Fixed speed camera
SignpostedStationary photo radar (radar photo fixe)
Catches: Speeding.
Used in Quebec, beside the road. Quebec announced nearly 200 new photo radars across the province from 2026.
Speed cameras in Canada: what they look like
Cameras depend on the province. Ontario banned municipal speed cameras from 14 November 2025 but still uses red light cameras. Quebec uses fixed and mobile photo radar, announced by green signs showing a camera, plus red light cameras. British Columbia has intersection cameras that catch red light running and, at some sites, speeding. Alberta allows photo radar only in school, playground and construction zones, not on provincial highways. Radar detectors are illegal in Ontario, Quebec and most other provinces, but legal in British Columbia, Alberta and Saskatchewan.
Warned by a sign
Fixed speed camera, Mobile camera
Not always warned
Red light camera
Every camera type
Real photos, with where each one was taken and who took it.
Mobile camera
SignpostedMobile photo radar (radar photo mobile)
Looks like: A camera mounted on a van, a trailer or a tripod at the roadside.
Catches: Speeding.
Used in Quebec, often in roadwork zones. Area signs warn that a mobile radar may be present, but some units outside roadwork zones are signposted only about 10 metres ahead. Alberta allows photo radar only in school, playground and construction zones.
Red light camera
Sometimes signpostedRed light camera (intersection safety camera in British Columbia)
Catches: Entering the junction after the light has turned red. Some sites in British Columbia and Quebec also catch speeding, on any colour of light.
Quebec announces them with signs. In British Columbia they photograph only when the light is red, not a left-turning car already in the junction, and two officers review every ticket. Ontario kept red light cameras after its 2025 speed camera ban. In Alberta they may only enforce red lights.
The warning signs
Photo radar
Radar photo
A fixed or mobile photo radar is nearby, or may be in the area (Quebec).
What to do: Check your speed. The ticket goes to the car's owner.
- Quebec: green sign showing a camera with lines radiating from it. One version announces a fixed or mobile photo radar nearby, another says a radar may be in the area, and tabs underneath can show the length, direction or end of the monitored section. In school zones it stands between the school crossing sign and the start of the zone. No set distance is published. Some mobile radars outside roadwork zones are signposted only about 10 metres ahead.
- Quebec: the same photo radar sign with an orange background, used in roadwork zones where a mobile photo radar may be present. No set distance is published.
Good to know
Radar detectors: Restricted
If you're in a hire car: Camera tickets go to the vehicle's registered owner, which for a hire car is the hire company. In British Columbia and Quebec they carry no demerit points. Check your hire agreement for how fines are passed on.
Fines
| Offence | Fine |
|---|---|
| Turning right on red on the island of Montréal Plus 3 demerit points. | $100 to $200 |
| No winter tyres on a Quebec-registered car between 1 December and 15 March Plus costs. | $200 to $300 |
| Passing a school bus with red lights flashing (Saskatchewan) | $360 minimum |
The full guide to driving in Canada · Speed cameras in other countries