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Parkside Drive south of Algonquin Avenue in west end Toronto is home to what is perhaps the most infamous speed camera in the world.

Here’s the skinny: this camera was first installed in 2022 after a fatal accident occurred on Parkside Drive.

But somebody or some people are not happy with Big Brother watching – and fining – them.

And so it was that the Parkside Drive speed camera has been chopped down six times in just eight months.

The city thought it had a solution to this problem when it installed a Toronto Police security camera near the speed camera. It remains unknown if the culprit was caught on that particular camera, which is mounted some 20 feet high on a light standard pole. But how odd: Toronto might be the only municipality in which a camera… is filming another camera!

Recently, the Parkside Drive speed camera was erected yet again. It’s supposed to be new and improved. The metallic arm the camera is mounted on is thicker and therefore more impervious (at least in theory) to a chainsaw attack.

Our take? It’s only a matter of time before this camera comes down yet again. We’re pegging the over/under date as Thanksgiving Day (bet under.)

Little wonder this speed camera has made enemies. It’s supposed to be all about safety. But is it really simply a cash grab?

Consider the stats: just functioning on a part-time basis, this single speed camera has issued more than 68,000 speeding tickets. That means the City of Toronto has dinged motorists for more than $7 million in fines. Ka-ching!

While neither the City nor the police apparently have any idea who is chopping down the Parkside Drive speed camera, we must ask: is this person a vandal that should have the book thrown at him or her? Or is this person a modern-day Robin Hood, bringing relief to the ever-beleaguered Toronto motorist?

Keep in mind that for several years now, the idealogues at the City of Toronto has waged war on the car – be it eradicating lanes for bicycles or refusing to expand roadways. The champagne socialists at City Hall would rather residents walk, ride a bike or take public transit to get around. Thus, they have purposely made driving in Toronto miserable.

And the end-result is that gridlock in Hogtown is beyond insufferable. In fact, Toronto has the worst traffic in all of North America! This includes New York, Los Angeles, and even Mexico City! Meanwhile, the city is not serious about fixing this egregious situation. In fact, the city’s strategy seems to be that it wants traffic to further worsen so motorists will hopefully abandon their vehicles. It’s all about addressing the climate crisis… or something…

Bottom line: while we can’t condone the constant amputation of the Parkside Drive speed camera, we completely UNDERSTAND the motivation for chopping down this electronic cash-grab…

One final point: when the speed camera was reintroduced for the seventh time earlier this week, an on-site press conference was conducted. The police brass was in attendance; Mayor Olivia Chow was there, too. There was much bravado and tough talk about how the city is not going to put up with this constant vandalism.

How odd: Hogtown is suffering through its worst crimewave in its history. On a weekly basis, the Hamasholes chant for genocide as they illegally shut down intersections to “pray”. But when it comes to real crime, there’s nothing to see here. Indeed, the top priority for Chairman Chow is getting a speed camera/cash register up and running. Hey, as the old saying goes: “Socialism isn’t for the socialists.”