Source: Global News — Calgary police issue 60K tickets for running red lights since 2024
What the numbers say
Calgary police have issued more than 60,000 red light camera tickets since 2024, including roughly 8,400 in the first five months of 2026 alone. Each one carries a $405 fine. What makes that figure striking is the coverage: the city's 57 intersection safety cameras watch fewer than 5% of Calgary's intersections — meaning the tickets on the books are only a fraction of the red lights actually being run. Police say part of the problem is that catching violators on regular patrol is difficult, and a local Facebook group, "Bad Calgary Drivers," has been documenting everything from near-misses with pedestrians to drivers blowing through lights seconds after they change.
Staff Sgt. Andy Woodward put it plainly: "Red lights are there for people safety." His advice when approaching an intersection on a stale green or amber is to ease off and be ready to stop — not to gamble on beating the light. Meanwhile, University of Calgary researcher Jacob Lamb argued that for cameras to genuinely deter red light running, they'd need to cover nearly every intersection, not one in twenty.
If a camera ticket shows up in your mailbox
A camera ticket is not automatically a conviction. Because the vehicle's registered owner is ticketed — not necessarily the driver — there are no demerits, but the evidence still has to hold up: the photos, the timing data, and the camera's records all matter. If something about your ticket doesn't look right, it's worth having it reviewed before you pay.