$67M for New ICBC Cameras Needs a Safety Ledger, Not a Slogan
A road-safety program can be useful and still require hard public accounting. B.C. should show what the camera contract buys, where the money goes, and whether each site actually reduces harm.
The NDP government wants British Columbians to see the new ICBC camera contract as a simple road-safety story. Safety matters. Red-light running and dangerous speeding can maim or kill people at exactly the places where drivers, cyclists and pedestrians meet. But a Crown corporation’s $67-million contract is not a slogan. It is a public ledger waiting to be opened.
On September 10, the Attorney General’s ministry announced that ICBC is replacing all 140 intersection safety cameras across B.C. with modern technology. The work has begun and is expected to continue in phases until spring 2027. The Province says these cameras operate at high-risk intersections in communities such as Metro Vancouver, Victoria, Nanaimo, Kelowna and Prince George.
The case for enforcement is not imaginary. The Province says RoadSafetyBC reports fewer drivers running red lights at all 140 camera locations. It also says red-light infractions decreased 13 per cent over the past five years, repeat red-light offenders declined 29 per cent, and drivers exceeding the speed limit by more than 25 km/h dropped 52 per cent over three years at the 35 locations where speed tickets can be issued.
Those numbers are exactly why the public should get more than a victory lap. If the cameras work, show the work. Publish a site-by-site safety table: crashes before and after installation, serious-injury trends, pedestrian and cyclist collisions, red-light violations, speed violations, false positives, ticket disputes and repeat-offender rates. Do it by intersection, not just provincewide.
The money trail matters too. The government says ICBC selected Jenoptik Canada through competitive procurement to supply, install and maintain the cameras for as long as 10 years. ICBC says the investment is $67 million over the life of the contract, and the Province says the contract award is listed on BC Bid. That still leaves basic public questions: what are the annual payments, what are the maintenance standards, what penalties apply for equipment failure, and what data rights does the public retain?
The rollout also touches city streets. The Province says about 90 locations will need minor road or sidewalk work for new poles and wiring, and that ICBC and Jenoptik are working with municipalities on permits. Municipalities deserve a clear schedule before work hits sidewalks, traffic lanes and local budgets. Residents deserve to know when their intersection is changing and what disruption is expected.
Then there is revenue. ICBC’s program page says 100 per cent of net revenue from traffic violations is transferred to municipalities that directly pay for policing, to support community safety and local policing priorities. That makes a revenue ledger unavoidable. The public should see ticket revenue by municipality, administrative costs deducted before “net” is calculated, and what each city spends the money on.
Finally, B.C. says it is updating Motor Vehicle Act regulations so the new camera model can be used. That regulatory step should include plain-language privacy and data safeguards: what is captured, how long images are retained, who can access them, and how errors are corrected.
If this is truly about safety, transparency helps the case. Publish the contract ledger, the rollout map, the municipal revenue ledger and the crash-reduction scorecard. Let British Columbians see whether the cameras are preventing harm — and whether the $67 million is buying what the government says it is buying.