An increase in the number of red light camera tickets was issued to drivers in Windsor in 2025, but it came as more red light cameras were added to the system.
The number of red light camera (RLC) tickets issued increased to 5,800 in 2025, up 766 from the 5,034 issued in 2024.
The report discussed during Monday's city council meeting notes that the additional tickets came as the city now has 20 cameras in place after 10 additional cameras were installed last year, with 4 becoming operational in August 2025, 2 in September, and 4 in November.
Red light cameras, which capture an image of a vehicle that enters an intersection during a red light, first became operational in Windsor in January of 2022.
Windsor's Manager of Provincial Offences Chris Carpenter says every time the camera takes a picture, there's a person at the Joint Processing Centre in Toronto that reviews the images to determine if it's a ticketable offence.
"Just because we have more cameras also doesn't mean people are running the cameras as much. That's part of the intent of the red light program, to change driver habits and behaviours," he says. "Being more cautious when they approach an intersection, this is all based on preventing collisions. We would actually like the numbers of tickets to go down even as the cameras go up because that means they're having the deterrent effect we're looking for."
While a $325 fine is issued to those who receive a red light ticket, the overall goal of the cameras is to change driver behaviour, reduce angled collisions, and increase safety.
Ward 8 Councillor Gary Kaschak says it's still shocking that many people are still going through a red light.
"It's very well publicized. We're not trying to trick anybody; it's not a gotcha moment or anything like that," he says. "We tell people where they're at, and we tell people to be careful; there's signage, it's all over the media and social media, and we still get some of that."
Kaschak says this is all about creating safe streets and safe driving.
"The way roads have been created, Tecumseh Road and Cabana Road and places like that with six lanes wide and four lanes wide, they're built to go a little faster. We want people to move, traffic to move in the city, but at the same time, we want safety," he says.
The RLC program produced a net profit of $886,069 for 2025, down from $1,138,936 in 2024.
The figures in the Provincial Offences (POA) Annual Report note that the revenue from these additional tickets will be realized when received in 2026. Delayed revenue recognition and increased expenses (renting 20 cameras instead of 10) also caused the reduction in the overall net profit.
The locations of red light cameras across the city have been selected based on collision data provided by the Windsor Police Service and an examination by the city's vendor that installs the cameras, targeting areas where the data shows a high number of side-impact collisions.