Speed limits in Canada are set by each province: 50 km/h is the usual default in towns, rural defaults are 80 or 90 km/h, and main highways are 100 or 110 km/h where signed. Camera use differs just as much. Ontario ended automated speed enforcement in November 2025, while Québec uses stationary and mobile photo radars.
| Road type | Cars |
|---|---|
| Towns and cities | 50 km/h (Ontario, Québec, British Columbia) |
| Rural roads | 80 km/h (Ontario, British Columbia); usually 90 km/h (Québec) |
| Main highways | 100 km/h (Québec); 100 or 110 km/h as posted (Ontario) |
| School zones | Usually 30 km/h (Québec) |
What are the speed limits in Canada?
Each province has its own default limits, and a posted sign replaces the default.
- Ontario: the Highway Traffic Act sets 50 km/h in a local municipality or built-up area and 80 km/h elsewhere, with higher limits set by regulation. Ontario says 110 km/h now applies permanently on nearly 89 per cent of the provincial highways previously posted at 100 km/h, a total of 1,811 km.
- Québec: the SAAQ gives 50 km/h in towns and cities, usually 90 km/h on secondary roads and 100 km/h on most highways. School zones are usually 30 km/h.
- British Columbia: the Motor Vehicle Act sets 50 km/h in a municipality and 80 km/h outside one, and the minister can raise or lower a limit by sign. A provincial list from 2018 shows 120 km/h on Highway 5 from Hope to Kamloops.
What kinds of speed cameras does Canada use?
Canada has no single camera system, because each province decides what it allows.
- Ontario: the province repealed automated speed enforcement from its Highway Traffic Act, and the change took effect on 14 November 2025. Red light camera provisions remain in the Act.
- Québec: the government lists three types of device: stationary photo radar, mobile photo radar on a van, trailer or tripod, and red-light monitoring equipment.
- British Columbia: the province monitors 140 high-risk intersections. Of these, 35 monitor both red light and speed violations and 105 monitor red lights only, according to its page updated on 13 July 2026.
- Alberta: a five-year pilot under the Pilot Project (Automated Traffic Enforcement) Regulation came into force on 15 October 2026. Municipalities apply for approval of speed sites inside school, playground, construction or maintenance zones, speed sites outside those zones, and red-light sites at intersections.
Are speed camera apps legal in Canada?
It depends on the province, and in Ontario it is unclear. Section 79 of Ontario’s Highway Traffic Act prohibits driving a vehicle that carries a “speed measuring warning device”, defined as any device or equipment designed or intended for use in a motor vehicle to warn the driver of speed measuring equipment in the vicinity. The Act does not mention phone apps and we found no ruling on them, so check locally before you use one in Ontario. Section 203 of Manitoba’s Highway Traffic Act prohibits a device for detecting radar speed determination equipment. For other provinces we found no specific rule on apps, so check locally. Checked on 30 October 2026.
What should visiting drivers know?
- Canadian limits are in km/h, so drivers arriving from the USA should check which scale their speedometer shows.
- Provincial borders can change the default limit and the camera rules.
- Québec prohibits holding a phone or other portable electronic device while driving, even at a red light, and allows hands-free devices.
- Québec’s highway limit is 100 km/h. The SAAQ reminds visitors that it is not 130 km/h as in several European countries.
Crossing the border? See our guide to the United States.
