Here's how many photo radar and red light camera tickets Ottawa's first responders received in 2023

Ottawa's photo radar and red light cameras caught hundreds of emergency responders speeding and running red lights on Ottawa roads last year, but statistics show the majority of the tickets were issued to vehicles responding to an emergency.

Statistics provided to CTV News Ottawa show 632 tickets were issued to Ottawa police, Ottawa Fire Service and the Ottawa Paramedic Service through the automated speed enforcement and red light camera programs in 2023 for speeding in community safety zones or running red lights. A total of 262 tickets were issued through red light cameras, while 370 tickets were handed out for speeding through the photo radar program.

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Of the 632 tickets issued to emergency services personnel, a total of 376 tickets were issued to police, fire and paramedic vehicles responding to an emergency at the time of the alleged offence, according to officials.

Ottawa's photo radar cameras issued 127,939 speeding tickets in 2023, while the red light cameras issued 56,475 tickets to drivers last year.

CTVNewsOttawa.ca looks at the number of tickets issued to Ottawa's first responders in 2023.

Ottawa Police Service

Statistics provided by the Ottawa Police Service shows the service received 185 speeding tickets through the automated speed enforcement program in 2023, and 77 tickets for running a red light through the red light camera program.

Eight-five of the 185 speeding tickets issued by photo radar cameras involved an officer on a call for service, according to police.  A total of 62 tickets for running a red light camera were issued to officers responding to a call for service.

"There are many reasons why an Officer would exceed posted speed limits without being on a call for service. For example, they may be responding to a call they have not been dispatched to, but are responding to it in order to support other officers or to catch up to a vehicle of interest," police said in a statement to CTV News Ottawa.

"The (Highway Traffic Act) provides Police Officers with a clause to operate a vehicle more than the posted speed limits under section 128(13) during the lawful performance of their duty."

Police Chief Eric Stubbs told reporters last July that any officer who is ticketed is responsible for paying the fine, if warranted.

"We do try to determine what they're doing at the time of the infraction and then a determination is made on what path to go from that conclusion," Stubbs said.

A sign warning drivers that a municipal speed camera is in use along the roadway ahead. (CTV News Ottawa)

Ottawa Paramedic Service

Paramedics received a total of 263 tickets for speeding and running a red light through the automated speed enforcement and red light camera programs last year.

"Members of both the Ottawa Paramedic Service and Ottawa Fire Services (OFS) are committed to providing their community the essential emergency services they expect while doing so safely and reliably," Kim Ayotte, general manager of Emergency and Protective Services, told CTV News Ottawa in a statement.

"While performing their duties, and due to the urgent nature of the incidents they respond to, they occasionally trigger enforcement action by automated speed enforcement (ASE) and red light cameras (RLC) throughout Ottawa. Staff are trained to take these actions while driving in the safest manner possible and we are proud of their ability to do so while responding to urgent calls."

Ayotte says all 107 tickets paramedics received for running a red light were associated with an emergency response.

Of the 156 speeding tickets issued by photo radar cameras to paramedic vehicles, 122 tickets were linked to crews responding to an emergency.

"For any tickets received outside of an emergency response, our department follows the City’s process of handling these infractions as disciplinary matters, and in accordance with the relevant collective agreement or employment contract and the discipline policy," Ayotte said.

"We appreciate the hard work of our members and work with them to ensure they continue to operate City vehicles with the highest level of professionalism and safety in mind."

A red light camera at the intersection of Gladstone Avenue and Rochester Street in Ottawa.

Ottawa Fire Service

The Ottawa Fire Service received 78 tickets through the red light camera program and 29 speeding tickets from photo radar cameras in 2023.

Ayotte says the Ottawa Fire Service does not track how many tickets were associated with an emergency.

The City of Ottawa does not require drivers to pay the fines, and the tickets are addressed as disciplinary matters.

"Employees who commit HTA infractions are subject to discipline, the extent of which will necessarily depend on the nature and seriousness of the misconduct, their length of service, and any prior disciplinary history," David White, Ottawa's City Clerk and Solicitor, said in a statement to CTV News Ottawa last month.

"In 2022, the City implemented a Fleet Safety Program in which operators of City of Ottawa vehicles are given the Authority to Operate (ATO) once qualified, assessed and trained. As part of the management of risk, the City assigns escalating risk levels based on unsafe action, infractions, conditions, or preventable collisions, including offences resulting from speeding and failure to obey a stop sign, resulting in risk mitigation actions up to and including suspension of a driver’s ATO."

OC Transpo drivers received 87 tickets for speeding through the photo radar camera program and 56 tickets for running a red light.