Stouffville Withholds Ticket Data as Automated Speed Camera Program Grows

Hamilton Spectator

24-05-2025

● The Town plans to activate four new Automated Speed Enforcement cameras by late Q3 2025.
● Councillors are fielding ongoing questions from residents about the program, including inquiries regarding the number of tickets issued and amount of revenue collected.
● Town Staff say disclosure of early figures could be misleading and are withholding data to preserve the 'integrity' of the program.
● A full report is expected in fall 2025, earlier than originally planned, to provide a more accurate picture of long-term trends.
● Councillors offered varying perspectives during a recent meeting, with some emphasizing personal accountability and others critiquing the long-term consequences of drivers' speeding habits.
● Mayor Lovatt says fines from the program are exceeding expectations and will help fund traffic calming and road infrastructure improvements.
Stouffville has scheduled activation of four additional Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) cameras by mid-to-late Q3 2025. The new cameras will form the second phase of the
Town's ASE program
, which launched on March 17, 2025, and are planned for the following locations:
'Coming Soon' signage has been placed at all four sites and will remain posted for at least 90 days before the cameras become operational.
Public reaction to Stouffville's ASE program has been divided, with some residents welcoming the cameras as a necessary step to improve road safety, and others expressing strong opposition. The Town has set up a dedicated email address ([e-mail]) to field questions, address concerns, and provide direct information to residents.
During Council's May 21 meeting, Ward 4 Councillor Rick Upton noted that he and his colleagues are facing constant inquiries from residents about the program, including questions regarding the number of tickets issued and revenue collected to date.
Although preliminary data has been compiled, Town Staff say it is still too early to provide a full update on the program's performance. Becky Jamieson, Stouffville's Commissioner of Corporate Services and Town Clerk, emphasized the importance of protecting the 'integrity' of the program and said that detailed ticket statistics and financial figures are not yet available.
'When we refer to maintaining the 'integrity' of the program, we're speaking to the importance of presenting a full and accurate picture of the ASE initiative,' she said in comments to Bullet Point News. 'Releasing revenue or ticket data too early can be misleading, as initial figures are often artificially high due to driver unfamiliarity with the cameras and increased media and public attention at launch.'
In comments to Council, Jamieson referenced Newmarket 's ASE program, which has been in operation for nearly a year and only recently produced its first report for council consideration. Her team is currently reviewing early data and confirmed that a report will be presented to Stouffville Council this fall, which is earlier than the originally planned one-year assessment.
'This approach ensures the public receives a more balanced, meaningful snapshot of the program's impact and effectiveness, rather than a potentially distorted view based on launch-period anomalies,' Jamieson told us. 'We're committed to transparency and plan to share aggregate data once we believe it accurately reflects the program's intended outcomes, which are reducing speeding and improving road safety for everyone.'
During an April 29 Town Hall event, Mayor Iain Lovatt hinted at some early ASE results.
'They are working, they are slowing people down, and, unfortunately, they are working too well—because we're giving out a lot of tickets,' Lovatt told attendees. 'I've said publicly many times that I want this to be the biggest failure, because that means people are driving the speed limit, but that hasn't proven to be the case in the first six weeks.'
Lovatt said funds generated through the program have been earmarked for traffic calming and road infrastructure improvements, as directed by Council. He noted the revenue is expected to exceed initial projections, allowing for a broader range of measures to be considered.
One potential focus is Hoover Park Drive, which Lovatt described as exceedingly wide and poorly designed. 'From York-Durham to Ninth Line, it is a bit of a racetrack,' he said. Suggestions for improvements include replacing the current textured asphalt median with a fully raised, landscaped median to create a visual break and encourage slower driving.
Ward 6 Councillor Sue Sherban highlighted the history of speed limit reductions throughout the community, saying that roads originally designed for higher speeds have gradually been reduced largely in response to persistent speeding. In her view, drivers collectively bear responsibility for the resulting reliance on ASE cameras.
'These roads weren't built for 40 kilometres an hour,' she said, pointing to Ninth Line as an example of a major arterial road where current speed limits feel inconsistent with the road's scale and capacity. While acknowledging residents' frustrations and showing some empathy for concerns raised in emails, Sherban said it's important to recognize how the issue evolved.
'We've gotten ourselves into this situation,' Sherban said. 'If we did the original speed that the roads were made for, we would not be as frustrated as we are today in having to be the nanny state.'
Ward 1 Councillor Hugo Kroon voiced strong support for the ASE program, emphasizing that those who receive tickets are 'fully deserving' of them. Speaking candidly, he acknowledged his own history as someone with a lead foot and a background in motor racing, but said that did not diminish his view on accountability.
Kroon pushed back against claims from some residents that the program unfairly targets those who can't afford fines, calling that argument '100 percent incorrect.' Instead, he framed the tickets as a consequence for those who choose to ignore speed limits, putting both themselves and others at risk.
'I have absolutely no sympathy for that whatsoever,' Kroon said, adding that if financial penalties are what it takes to curb dangerous driving, he is in favour of the outcome.
According to York Region, ASE cameras help reduce vehicle speeds by about 10 km/h and improve speed limit compliance by approximately 25 percent. The Region also reports that ASE can cut collision rates by up to 48 percent.
'As often as we get emails from people who are frustrated and upset, I think the silent majority in our community are grateful,' Lovatt said. 'I've literally had people hug me, thanking me for…the tangible difference in reducing speeds on our streets.'
'It's the one thing that we have done that has actually worked for traffic calming,' Lovatt added. 'And we've tried a lot over the last six years.'