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If Toronto Mayor John Tory has his way, the message to motorists will be: Smile, you’re on candid camera!

In a bid to reduce policing costs in the city, Tory on Monday said he is “formally” asking Premier Kathleen Wynne to amend provincial laws to allow photo radar in Toronto.

“Give us legislative freedom to do a couple of things that I think are going to be very fundamental to the modernization of policing and to the addressing of the police budgetary concerns,” the mayor said at Queen’s Park following a 40-minute morning meeting in the premier’s office.

Tory, a former leader of the provincial Progressive Conservatives, said he is seeking “broader latitude than we have today to use technology, especially when it comes to things like traffic management.”

“We can use technology in place of uniform police officers. This will allow for more efficient deployment of expensive, highly trained police officers,” he said, adding the technology “could include photo radar,” especially in school zones.

Later in the day, Wynne sounded open to the cameras — which snap pictures of a speeding car’s licence plate so a ticket can be mailed to the owner — but stressed cities and towns would have to drive any change.

“From my perspective this needs to be something that comes from municipalities as a request because of safety issues, because of traffic control,” she said after a speech to Ontario Good Roads Association and Rural Ontario Municipalities Association at the Fairmont Royal York Hotel.

“If there are other municipalities that are going to be asking the same question, we’re open to that, but we’re not in the business of imposing those things on municipalities.”

Mindful that former PC premier Mike Harris scrapped photo radar in 1995 — less than a year after his predecessor NDP premier Bob Rae introduced it — Wynne suggested it is no longer as contentious.

“It had become a highly politicized conversation . . . the spirit that Mayor Tory is raising it is totally different,” she said.

“He used the example of photo radar in a list of technologies, but red-light cameras are another one.”

Opposition parties were open to the idea, with the Conservatives viewing it as a revenue-raising tool for municipalities while the New Democrats see it as a safety matter.

“That conversation I would welcome. It’s important to hear from the police, to hear from municipalities. If that’s something they want to pursue then it should be considered here,” said Progressive Conservative Leader Patrick Brown.

“It was the Progressive Conservatives that got rid of photo radar, so there is some hesitation toward that, but . . . the reality is municipalities are desperately looking at new revenue mechanisms because of underfunding,” he said.

“Toronto has kick-started the conversation. It’s certainly premature whether I’m going to be out there supporting it.”

NDP Leader Andrea Horwath said Wynne should “take seriously” any such requests from Tory, other municipalities and Horwath’s home city of Hamilton, where council is concerned about speeders on highways.

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“It’s actually time to have a new look” at the measure given the technological and attitudinal changes over the past two decades, she said.

Photo radar use in Ontario

“We simply cannot have a police officer on every single street where there’s a potential speeder.”

The mayor’s office said a formal request, likely to be made this week, is aimed at public safety but could also kickstart modernization of the police service after calls for budget cuts last week.

Tory is looking to target drivers making illegal left turns and speeding in school zones. He would also like changes to the Ontario Highway Traffic Act allowing lower-paid civilian officers to issue tickets and direct traffic.

Toronto Police Association president Mike McCormack said the union is willing to look at potential benefits of photo radar, agreeing it could free up officers to be redeployed elsewhere.

“We can’t be everywhere on every corner so there is a place for technology like photo radar to augment uniform policing,” said McCormack, who rejected that technology could decrease the number of officers needed.

Councillor John Campbell (Ward 4, Etobicoke Centre) noted police Chief Mark Saunders broached photo radar with him last week before council debated the cop budget.

Councillor Jon Burnside (Ward 26, Don Valley West), a former traffic officer in Toronto, said “there’s a political way around . . . (the) fear of it being a cash grab.”

“It would mean that (officers are) not sitting on corners,” said Burnside. “It would mean they’re out there getting people who are texting and driving, sort of the more serious stuff.”

With files from David Rider

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