation to be tabled so he can review it before commenting further.”
During Tuesday’s city council meeting, Lefebvre clarified that the legislation was tabled in Queen’s Park the previous day, and publicly answered the questions Sudbury.com had intended to ask.
The Omnibus Bill 56, Building a More Competitive Economy Act, was tabled by Minister of Red Tape Reduction Andrea Khanjin on Monday, when it received first reading.
As Ford had pledged, the bill would repeal municipalities' authorized use to use automated speed-enforcement systems. It also clarifies that red-light cameras may continue to be used, the likes of which Greater Sudbury has six.
Leduc attempted to table tonight’s motion on Oct. 7, but failed to get the two-thirds’ support required for a member’s motion without notice, which punted it to tonight’s meeting.
City council meetings, including committee meetings, have shifted to the Lionel E. Lalonde Centre in Azilda for the next 18 to 24 months to make way for the Cultural Hub at Tom Davies Square project.
Tyler Clarke covers city hall and political affairs for Sudbury.com.