Calgary Photo Radar Tickets Delayed by 2025 Postal Dispute Now Reaching Drivers
Calgarians who committed traffic offences last year are finally receiving long-delayed photo enforcement tickets in their mailboxes. The Calgary Police Service announced on Monday that over 13,000 tickets whose delivery was suspended during the 2025 Canada Post labor dispute are now being mailed to alleged offenders.
Six-Month Delivery Suspension Due to Postal Strike
The ticket delivery disruption lasted for six months following a directive from the Alberta solicitor general. All Alberta enforcement agencies were ordered to suspend using Canada Post for mail delivery while labor negotiations were ongoing. As a result, the Calgary Police Service temporarily stopped issuing photo enforcement tickets on May 16, 2025, since these violations are typically served by ordinary mail.
Following court authorization, some delayed tickets were delivered by courier, but this method wasn't applicable to all cases. The remaining 13,973 tickets are now being sent with an explanatory letter outlining why they're arriving late and detailing response procedures. Recipients maintain their right to mount legal challenges against the citations.
Financial Impact and Provincial Policy Changes
In 2023, the Calgary Police Service collected $34 million from fines and tickets according to city budget documents. However, the provincial government has been reducing photo radar deployment, referring to the technology as "cash cows." In December 2024, the UCP government ordered a further 70 percent reduction in photo radar deployment for 2025, following earlier cuts announced in late 2023.
Police Defend Photo Radar Effectiveness
Despite provincial reductions, Calgary police maintain that photo enforcement has significantly improved road safety. According to police data, the technology has contributed to:
- A 33.4 percent reduction in overall collisions
- A 75 percent decrease in fatal collisions
- A 55.7 percent decline in injury crashes
CPS statistics also show that photo radar violations have decreased substantially in recent years, falling from 29.2 per 100 registered vehicles in 2016 to just 8.6 in 2024. The vehicle collision rate per 100,000 people has plunged from approximately 90 in 2002 to 20 in 2024.
The delayed ticket distribution represents a significant administrative catch-up for Calgary's traffic enforcement system, bringing closure to thousands of alleged violations that occurred during the postal service disruption.
