The City of Côte Saint-Luc says it has installed automated licence plate recognition cameras at the Cavendish Boulevard underpass as part of a new pilot project. “Safety and the perception of safety are among the leading concerns expressed by residents,” the city said. “In recent years, residents have asked the City to improve its ability to know when a vehicle connected to a public safety incident enters or leaves its territory.” The pilot project is part of the City of Côte Saint-Luc Strategic Plan for 2025–2030. “The cameras will read the plates of vehicles travelling in both directions through the Cavendish underpass,” city officials said. “The system will record the licence plate, an associated vehicle image, and the date, time and camera location.” The cameras will be in charge of flagging any plate that may match a vehicle “connected to an Amber Alert, a missing-person file, a confirmed stolen vehicle or an authorized active criminal investigation” to Côte Saint-Luc Public Safety. The files will then be distributed to the appropriate police forces. “The system will not be used to verify whether a vehicle’s registration fees have been paid, for speed enforcement, or to issue fines,” the city insisted. “It will not use facial recognition or any other biometric identification.” To support the project, Councillor for District 1, Oren Sebag, posted a video to Facebook. In it, Côte Saint-Luc Mayor David Tordjman explains that “it’s an added level of security.” Sebag notes that residents have been asking for greater safety measures for two years. “This is an amazing pilot project that we’ve been talking about for a couple of years,” he said. “I suggest to everybody to smile now because you’re on camera coming into Côte Saint-Luc.” If the pilot project goes well, Côte Saint-Luc officials say they may consider installing similar cameras at three other underpasses.
