Latest News

Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION

Photo-radar contract clears its first hurdle at city hall

By: Bartley Kives

Posted: 11/19/2012 10:14 AM | Comments: 0

(WINNIPEG FREE PRESS ARCHIVES)

A new photo-radar contract for Winnipeg has cleared its first hurdle at city hall.

Council's protection and community services committee voted 3-1 this morning to approve a seven-year, $20-million deal that will see ACS Public Sector Solutions operate digital red-light-intersection speed cameras.

The digital cameras will replace existing wet-film cameras. The new contract has been vetted by city finance experts, as per the advice of a scathing audit into Winnipeg's initial contract with ACS Public Sector Solutions.

Couns. Thomas Steen (Elmwood-East Kildonan), Ross Eadie (Mynarski) and Harvey Smith (Daniel McIntyre) voted in favour of the new contract. Committee chairman Scott Fielding (St. James-Brooklands) voted in opposition.

Fielding has long maintained he would prefer to see more police officers enforce traffic violations.

Winnipeg police Staff Sgt. Rob Riffel said the city already employs a balance of officers and automated cameras. The machines have the advantage of not getting caught up in court the way officers do, he said.

Riffel repeated police statistics that show a reduction in often-fatal T-bone collisions at intersections with red-light cameras, along with an increase in usually less-serious rear-end collisions at those intersections over the same time frame.

He said he is solely concerned about safety.

Police Chief Devin Clunis said the new contract represents the most financially responsible one for the city.

The program is expected to bring in next revenues of $41 million over the life of the contract, said police finance manager Ron Smolik.

That money offsets other policing costs, he said.

The new photo-radar contract also faces executive policy approval and approval from council as a whole.

The same meeting also saw the protection and community services committee receive a verbal report about the fate of aging city hockey arenas. A year ago, the city issued a search for potential private partners or community groups willing to invest in new hockey multiplexes.

Eight proposals came forward but none of them were acceptable, community services director Clive Wightman told the committee.

A new report may be issued in 2013, Fielding said.

Fact Check

Have you found an error, or know of something we’ve missed in one of our stories? Please use the form below and let us know.

* Required

In which story did you find the error? *
Please post the headline of the story or the title of the video with the error.
What was the error? *
Please post exactly what was wrong with the story.
What should we have written?
Please indicate your source for the correct information.
Who else should we interview to improve this story?
Please include any contact information you may have.
Can we contact you in the future for advice on stories about this topic?
Yes

No
First Name: *
Last Name: *
E–mail Address: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Phone: *
This will only be used to contact you if we have a question about your submission, it will not be used to identify you or be published.
Colour:
Are you blue? If you can see this, leave it blank and get some CSS support.
Enter the words that you see: * This is to prevent our forms from being filled out automatically.
You have failed to correctly identify the words in the box above. Please try again.

More Latest News

Undock

You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.

Have Your Say

New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.

The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.