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And what feels better than sticking up for frustrated drivers getting ticketed on their way to pick up their kids?

The irony, of course, is that Conservatives have long branded themselves as the law-and-order party. But only to a point. The enemy isn鈥檛 dangerous drivers. It鈥檚 faceless enforcement. So Ford flips the narrative. He鈥檚 not against slowing down. He鈥檚 against being caught doing something everyone occasionally does.

It鈥檚 enforcement populism: not 鈥渢ough on crime,鈥� but 鈥渢ough on enforcement that feels like a trap.鈥�

At a press conference in Vaughan, he laid out his logic: 鈥淚f you don鈥檛 know where that speed camera is, you鈥檙e zipping by.鈥� In other words: never mind the speed limit signs, school zone warnings, or camera ahead alerts. If you鈥檙e driving so fast you miss them and get caught, that鈥檚 not deterrence. It鈥檚 entrapment. Just like that OPP cruiser tucked behind a bush on Highway 401. We should see it coming, so we can slow down just long enough not to get caught.

There鈥檚 also a cultural cue here. For many conservative-leaning voters, cars represent freedom. What some call a speeding violation, others see as 鈥渏ust trying to get home.鈥� That emotional trigger 鈥� the idea that the government is penalizing people for living their lives 鈥� is ripe territory for populist messaging. In that frame, a speeding ticket isn鈥檛 a consequence. It鈥檚 a provocation.

Speed bumps and flashing signs? Acceptable. A camera that catches you speeding without a cop in sight? That feels like surveillance. 鈥淐ash grabs.鈥� 鈥淪peed traps.鈥� The language is loaded. That鈥檚 why Ford鈥檚 positioning isn鈥檛 just political. It鈥檚 emotional. The camera doesn鈥檛 just catch you. It judges you. And Ford is saying: I won鈥檛 let them.

Speed cameras work. The data is clear: they slow traffic, save lives and protect the most vulnerable, especially children in school zones. But they don鈥檛 market themselves. And that鈥檚 where Ford wins.

What he鈥檚 offering isn鈥檛 better policy. It鈥檚 a promise to replace the cold eye of a camera with warmer, more familiar tools; signs, bumps, roundabouts. Things you can see, drive over, or ignore. But not fear.

But here鈥檚 a missed opportunity. Those tickets in the mail? That envelope could be doing more than punishing. It could be persuading.

Imagine if the notice also said: 鈥淵ou have the power to get rid of speed cameras in your area.鈥� If a set number of drivers consistently respect the speed limit for 90 days, we鈥檒l deactivate this camera. Not because you complained, but because you proved it鈥檚 no longer needed. That鈥檚 carrot and stick marketing. It turns enforcement into empowerment. It respects the goal and the audience. 鈥淧ower to the people鈥� is a populist narrative at its best.

Ford鈥檚 message should be: Slow down. Do so consistently. You have the power to make this camera obsolete.

It鈥檚 a behavioural nudge dressed as civic empowerment. A smart mix of policy and persuasion.

Because in the end, the goal isn鈥檛 just to punish. It鈥檚 to create the conditions where the enforcement tool becomes irrelevant. That鈥檚 something we can all get behind. Even the premier, if he鈥檚 serious about 鈥淧rotecting Ontario,鈥� from itself, too.