Metro Vancouver city ordered to remove surveillance cameras, delete data

A traffic camera is seen in this photograph. (Jon Woodward/CTV News Toronto)

A Metro Vancouver city has been ordered to remove surveillance cameras from a busy intersection and delete all recordings captured to date, after an investigation by B.C.’s privacy watchdog.

The City of Richmond’s Public Safety Field Camera System was installed at the intersection of Minoru Boulevard and Granville Avenue last year. The province’s Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner released the results of an investigation into whether or not the system ran afoul of legislation on Wednesday.

“The system uses multiple ultra-high-definition video cameras to collect video footage of individuals, licence plates, and vehicle features that would be provided to the Royal Canadian Mounted Police to assist in identifying criminal suspects,” a statement from the commissioner’s office said, describing the technology.

The system was installed in February of last year after the commissioner’s office advised against it, citing its potential non-compliance with the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act—which sets out the circumstances in which a public body can collect or use personal information.

The subsequent investigation found the law did not allow for the City of Richmond to collect personal information in the way it had, or for the purposes it was.

“It is not enough for a public body to have an interest in criminal law enforcement—rather, the public body must have a statutory mandate to enforce criminal laws,” the statement from the commissioner’s office said, adding that the RCMP is the agency with that mandate.

The order to remove the system and delete the data came after the City of Richmond said it would not comply voluntarily with recommendations to do so, according to the commissioner’s office.

Commissioner Michael Harvey said the case should serve as a cautionary tale.

“There are certainly appropriate situations that justify the use of surveillance, but it must be limited and proportional. The assessment of whether these conditions are met has to start with whether the organization actually has the legal authority to collect the personal information. My conclusion is that the City of Richmond does not have that authority,” Harvey said, in a statement.

“As a society, we must avoid the temptation to too easily leap to quick approaches. Surveillance, particularly of the type available today, can be corrosive to our social fabric.”

Other cities considering similar projects are being urged to review the report, and Harvey is calling on the province to regulate the use of “technologies that capture biometric information” as a way of ensuring privacy is protected, and that surveillance is “necessary and proportional,” as well as legal.

“Privacy is a core democratic value, and upholding its protection is paramount to a free and healthy society,” Harvey said, in the statement.

The full report is available online here.