The other day I was sitting with a friend having coffee and they brought up the new speed cameras which are going to be installed as a pilot program.
The contract is with Xerox, which is an Alberta company based in Edmonton. How much will Saskatchewan be giving to another province? According to an article in the Leader Post it is a total of $4.5 million over two years.
Coming with this includes the infrastructure to track speeds, its installation, signs and advertising, as well as the majority of the cost being tied up in Xerox processing the speeding tickets at $3.8 million.
According to this article it stated that photos of cars caught speeding will go to Xerox in Edmonton for processing. This would then be followed by a file being sent to SGI with the licence plate number and in turn SGI sends a file back to Xerox with the registered owner's information. And finally the ticket will be issued through a local police service.
The NDP is saying that the money, $4.5 million, to stay in Saskatchewan. Although they are not against the program, they feel there has to be a better way to address it than going out-of-province.
Despite this argument, SGI explained that all of the companies who bid on the project were from out-of-province and that Xerox was actually the cheapest option.
They're attempting to reduce collisions and ensure traffic safety by placing 28 cameras at various locations in Regina, Saskatoon, Moose Jaw, Martensville, and on Hwy 1 between Pilot Butte and White City.
So, was there an option the government could have made which focused on speed enforcement while utilizing a Saskatchewan company?
It comes down to the idea of supporting local businesses. Even just as an individual, I do my best to shop locally, though my patronage usually goes towards restaurants as I do not always have enough time to cook. However, when there's something I need, I do try to support local business.
For example, I bought some Hallowe'en candy from Swift Current when I was home because I figured it would be a little bit cheaper; but, I will still buy a few things from local stores to add to what I bought.
Was there a way for Saskatchewan to do something similar in this project, could they have remained in the province to find a solution, or was this their only choice?
SGI has said that locations for photo radar were selected through looking to high speed, high traffic volume, and high-risk locations. These types of areas are dangerous for law enforcement officers to monitor thus the government is focusing on saving the lives of those on the highway, but also focusing on the safety of officers.
Another concern is the perception photo radar is a "cash-grab." This SGI says is not correct as they are paying a fixed fee, so there is no incentive to give tickets out. Instead the locations will be clearly marked with drivers therefore reducing their speed in order to avoid tickets. Their ultimate goal is to apparently give out zero tickets because that would mean no one is speeding through these locations.
Is this acceptable or is it a kind of Big Brother-esque thing the government is doing?
Obviously the government has decided to go through with it, so there isn't much that can be done to stop it; but, is it something that should be stopped or is it something to be embraced?
It's a little disappointing to me that a Saskatchewan company is unable to offer the service, but as with many contracts the government goes with the cheapest bid anyways. This in a sense is good as it allows taxpayer money to go to other ventures, but at the same time it's always nice to support local businesses which in this case would be any business provincially that could offer something similar.
