Ottawa Traffic Cameras: How to View Live Feeds & Access Footage (2026)

You can watch Ottawa traffic cameras live, for free, on the City of Ottawa traffic map (traffic.ottawa.ca) and the Ontario 511 network (511on.ca) for highways like the 417 and 416. These cameras are for live traffic monitoring only — the City does not store their footage for the public. Separate automated speed-enforcement and red-light cameras do capture footage, which is kept short-term (often around 15 days) and used only for enforcement.

If you searched “Ottawa traffic cameras,” you most likely want one of two things: to watch live road conditions before you drive, or to understand what footage exists and how long it’s kept. This guide covers both, plus the difference between traffic-monitoring cameras and enforcement cameras, and what it all means if you run a business in the area.

There are two official, free sources for live Ottawa-area traffic feeds:

1. City of Ottawa traffic map. Visit traffic.ottawa.ca and open the map. Click any camera marker to see a live still image of that intersection. City cameras refresh roughly every 5 seconds.
2. Ontario 511 (highways). For Highway 417 (the Queensway), Highway 416, and Highway 174, use Ontario 511. These provincial (MTO) feeds cover the main highways and can take a few minutes to update.

Both sources let you check key chokepoints — the 417 east-west spine, the 416, and the interprovincial bridges to Gatineau — before you commit to a route.

Traffic-monitoring cameras show live road conditions and are generally not recorded for public access. Enforcement cameras (automated speed-enforcement and red-light cameras) capture photos/video of specific violations, which are reviewed and used only to issue tickets. They are different systems with different purposes.

There is no single universal retention period. Live monitoring cameras are generally not recorded for public access at all. For footage that is captured, Ontario’s Ministry of Transportation has historically kept short looped segments for roughly 15 days, and many jurisdictions overwrite traffic footage within about 30 days. Exact timelines depend on the agency, the storage system, the purpose, and privacy rules. For a specific incident, you would need to contact the relevant authority quickly before footage is overwritten.

Ottawa runs an Automated Speed Enforcement (ASE) program focused on school and community safety zones, plus red-light cameras at higher-risk intersections. The camera network has expanded steadily, and the City periodically adds and relocates units based on traffic studies, collision data, and speed compliance. Because locations change regularly, the most accurate, current list is always the City’s own page.

They are generally reliable, but not infallible. Accuracy can be affected by calibration and maintenance, weather and lighting, technical faults, or misidentifying a vehicle in heavy traffic. Errors are relatively rare, and a registered owner who believes a ticket is wrong can usually dispute it, at which point the camera’s calibration can be checked.

Public traffic cameras monitor roads — they don’t protect your property. If your business or site is near a busy corridor, you need your own surveillance. The same camera technologies used in traffic systems are available for commercial use: PTZ cameras for wide-area coverage, and licence-plate-recognition (LPR) cameras to log vehicles entering your property. A professionally designed system records continuously, retains footage on your terms, and is admissible for your own investigations — unlike public traffic feeds.

View them free on the City of Ottawa traffic map at traffic.ottawa.ca, and for highways (417, 416, 174) use the Ontario 511 site at 511on.ca. Click a camera marker to see its live image; City cameras refresh about every 5 seconds.

Live traffic-monitoring cameras are generally not recorded for public access. Only enforcement cameras (speed and red-light) capture footage, and it is kept short-term and used solely for issuing tickets.

There is no single standard. Ontario’s MTO has historically kept short looped segments for about 15 days, and many jurisdictions overwrite traffic footage within roughly 30 days, depending on the agency, storage, and privacy rules.

They are essentially the same technology. ANPR (Automatic Number Plate Recognition) is the common term in the UK and Europe, while LPR (License Plate Recognition) is used in North America. Both use optical character recognition to read and record licence plates.

Usually not from live monitoring cameras, since they are not recorded for the public. For any captured footage you would need to contact the relevant authority (City or MTO) quickly, as it is typically overwritten within days.

They are generally reliable but can occasionally err due to calibration, weather, technical faults, or vehicle misidentification. A registered owner who believes a ticket is incorrect can usually dispute it and have the camera’s calibration verified.

Public cameras watch the roads — Spotter Security protects your business. We design and install commercial security camera systems, including PTZ and LPR cameras, with live remote video monitoring across Ontario and Canada. Contact us for a free quote.

• City of Ottawa — Traffic map, data lists & resources
• City of Ottawa — Traffic camera locations
• Ontario 511 — highway cameras
• Ontario Ministry of Transportation