He is not a fan of cameras catching speeders, but he is okay with using them to catch criminals.
Premier Doug Ford says he would support an expansion of closed-circuit television cameras in communities that want them.
Speaking in Hamilton, Ford says they would be effective in residential areas to deal with home invasions and car thefts.
“I want to start introducing cameras on crime, approved by residents. Because the home invasions, and I was asking the mayor about the car thefts here and the home invasions, certain areas around Ontario are just getting hammered,” says Ford.
Some municipalities took advantage of a recent program to install cameras.
The Ontario CCTV Grant program set aside $2 million in annual funding.
Many communities used the money to install the cameras in their downtown cores.
Ford says he would be open to cameras elsewhere if there were support within the community.
“If the community wants it. If you don’t want cameras for security reasons, I know a lot of people have home cameras as well, then we won’t put them in. We’ll only put those cameras in if the city or the town wants them in. And then the community has to give a green light as well.”
Kenora, Thunder Bay, Dryden, Sioux Lookout and Fort Frances are among the communities in northwestern Ontario that obtained funding for cameras through the program
