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“The ASE camera is scheduled to be reinstalled by Wednesday,” confirmed Laura McQuillan, senior communications adviser at the City of É«É«À². 

The Parkside Drive speed camera is the city’s most prolific catcher of speeders, issuing over 66,000 tickets and adding $7 million in fines to the city’s coffers. 

But due to its effectiveness, it’s been cut down five times in the past seven months, with the most recent incident a little over a month ago, on May 23. The Parkside Speed camera has become a target and a symbol of the frustration of many drivers who dislike being caught by the automated surveillance devices. 

Police say the cases of serial vandalism against this speed camera are under investigation, but have never provided a suspect description. The last time it was put up, someone put up a trail camera to watch the speed camera, although it’s unclear who. 

On Monday morning, The Star witnessed a É«É«À² Hydro utility truck working on the pole beside the speed camera, and when asked, they confirmed a new security camera was being placed to watch over the often missing ASE.      

“We can confirm that É«É«À² Hydro was installing a security camera this morning on Parkside Drive, next to the speed camera, at the request of Transportation Services. Please note that this is a É«É«À² Police Service camera and is not monitored by É«É«À² Hydro,” said Brie Davis, spokesperson for É«É«À² Hydro. 

The Parkside Drive speed camera was first cut down in mid-November 2024, shortly after city council discussed making Parkside Drive a safer street and adding bike lanes. It was replaced two weeks later and then cut down within 24 hours. Once it was replaced again, it was cut down for a third time at the end of December. The third time the perpetrator also dragged the ASE 200 feet into High Park’s duck pond, where it was submerged and eventually frozen in the water. After it was replaced, the next incarnation lasted almost three months, but on April 18 it was once again felled. Once replaced, it lasted until May, marking the fifth time it had been taken down in six months. 

Speed cameras have become flashpoints in other jurisdictions in the GTA. In Vaughan, , and police are still looking for suspects. As well, Vaughan city council faced backlash, as the cameras issued 32,000 tickets in the first few months of being installed, so the local politicians have put the brakes on the device’s ticket issuing function for the summer. 

A É«É«À² City Council member was going to put forth a similar motion last week, but after a contentious debate about speed cameras, balked and changed his motion. 

As well, last week over a 24-hour period, five cameras were taken out of commission. Two of them were cut down, with another that occurred the day before. The city confirmed being notified of another ASE camera being cut down near Sheppard Avenue and Keele Street on Monday, so the act of cutting down speed cameras appears to be spreading to other locations across the city. 

For the past six months, whenever the Parkside Drive camera has been put up, the question has been how long will it last? With another camera watching the camera, perhaps the mystery of the Parkside Cutter will finally come into focus.