The Town of Innisfil has hit some speed bumps in the launch of its automated speed enforcement system (ASE), but expects a smoother ride by the end of the year.
Staff recently reported to council on the ASE program and provided an overview of how it has worked for the municipality to date.
“Staff have not been satisfied with the slow rollout of the (local authority services) program and attribute it to the poor performance of the camera provider, including their ability to deliver an ongoing solution within their current service model,” the staff report stated.
Staff concerns included the delay in launching the ASE camera in Innisfil and the technical difficulties that followed. The camera provider, Elovate, previously did not have an Ontario-based technician to make repairs, exasperating those glitches.
Staff noted the relationship has improved, with new hires being Ontario-based and a new client manager assigned to the program. Staff recommended maintaining the status quo for hardware, assuming improvements come to light as expected.
And for the program to be successful, changes are necessary.
One ASE camera is currently rotated between community safety zones every three months, focusing primarily on areas near the municipality’s schools. Right now, that camera is located on 20th Sideroad, near Killarney Beach Public School and St. André Bessette Catholic School. Over the course of about five weeks, about $75,000 in tickets were issued from this camera, with about $24,000 already collected.
Previously, while placed in front of Nantyr Shores Secondary School, approximately 2,200 instances of speeding were identified each month.
Staff reiterated in its report that the goal of the cameras was not to make money but rather to improve community safety, and under the current program, both statements are true. Based on one week’s sample data, staff found 85 per cent of drivers were travelling 41 km/h or less along 20th Sideroad, a 21 km/h decrease from before the camera was installed.
However, with just one camera, the nearly $1 million in revenue estimated to be generated annually would not be enough to cover the program’s current expenses, falling short by more than $377,000.
Four more cameras are expected to come online, which will bring more money to the community and help pay for additional traffic-calming initiatives, education, and enforcement programs.
Nearly $600,000 is expected to be brought into the community in 2025, with a second camera being operational by May, and the other three online for August.
Coun. Linda Zanella wanted to stress to any Innisfil residents who feel ASEs are just a way for the town to pocket some extra money that the power to change things was planted solely in their feet.
“We’re hearing a lot of ‘cash grab, cash grab,’” she said. “We wouldn’t be grabbing your cash if you weren’t speeding.”
Mayor Lynn Dollin concurred.
“I would say that success in this program would mean we don’t get a cent,” she said.
To keep more of the cents it collects — and will continue to collect — in the community, Innisfil will transition from levying fines in provincial court to an administrative penalty (AP) model.
Today, all ASE infractions go through two processes: review and issuance, followed by adjudication and fee collection. By switching to an AP model — currently used for town bylaw infractions and soon to include on-street winter parking — the process for ASE and red light camera fines could be streamlined, alleviating the burden on the provincial court system and reducing the cost to the town of running the cameras.
The remaining three cameras would be added when the AP model is functioning, with staff cautioning in a report that factors outside the town’s control could delay full implementation.
However, one of the more significant reasons to stay with the current service provider, council was told, was to allow for greater synchronicity between the town’s various capital-generating fine programs through an AP model.
The debate on the motion also dovetailed into a discussion on dealing with Amercian-based companies, such as Elovate. Councillors were informed the town does not have a “buy Canadian” policy due to several legal complexities involving a variety of issues, including international trade agreements.
Chief administrative officer Oliver Jerschow informed councillors the matter was being actively discussed within the larger municipal sector in light of the ongoing threat of tariffs and reciprocity between the United States and Canada.
You must be signed in to comment. Please sign in or register.