Back to School Without Speed Cameras: What Waterloo Region Drivers Need to Know

Our School Zones Look Different This September

Kids across Waterloo Region are back in class, and for the first time in years, the school zones they walk through have no speed cameras watching over them. Twenty-eight local school zones had municipal speed cameras before the province pulled the plug. This spring, large provincially mandated speed limit signs went up in their place.

Last September, we wrote about how automated speed enforcement was reducing speeds in local school zones. A year later, the cameras are gone province-wide — and data from other Ontario cities shows exactly what happened next.

Why the Cameras Came Down

On October 30, 2025, the Ontario government passed Bill 56, the Building a More Competitive Economy Act. Tucked inside the omnibus bill was an amendment stripping municipalities of the authority to operate automated speed enforcement. Cameras stopped issuing tickets on November 14, 2025.

The province framed the cameras as a revenue grab. Municipalities disagreed sharply. Waterloo Mayor Dorothy McCabe called the ban a “disappointing decision,” noting the cameras had been an effective way to manage speeds across the community.

Toronto’s Numbers Are In

A City of Toronto staff report released in June 2026 compared speeds at former camera sites before and after removal. The findings were stark.

Speeds increased at 101 of the 104 locations measured. The share of drivers travelling 11 km/h or more over the posted limit climbed from 2 per cent to 8.1 per cent. In 30 km/h zones, drivers going at least 16 km/h over jumped from 1.4 per cent to 7.2 per cent — roughly a fivefold increase.

Mayor Olivia Chow called the report “horrifying.”

The city also recorded 25 fatal collisions between December 1, 2025 and May 31, 2026, compared with 20, 21 and 16 over the same stretch in the three previous years. City staff cautioned that fatality counts fluctuate year to year and more time is needed to draw firm conclusions.

Ottawa Tells the Same Story

Ottawa tracked speeds at the eight original pilot sites where its program began. Compliance with posted limits fell from 87 per cent to 51 per cent within three weeks of the cameras going dark, and to 41 per cent within three months. High-end speeding rose from 0.3 per cent of drivers to 4.5 per cent.

It had taken four years of camera enforcement to lift compliance at those sites from 16 per cent to 87 per cent. Most of that gain disappeared in a matter of weeks.

By late August 2026, city data showed more than 60 per cent of drivers speeding through former camera locations, with average speeds 7 to 13 km/h higher than a year earlier.

What This Means on Local Streets

Waterloo Region’s own close-out report found the program had improved compliance and reduced both average and high-end speeds before it ended. The tools that produced those results are no longer available to the Region.

Enforcement hasn’t vanished entirely — Waterloo Regional Police proposed a dedicated road safety team in the 2026 budget, and officers still ticket speeders. But the constant, around-the-clock presence a camera provided is gone, and the evidence from Toronto and Ottawa suggests drivers notice.

The Limit Is Still the Limit

It’s worth being clear about what did and didn’t change. Bill 56 removed a method of enforcement. It did not change the speed limit, and it did not change a driver’s legal duty to everyone else on the road.

If a driver strikes a pedestrian or cyclist, section 193 of the Highway Traffic Act places the onus on that driver to prove the collision didn’t result from their negligence. Excessive speed in a school zone is difficult to defend against. Families of injured children retain every legal right they had a year ago.

How Drivers Can Help Keep School Zones Safe

• Know school hours and slow down during drop-off and pick-up, camera or no camera.
• Put the phone away. Distraction and higher speeds are a dangerous combination.
• Respect crossing guards, who are now a more critical layer of protection than before.
• Watch for kids in unexpected places — stepping between parked cars, cutting across mid-block, or running ahead of a parent.
• Treat the posted limit as the limit. Nothing about the law changed in November.

If You or Your Child Has Been Injured

A collision in a school zone can leave a family dealing with serious injuries, insurance paperwork and questions about what comes next. Harris Law has represented injured people across Waterloo Region for decades, and consultations are always free. If a driver’s speed causes harm to you or someone you love, we can help you understand your options.