Calgary city council approves $28 million funding shortfall on photo radar tickets

Since the inception of photo radar to catch speeding drivers, the arguments have been “it’s a cash cow” to “it saves lives and punishes bad drivers in their pocket books.” 

Turns out it really was a cash cow and was unfairly made part of the Calgary Police Service (CPS) budget. 

‘Was’ is the operative word, as provincial rules on the use of photo radar coming into force on April 1 could result in a $28 million shortfall in the CPS budget in 2025. 

Last December, the Government of Alberta announced new regulations regarding use of photo radar, advising municipalities to remove photo radar sites immediately, with full compliance by April 1, 2025. 

The new rules limit police use of photo radar only in school zones, playground zones and construction zones. It is banned on all provincial highways and intersection cameras can only be used to enforce red light infractions. 

Since the new rules were announced, the CPS has issued a dramatic drop in tickets issued, reducing the total traffic fine revenue coming to the police budget, estimated at $28 million, prompting Calgary City Council on February 25 to direct city administration and CPS to seek possible remedies to counteract the decline in revenue. 

On Tuesday, council heard from the Calgary Police Commission (CPC), requesting it approve funding to match the fine revenue shortfall and authorize up to $28 million, or whatever the fine revenue shortfall becomes in 2025, from the city’s Fiscal Stability Reserve (FSR), as well as to support the commission's approach to the Alberta government to separate fine revenues from the police budget.  

At the council meeting, Calgary Police Chief Mark Neufeld, said CPS would need to reduce expenditures, including not adding needed personnel to the force. 

To prevent reductions to the level of available police services, city administration recommended to council that the 2025 fine revenue shortfall be offset by a one-time recovery from the FSR, with the final amount to be recovered depending on the actual shortfall, to be identified at year-end.  

The CPC also said including fine revenue in the police budget undermines public trust in policing by causing a real or perceived conflict of interest and results in unpredictable funding, prompting administration to recommend investigating removing fine revenues from the CPS budget, replacing them with base budgeting beginning in 2026.  

After a long debate, council voted unanimously to approve administration's recommendations to fund the CPS budget shortfall and remove fine revenues from the CPS budget.