MEDIA RELEASE - Town of Shelburne Responds: Automated Speed Enforcement is A Proven Tool for Road Safety and Not a Cash Grab

For Immediate Release: September 11, 2025

Shelburne, ON — The Town of Shelburne is reaffirming its commitment to road safety in response to recent comments by Premier Doug Ford suggesting that automated speed enforcement (ASE) is a “cash grab” and that Ontario municipalities should end their use.

Automated Speed Enforcement is a key and proven approach to make our community safer, save lives and prevents injuries. Studies across Ontario and Canada have shown that ASE reduces speeding, changes driver behaviour, and makes roads safer for everyone, especially children, seniors, pedestrians, and cyclists. While revenue is generated from tickets it is not a cash grab. Council has repeatedly stated that ultimate goal is no revenue and speeding ends. The Town’s ASE program, which went live on September 5, 2025, was implemented based on the evidence that we have a significant speeding issue in our community even with a 40 km speed limit on all our roads.

“Automated speed enforcement is a proven, evidence-based public safety tool,” says Mayor Mills. “When drivers know that a camera is in place, they slow down. When speeds are reduced, collisions and serious injuries decline. That’s not a cash grab; that’s a community safety success.”

Key facts about Automated Speed Enforcement:

• Revenue Neutrality: Municipalities do not profit from ASE. The revenue collected is used to cover program costs, including camera operation, processing, administration and reinvested back into road safety and traffic calming measures.
• Safety First: ASE is deployed in school zones and community safety zones areas specifically chosen to protect the most vulnerable road users.
• Behaviour Change: Jurisdictions using ASE have documented significant reductions in speeding and collisions. The goal is long-term driver behaviour change, not ticket revenue.
• Lives Saved: Slowing down by even 10 km/h dramatically reduces the risk of fatality in a collision.

“Calling automated speed enforcement a cash grab undermines the real issue, unsafe driving behaviours puts lives at risk,” added Mayor Mills. “Every resident should feel safe using our pedestrian friendly community. ASE helps make that possible.”

The Town of Shelburne remains committed to prioritizing road safety over revenue and will continue to use tools like automated speed enforcement to protect residents and visitors alike.

View the PDF version of the MEDIA RELEASE - Town of Shelburne Responds: Automated Speed Enforcement is A Proven Tool for Road Safety and Not a Cash Grab

For additional information, please contact:
Mayor Wade Mills                                        Denyse Morrissey, CAO
wmills@shelburne.ca                                  dmorrissey@shelburne.ca