Ottawa's New Speed Cameras: Installed, But Not Enforcing?

In a move designed to enhance road safety across its communities, the City of Ottawa has installed 13 brand-new automated speed enforcement cameras. These high-tech guardians of the road are strategically placed within community safety zones and school zones, areas where the protection of vulnerable road users is paramount.

However, despite their visible presence, these cameras will not be issuing tickets anytime soon, creating a peculiar paradox: safety tools in place, but not yet operational.

The reason for this unexpected delay stems from a significant province-wide shortage of judicial resources. Ontario's court system is grappling with an insufficient number of provincial prosecutors, commonly known as Crown attorneys, and a critical lack of court staff.

This deficiency severely impacts the ability to process the substantial volume of traffic tickets that automated speed enforcement cameras generate.

City officials express frustration, highlighting that the primary goal of these cameras is to deter dangerous driving and reduce speeds in critical areas, not just to generate revenue.

The existing network of 20 active speed cameras across Ottawa already serves this purpose, and the city had expanded its network last year with 14 additional units. With these new 13, the total number of cameras would reach 47, significantly broadening the scope of safety enforcement.

Mayor Mark Sutcliffe has been vocal about the need for provincial intervention, emphasizing that the city's hands are tied.

While the province passed legislation in December 2022, allowing municipalities to establish their own court processing systems for these types of infractions, no city has yet been able to undertake this massive and costly endeavour. Setting up an entirely new court system, complete with staffing and infrastructure, represents a significant financial and logistical challenge that municipalities are currently ill-equipped to handle without substantial provincial support.

The revenue generated from automated speed enforcement tickets, it's worth noting, does not flow into city coffers but instead goes directly to provincial general revenues.

This further underscores the city's position that the cameras are primarily a safety initiative, rather than a revenue-generating one. While the visible presence of the dormant cameras might still offer some level of deterrent effect, their inability to issue fines undoubtedly diminishes their full potential impact.

Ottawa and other municipalities are urging the province to address the systemic issue of judicial resource shortages promptly.

Until then, these 13 new cameras will stand as silent sentinels, installed and ready to serve, but awaiting the necessary provincial green light to truly begin their work of making Ottawa's roads safer for everyone.