Parent groups in Vaughan, Toronto, Midland, Kitchener-Waterloo and Ottawa are organizing a day of action today against the upcoming speed camera ban in Ontario.
Various parent groups opposing the impending speed camera ban in Ontario are participating in a provincial day of action on Monday as MPPs return to Queen’s Park for the start of a new legislative session.
Premier Doug Ford revealed earlier this month that his Progressive Conservative government plans to introduce a bill to eliminate speed cameras.
This announcement follows a campaign against the technology by the premier, who labeled speed cameras a “cash grab” for municipalities and argued they aren’t needed with alternatives like speed bumps, roundabouts, and flashing lights designed to slow down drivers.
Parent groups across Toronto, Vaughan, Midland, Kitchener-Waterloo and Ottawa are holding demonstration events on Monday morning. Another group staged a protest in Toronto’s east end on Saturday.
Tom De Vito, who resides in Toronto’s Junction neighborhood with his wife Danielle and their three-year-old daughter Goldie, is one of the rally organizers in his area. He described the proposed bill to ban these cameras as a “horrible piece of legislation” and expressed his outrage upon learning that the province aimed to get rid of them.
“When an announcement comes out of the blue that a very effective tool that’s used to control very dangerous driving behaviour near schools is going to be dismantled it kind of shocked me to my core,” he said.
This sentiment resonated throughout his community, which he describes as a “child superhighway,” where children often walk or bike to school and other activities from all directions.
As a father of a toddler, De Vito’s greatest concern is unsafe roads. He understands how energetic young kids can be and recognizes their sometimes limited awareness. It doesn’t help that car accidents are one of the leading causes of death among children in Canada.
He argues it doesn’t make sense to remove something proven to enhance children’s safety.
“Roundabouts, speed bumps, all of those things are great. It does not justify taking another tool, effective tool out of your tool kit. You still need a screwdriver, and that’s what speed safety cameras are,” he said.
“This would be like a carpenter saying I don’t need a screwdriver because I’m updating and improving the hammer that I own.”
Parents aren’t alone in urging Ford to rethink this ban. Mayors from over 20 municipalities along with school boards have asked him to improve the program instead of abolishing it entirely, highlighting that this technology protects children.
Data from several municipalities analyzing the impact of these cameras shows they’ve been successful at reducing speeds. A study conducted by the Hospital for Sick Children along with Toronto Metropolitan University found that these cameras lowered speeding by 45 percent in Toronto.
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