Ottawa’s photo radar cameras have shut down

Ottawa’s 60 photo radar cameras turned off on Friday. As CTV’s Tyler Fleming reports, the city will need to find new ways to slow down drivers.

Ottawa’s 60 photo radar cameras have now been deactivated, more than five years after the first eight cameras were turned on.

A City of Ottawa spokesperson confirmed Friday afternoon that the cameras had been deactivated, as required by the Ontario government.

The province passed legislation that bans speed cameras on roads across the province and requires municipalities to turn off the cameras by Nov. 14. Municipalities will instead be required to install large new signs with flashing lights in areas where photo radar cameras are located by September 2026.

On Thursday, the province said it would be spending $210 million to support road safety measures in school zones and community safety zones such as traffic-calming infrastructure like speed bumps, raised crosswalks, and roundabouts, as well as high visibility signage and increased police enforcement.

The program will supply $42 million in immediate funding, with municipalities able to apply for additional one-time funding in 2026. It remains unclear how much money Ottawa will receive.

Ottawa Police Chief Eric Stubbs told Newstalk 580 CFRA’s Ottawa Now with Kristy Cameron on Wednesday that the Ottawa Police Service is developing a plan to boost traffic enforcement.

“We were doing this anyway, regardless of the speed camera decision or not. They want to see more of us, so we have plans to increase our traffic team and we have had that plan for about six to eight months,” he said.

Stubbs said speed cameras do influence behaviour and slow drivers down in areas where they’re in operation, so losing them will have an impact.

“When you lose that tool, that is going to affect that area. There is no doubt about that because they do change behaviour. We won’t fill the whole void, but we will be more present,” he said.

City data shows compliance with speed limits increases significantly in areas where cameras are installed, going from 16 per cent prior to camera installation to 57 per cent within one year and 81 per cent after three years. The percentage of people going 15 km/h or more over the speed limit in areas monitored by cameras dropped to less than one per cent after three years.

Statistics available on the City of Ottawa’s website show more than one million speeding tickets have been issued through the automated speed enforcement program since the program was launched in July 2020. The program generated more than $80 million in revenue, which was put toward road safety programs around the city.

Ottawa’s community safety zones will remain in place after the cameras are turned off, and fines issued by Ottawa police within these zones will remain doubled. Red light cameras will also continue to operate.

Any tickets issued by automated speed enforcement cameras prior to the cameras being shut off must still be paid, even if the ticket arrives in the mail after that date.

--With files from CTV News Ottawa’s Josh Pringle

• Sign up now for daily CTV News Ottawa newsletters
• The information you need to know, sent directly to you: Download the CTV News App