A new policy was passed last week, which will allow the Town of Bonnyville to place surveillance camera's at municipally owned buildings around town.
Town Hall, the Public Works Shop, the FCSS building and the local landfill site are the four locations where surveillance cameras will be installed.
“We can't just stick cameras up around town and say we are monitoring the public,” said Bonnyville CAO Mark Power. “We only have them on our buildings. We have them out at the landfill because we are being broken into out there. It is for security.”
The policy, which was approved by council on Oct. 27, is in compliance to the Freedom of Information and Privacy Act (FOIP) and follows formal guidelines set out by Access and Privacy Service Alberta.
It clearly states that the video cameras are only allowed to be installed in public areas where surveillance is a necessary and viable detection or deterrence of criminal activity. Cameras will not monitor areas where the public has a reasonable expectation of privacy, such as bathrooms and changing rooms.
Surveillance equipment is also not allowed to be positioned to monitor areas outside a building, or to monitor other buildings unless necessary to protect external assets.
“The Town of Bonnyville recognizes the need to balance an individual's right to privacy against the town's duty to promote a safe environment for all citizens, and to protect town property,” states the policy.
Along with following the strict policy, town officials must complete a separate Privacy Assessment Impact for each area controlled by video surveillance to clearly outline why a camera is needed for the area, and the regulations they will follow.
“This is a FOIP compliant process that will allow us to inform the public that, for the purpose of protecting our facilities and ensuring the safety of our workers, we are going to use cameras,” said Assistant CAO Bill Rogers.
The ten-page policy states that the public will be notified with clear, concise signage properly displayed at the perimeter of surveillance areas, so there is ample warning that surveillance is being used at that location.
The video recorded at the four locations throughout town will be held on a hard drive connected to a specific computer at the Town of Bonnyville offices. Only authorized personnel will have access to the video recordings.
According to the policy the video will be stored for 21 days before being automatically re-recorded over.
“Storage devices will only be viewed when an incident relating to public safety or criminal activity has been reported or suspected,” states the policy.
