John Tory asks Ontario to allow photo radar in Toronto
Mayor makes formal request to “use technology in the place of uniform police officers.”

thestar.com
Feb. 22, 2016
By Robert Benzie

If Toronto Mayor John Tory has his way, the message to motorists will be: Smile, you’re on candid camera!

In a bid to reduce policing costs in the city, Tory on Monday said he is “formally” asking Premier Kathleen Wynne to amend provincial laws to allow photo radar in Toronto.

“Give us legislative freedom to do a couple of things that I think are going to be very fundamental to the modernization of policing and to the addressing of the police budgetary concerns,” the mayor said at Queen’s Park following a 40-minute meeting in the premier’s office.

Tory said he is seeking “broader latitude than we have today to use technology, especially when it comes to things like traffic management.”

“We can use technology in place of uniform police officers. This will allow for more efficient deployment of expensive, highly trained police officers,” he said, adding the technology “could include photo radar,” especially in school zones.

“I will only speak about the need to have this in Toronto.”

While Wynne conceded that “the costs of policing, we know, are a challenge for municipalities,” she was non-committal on photo radar returning to Ontario province-wide.

“I’m not going to talk about specific technologies,” the premier said.

“These concerns and these requests have to come from the municipalities. I look forward to getting the formal request from the mayor.”

Photo radar has long been politically contentious at Queen’s Park.

Former NDP premier Bob Rae launched it on Ontario highways in August 1994 and it was scrapped by his Progressive Conservative successor Mike Harris just 11 months later.

Mindful of its unpopularity with many motorists, Harris successfully made it a key issue in the 1995 election.

Tory is a former provincial Progressive Conservative leader.