{"id":75818,"date":"2025-09-23T17:29:20","date_gmt":"2025-09-23T21:29:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.szpin.ca\/?p=75818"},"modified":"2025-09-23T17:49:29","modified_gmt":"2025-09-23T21:49:29","slug":"editorial-comment-i-pay-taxes-for-this-kind-of-political-thinking","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.szpin.ca\/editorial-comment-i-pay-taxes-for-this-kind-of-political-thinking\/","title":{"rendered":"EDITORIAL COMMENT: I pay taxes for this kind of political thinking!!!"},"content":{"rendered":"

[What kind of genius government sits at Queen’s Park? This looks like the kind of thing Donald T**** would do. Now, we’ve got Dog Ford doing the same as he tries an autocratic approach to overpower our municipal governments over speed camera claiming they are a cash grab. Unfortunately, we can’t do anything until the next election…and this genius may be completely inept at good government thinking, but he’s great at political campaigning thinking.]<\/span><\/p>\n

Doug Ford will outlaw municipal speed cameras this fall: Sources
\n<\/strong>Sources say Ford\u2019s Progressive Conservatives will table legislation later this fall to outlaw the \u201cautomated speed enforcement\u201d devices.<\/span>
\n[Source: Toronto Star, Sept. 23, 2025<\/span>
\nRobert-Benzie]<\/span><\/p>\n

Premier Doug Ford is set to ban the speed cameras that he has denounced as a municipal \u201ccash grab,\u201d the Star has learned.<\/span><\/p>\n

Sources, speaking confidentially in order to discuss internal deliberations, say Ford\u2019s Progressive Conservatives will table legislation later this fall to outlaw the controversial \u201cautomated speed enforcement\u201d devices.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re looking at all options on how to slow down traffic without the use of speed cameras,\u201d a senior government official said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ford has been telegraphing for days his displeasure with the monitoring tools he actually allowed municipalities to install in order to reduce speeding in school zones.<\/span><\/p>\n

His opposition to them comes despite evidence from both police and doctors that they are effective deterrents to driving fast near schools.<\/span><\/p>\n

Speaking to reporters Monday in Russell, Ont., Ford said Queen\u2019s Park was \u201cgoing to be giving municipalities across the province a lot of money to put in all sorts of street-calming methods from little turnabouts, from speed bumps to flashing signs \u2014 and that\u2019s going to slow people down.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

The premier, who has praised Vaughan Mayor Steven Del Duca for removing his city\u2019s speed cameras, said he\u2019s been canvassing municipal leaders across the province, and some will join him when he formally unveils the changes later this week.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ve had many mayors tell me, \u2018we know this is a tax grab … but I need money for roads and so on and so forth.\u2019 You can\u2019t use people\u2019s pocketbooks. We\u2019re getting gouged with taxes all over the place. We\u2019re facing tough times. The goal is to slow them down. We\u2019re going to slow them down,\u201d said Ford.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cAll municipalities are collecting hundreds of millions of dollars (but) I don\u2019t believe that slows (motorists) down,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWhen you live in a community, you find out there\u2019s a speed trap, you learn, you slow down. But there\u2019s thousands of other people going through the community that aren\u2019t slowing down and getting dinged.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Sources said the Tory government would be giving cities additional funds for new signage and infrastructure to discourage speeding and would likely indemnify municipalities for any contracts they have related to the cameras.<\/span><\/p>\n

However, the province will not pay to remove the hundreds of speed cameras currently installed around Ontario.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThey\u2019re just going to be deactivated,\u201d said a second senior official.<\/span><\/p>\n

In theory, that means a future government could amend the law to permit the speed cameras, which have been in place in Toronto since 2022.<\/span><\/p>\n

Red-light cameras at major intersections will continue to operate, officials said.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Ontario Association of Chiefs of Police said earlier this month that cameras have \u201cbeen proven to reduce speeding, change driver behaviour, and make our roads safer for everyone \u2014 drivers, cyclists, pedestrians, and especially children and other vulnerable road users.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThese tools are especially deployed in school zones and community safety zones, where slowing down saves lives and prevents serious injuries,\u201d the chiefs\u2019 association noted.<\/span><\/p>\n

Similarly, researchers at the Hospital for Sick Children and Toronto Metropolitan University found they reduced the number of speeding cars and trucks by 45 per cent in city school zones.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The new study evaluated the impact of cameras at 250 school zones across Toronto between July 2020 and December 2022, concluding speeds fell by 10.7 km\/h.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cSpeed is the single most important factor in pedestrian injury risk,\u201d pointed out Dr. Andrew Howard, head of orthopedic surgery at SickKids, earlier this year.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cThis study shows that (the cameras) can be an effective way to reduce that risk, especially in areas where children are most vulnerable.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

A survey last month from the Canadian Automobile Association (CAA) found nearly three-quarters of drivers in Ontario support the use of speed cameras to boost road safety.<\/span><\/p>\n

Still, the cameras are unpopular with some \u2014 with one on Parkside Drive being chopped down seven times in the past 11 months. Dozens more have been vandalized in recent days.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI do not condone any vandalism of any kind. That should never, ever happen,\u201d said Ford.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cBut it just shows you how frustrated people are.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

[What kind of genius government sits at Queen’s Park? This looks like the kind of thing Donald T**** would do. Now, we’ve got Dog Ford doing the same as he tries an autocratic approach to overpower our municipal governments over … Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":10,"featured_media":75819,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[250,384,1942],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-75818","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-editorial","category-evas-desk","category-rs-desk"],"aioseo_notices":[],"yoast_head":"EDITORIAL COMMENT: I pay taxes for this kind of political thinking!!! : The Szpinner<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.szpin.ca\/editorial-comment-i-pay-taxes-for-this-kind-of-political-thinking\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"EDITORIAL COMMENT: I pay taxes for this kind of political thinking!!! : The Szpinner\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"[What kind of genius government sits at Queen’s Park? 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