Latest news with #CityOfOttawa
CTV News
5 days ago
- General
- CTV News
Morning Rush: City to deploy 'Night Ambassadors'
Ottawa Watch Bill Carroll from the Morning Rush talks about the City of Ottawa deploying Night Ambassadors to the Byward Market this summer.
CTV News
30-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Drivers with obstructed plates dodging traffic tickets
Drivers' damaged or hidden licence plates are costing the City of Ottawa millions in photo radar ticket revenue. CTV's Tyler Fleming reports.
CTV News
30-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Thousands of ‘obstructed' licence plates captured by Ottawa's red light, photo radar cameras
Thousands of Ottawa motorists have escaped potential tickets for photo radar and red-light camera infractions due to hidden, damaged and dirty licence plates, costing the City of Ottawa millions of dollars in lost fine revenue. Tickets for red light and photo radar camera infractions are issued to the registered plate owner of the vehicle after an officer views the evidence. Statistics provided to CTV News Ottawa show 15,480 vehicles with damaged, obstructed or missing licence plates were captured by Ottawa's automated speed enforcement cameras in the first three months of this year. A total of 71,238 speeders caught by the photo radar cameras in 2024 were rejected due to unreadable plates, while 52,851 vehicles captured by the cameras in 2023 had damaged, obstructed or missing plates. 'The total number of these instances represent a small number of cases overall,' Roger Chapman, Director of Bylaw and Regulatory Services, said in a statement to CTV News Ottawa. 'For example, the number of incidents captured by automated speed enforcement cameras involving vehicles with damaged or obstructed plates or missing plates represents about 13 per cent of the total incidents captured per year.' A total of 1,502 vehicles caught running red lights by Ottawa's red-light cameras between January and April had damaged, obstructed or missing licence plates. In 2023 and 2024, a total of 8,006 vehicles caught by Ottawa's red-light cameras had obstructed licence plates. 'It is important to note that incidents captured by a camera are not automatically tickets,' Chapman said. 'The evidence must first be substantiated by an officer, following which a Notice of Offence is issued.' A report for the finance and corporate services committee meeting on June 3 says there was a $1.5 million deficit in the Traffic Service department through the first three months of the year 'primarily due' to lower-than anticipated revenues from photo radar cameras. Staff said inclement weather and changes in driver behaviour resulted in lower revenue from photo radar tickets, but covered or damaged licence plates resulted in potentially 15,480 speeding tickets not issued in the January to March period. Under Section 13 of the Highway Traffic Act, drivers are required to ensure their licence plates are unobstructed, properly mounted, and clearly visible to officers and enforcement technology. The fine for an obscured licence plate is $110. The Ottawa Police Service said in February that it regularly conducts enforcement targeting improper or obstructed licence plates, but notes some drivers deliberately obscure or alter their plate to avoid photo radar or red-light cameras, 'making enforcement more complex.' In a report for the Ottawa Police Services Board meeting on Feb. 24, Chief Eric Stubbs said another challenge is resource allocation, noting officers must balance enforcement of plate visibility with other traffic enforcement priorities, like speeding and aggressive driving. 'While significant progress has been made, the high number of unreadable plates remains a concern, particularly in relation to the effectiveness of ASE cameras and broader road safety objectives,' Stubbs said in the report for the February board meeting. 'OPS will continue to support the City of Ottawa's initiatives by enforcing license plate regulations and exploring opportunities for enhanced collaboration in addressing this issue.'
CTV News
27-05-2025
- Business
- CTV News
Fewer photo radar tickets result in $1 million shortfall in Ottawa's budget revenue
A new photo radar camera has been installed on King Edward Avenue at Bruyere Street. The camera issued 7,500 speeding tickets in its first month of operation. (CTV News Ottawa) Drivers slowing down around Ottawa's photo radar cameras resulted in less revenue flowing into the City of Ottawa's coffers through the first three months of the year. The quarterly financial report for the finance and corporate services committee says a $1.5 million deficit in the Traffic Services department through the first three months of the year is 'primarily due' to the automated speed enforcement program. 'Revenues for the period were lower-than-anticipated as a result of inclement weather and changes in driver behaviour,' staff said. 'Any surplus or deficit in the automated speed enforcement program at year-end will be offset in the Road Safety Reserve.' A total of 81,090 speeding tickets were issued through the automated speed enforcement camera program in the first three months of 2025, down from 85,911 tickets in the January-March period in 2024. New statistics from the City of Ottawa show 19,582 tickets were issued through the automated speed enforcement camera program in February. It was the fewest number of speeders caught by photo radar cameras in a month since November 2023, when 19,445 speeding tickets were issued. As of the end of March, 60 photo radar cameras were in operation in community safety zones, school zones and high-speed areas across Ottawa. There are plans to install 24 new photo radar cameras on roads across the city in 2025. Revenue collected through the automated speed enforcement camera program supports Ottawa's Road Safety Action Plan and is reinvested into road safety initiatives for all road users.
CTV News
21-05-2025
- Sport
- CTV News
City of Ottawa to revamp membership costs for recreation and swimming activities. Here's what you need to know
Some users will be paying more for daily and monthly passes to access swimming and recreation activities at City of Ottawa facilities, as the city overhauls its admissions and membership structure. The city currently has a 14-category system for drop-in fitness and physical activities at municipal facilities, with higher fees for memberships and admissions at locations with a wider range of services. Under the current system, facilities are placed in categories of Class A, Class B, standard pools, leisure pools to differentiate between locations offering a full range of amenities and those with fewer choices. Class A and Class B facilities charge different fees for membership passes, while single admission fees are higher at leisure pools than at standard pools for the same service. A report for next Tuesday's committee and protective services committee meeting proposes 'revamping' the daily admission and membership structure, streamlining options into three categories that will offer a range of service options from basic to all-inclusive at all city facilities. 'This initiative aims to better serve residents by ensuring affordable and fair access to core and more advanced services,' staff say in the report, adding aligning fees will see residents 'charged fairly' for similar services. 'The proposed membership and admissions model simplifies the membership options, addresses current fee discrepancies, and maintains affordability. It will provide residents with a range of affordable options, enabling them to select the service level they desire and only pay for the services they require.' The proposed three membership categories are: Category 1: Core recreation activities – swimming (lane swims, public swims, preschool swims), skating and gymnasium sports. Category 2: Activities that require specialized spaces and equipment – weights and cardio rooms, specialized skating, squash and racquetball. Category 3: Activities that require a certified instructor, additional staff and/or specialized spaces and equipment – group fitness classes, aqua fitness, wave swim, and rock wall climbing. The report says activities are categorized based on the city resources required to deliver them to users. 'The new model applies to both drop-in admissions and memberships, following the same streamlined, three-tiered structure,' staff say. 'This ensures that residents are charged fairly and consistently based on the services they use, whether they are attending on a drop-in basis or purchasing a membership pass.' Staff say the annual membership pass will have a monthly fee price at 4.2 times the cost of a single admission. According to the report, fees for Category 1, depending on the age, will range from $12.70 to $21.70 per month for a membership pass, and $3.02 to $5.04 for a one-time admission. Fees for Categories 2 and 3 will range from $22.38 to $44.31 per month. Staff say that based on a review of 2024 membership pass data, 16 per cent of monthly pass holders are expected to see an increase of less than $5 per month, 33 per cent of monthly members will see an increase of more than $5 a month, and six per cent will pay more than $10 a month more for a monthly pass. The report says fee increases will be phased in for those facing significant price changes.
