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Mono council discusses automatic speed enforcement cameras

February 5, 2025   ·   0 Comments

By JAMES MATTHEWS

Mono staff have been tasked with amending town council’s laundry list of unfinished business to include ways to increase revenue, create a process toward administrative penalties, and introduce traffic safety cameras.

Mayor John Creelman introduced a notice of motion during council’s Jan. 28 meeting to ask staff to review all fees and other revenue opportunities and to present that review to council later.

Staff and council will work towards creating an administrative penalties process for such things as Part Two Provincial Offences Act charges, which are parking offences. The process will include penalties for bylaw infractions and future automated speed enforcement safety camera fines.

Regarding the safety cameras, Creelman would like them to be introduced to roads in Mono, including Dufferin County roads, to discourage speeding. All revenue from the cameras will be applied to policing Mono and its bylaw enforcement budgets.

“Hand in hand with that would be a migration to administrative penalties which would allow up to set fines as opposed to be at the mercy of the regional senior judge for (Provincial Offences Act) matters,” Creelman said.

Automated speed enforcement is being introduced in some Dufferin County neighbours such as Shelburne, Grand Valley, and possibly Amaranth. Creelman said he understands that Orangeville is close to embarking on installing safety cameras.

“I would hope that we work with one of those communities to tag along,” he said.

“Do we still need the Community Safety Zones to do the speed cameras?” Deputy Mayor Fred Nix asked.

Creelman said that is indeed a requirement.

“But council can unilaterally declare a Community Safety Zone anywhere it feels it’s important,” Creelman said. “There is no criteria, which is crazy.”

Councillor Melinda Davie asked if the whole town could be designated as such a safety zone.

“Theoretically we could declare the entire town,” Creelman said. “If you look at Community Safety Zones in Shelburne, it’s hard to find an area of a road that isn’t a Community Safety Zone.”

Creelman said the problem with those zones is that the fines for traffic infractions are doubled.

“I think it’s almost a poisoned pill to tie that to safety cameras because, all of a sudden, safety cameras are causing you to get a doubling of fines when the point is safety not making tonnes of money,” he said.

Davie said the cameras would only have to be there for a short time until motorists become cognizant of speed limits in a particular area. She suggested a large enough sign merely advertising the camera would accomplish getting motorists to slow down.

“They have an impact,” she said. “They say, ‘wait a second, $300 to get there quicker? Maybe I’m not going to do it.’”

Given that, Creelman said there may be an advantage gained with a sign.

“I’ve never seen a Community Safety Zone with such signage, but it may not be a bad idea,” he said.

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