Ontario Premier Doug Ford’s government is proposing to limit debate and avoid public input on three pieces of legislation, including one that would end the province’s speed camera program.
Government House Leader Steve Clark is proposing to fast track a red tape reduction bill that includes banning speed cameras, a labour bill and an emergency management bill.
Clark’s proposal indicates the government plans to stop any further debate at the second reading stage for the three bills, then entirely bypass the committee stage that usually follows — a time to hear from the public on the bill and make any amendments — and limit debate time for the final, third reading stage.
Ford has been vocal over the past couple of months in his opposition to speed cameras, calling them a “cash grab” only meant to generate revenue for municipalities, but the communities themselves, as well as parents, police chiefs and researchers at the Hospital for Sick Children have said they save lives and should stay.
Clark said the ministers responsible indicated they were good with the debate that had already occurred in the House for second reading, and the premier has signalled his keen interest in enacting the red tape reduction law.
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“It’s a priority of the government that clearly was indicated right at the highest levels,” Clark said after question period. “That’s why I scheduled it the way I did.”
NDP Leader Marit Stiles said matters in all three of the bills deserve public scrutiny and attention, but this government is not interested in debating the issues.
“They want to push through things,” she said. “They don’t want to have any opportunity for the public, or people who are going to be impacted by legislation, to have a say in the decisions that are going to impact them. It’s more of the same, but it’s getting worse and not better.”
The government limited debate and committee time on numerous bills in the legislature’s spring sitting, and Liberal parliamentary leader John Fraser said it feels like Groundhog Day as the government already starts bypassing normal processes in week two of the fall sitting.
“They just figure they can do whatever they want, and that people aren’t paying attention,” he said.
“You’ve got to take time. You’ve got to get it right. You’ve got to listen to the other side. And the government’s not listening … When you fast track stuff like this the way that they’re doing it, it doesn’t serve anybody, and it makes for really bad pieces of legislation.”
More than 20 mayors from across the province have asked Ford to tweak the speed camera program instead of scrapping it entirely, but Ford quickly shut them down.
Ford has said he doesn’t believe speed cameras work to prevent speeding, saying traffic calming measures such as speed bumps, roundabouts and big signs with flashing lights are more effective.
Data from several municipalities that have analyzed the effect of the cameras on traffic speeds, as well as a different study from SickKids and Toronto Metropolitan University, show speeds are reduced.
The red tape bill would also allow for greater movement of workers, largely in health care, between provinces and “streamline” the Clean Water Act.
The labour bill includes requiring automatic external defibrillators on construction sites and requiring job posting platforms to have mechanisms to report fraudulent job advertisements. The emergency management bill sets out roles and responsibilities the government says would enable better communication and co-ordination.
© 2025 The Canadian Press
