In response to the province’s Bill 56 legislation, Brighton’s automated speed enforcement (ASE) program along Elizabeth Street has officially come to an end.
Cameras were pulled down Thursday, Nov. 13, 2025.
As previously reported, the municipality had already confirmed the phasing out of its ASE program by Friday, Nov. 14 following Premier Doug Ford’s “cash grab” comments and banning of the cameras provincewide through Bill 56 legislation.
A Brighton spokesperson said new signs will soon go up in the area, reminding drivers of the limit – which has not changed.
While the rollout of such cameras has been a divisive issue in recent months – including in nearby Belleville – the province’s move has been met with pushback by multiple municipal-level leaders, including Brighton Mayor Brian Ostrander who previously spoke up and called on the province to work with communities rather than outright ban the cameras.
“I think this is a poor decision on the part of the premier and on the part of the provincial government,” Ostrander earlier told MBC, while defending the decision to implement the program locally and challenging “cash-grab” references.
No one pays if they don’t speed, and the move was needed to slow people down in a community safety zone with two schools, a retirement home, Brighton’s largest public park and more along this stretch, he said.
Echoing several studies’ findings, Ostrander also said Brighton’s ASE program was doing its job – and at one point had reduced speeding by more than 75 per cent (based on ticket figures initially and then in comparison to the weeks that followed.)
Data previously supplied by Ostrander indicated around half-a-million dollars had been generated through fines – monies, which he said were being prioritized to traffic calming measures, pedestrian safety, infrastructure projects, including to get homes built faster, and that he was eyeing a potential tax free this year due to revenues.
On Thursday, the province announced it was investing $210 million through its “road safety initiatives fund” to support increased road safety in school and community safety zones without using speed cameras “that make life more expensive for drivers and taxpayers.”
According to the Ford government, the RSIF will instead provide financial support for “proven road safety measures” that don’t raise costs for drivers, with traffic-calming infrastructure like speed bumps, raised crosswalks, roundabouts and high-visibility signage and increased police enforcement in zones where cameras were previously deployed.
Ford and others like Minister of Transportation Prabmeet Sarkaria have used “cash-grab” references when referring to ASE programs, despite several studies suggesting the cameras work to reduce speeds.
The province has described the increased use of municipal speed cameras more as a revenue-raising tool and said public concerns – along with a significant increase in the use of speed cameras and the addition of 700 added since 2019 – were driving factors in passing the Building a More Competitive Economy Act, which officially prohibits the cameras as of Nov. 14, 2025.
As part of the RSIF, officials said the government will dish out $42 million in immediate funding to support traffic-calming measures in school and community safety zones that previously deployed municipal speed cameras. Meanwhile, early next year, eligible municipalities will be able to apply for the remainder of the funding and submit construction plans, said the province.
In Brighton, officials previously noted that any outstanding infractions captured prior to Nov. 14 will still need to be paid.
Meanwhile, staff said they’ll continue exploring alternative traffic-calming measures for the area.
While Brighton was the only community in Northumberland with speed cameras, prior to the province’s move, Northumberland County was eyeing implementing several in select zones.
(Written by: Sarah Hyatt)
