CCTV camera motion fails at Vancouver City Council

A motion to install CCTV cameras around Vancouver to stop violent crime was voted down Wednesday at City Hall.

Vancouver City Council heard from speakers, including some who work with marginalized community members, about how harmful they believe the cameras would be.

Most councillors and members of the public cited privacy and efficacy as reasons to not move ahead with expanding CCTV surveillance in the city.

“Increased surveillance is not a solution. It is dangerous to civil liberties and any potential benefits are outweighed by the disproportionate impact on marginalized people who are already over policed,” Serena Jackson, an East Vancouver resident said.

“Where’s the line drawn on this? How do we ensure that we don’t cross that line? And can we even ensure it isn’t crossed,” another resident said. Adding, “Every resident of the city deserves to feel safe. This motion doesn’t achieve that.”

The only councillor who voted in favour of the motion was Councillor Melissa De Genova, who introduced it, and argued that the cameras would help victims seek justice.

Related Articles:

• Vancouver safety focus of special council meeting this week

• Expanded Vancouver CCTV camera use proposed by councillor to deter crime

• Victoria police look for potential arson witness

“Cameras in certain areas where violent crime occurs in the downtown core, for example, [would] definitely help mitigate some of the crime and hold violent offenders accountable. What does accountability mean? That could mean helping people with committed these crimes because of mental health and addiction issues to find their way to a recovery centre. It could mean having checks and balances on violent sexual offenders, and having police check in with them to prevent other assaults,” De Genova said.

She mentions that several privately owned surveillance cameras have been used in investigations in an effort to identify a suspect in a crime.

“Ask the victims of violent crime if they would like their crimes to be solved. Think of the three-year-old who was spat on in a public place, the young man stabbed and the suspect who was caught on the Tim Hortons video, the woman’s sucker punched in front of the hotel Dorka. Think of Diana Mah-Jones, someone I knew and I worked with, and her husband. It was video surveillance who caught the suspect at the hardware store purchasing the tools used to torture and kill Diana and Richard [Jones] in their Marpole home.”

De Genova says the city already has many cameras which installed during the 2010 Olympics, but are currently not in use, which could be reactivated at a low cost to taxpayers.

However, many speakers said that the cost wasn’t the problem, arguing studies do not support CCTV footage as an effective tool in crime prevention, and that privacy should be respected.

Councillor Lisa Dominato said Vancouver police did not come to council to advocate for the cameras as a tool for public safety, adding that it’s an important issue and she wants to hear more from the public on their concerns.

This comes ahead of a public safety meeting later Thursday which is meant to allow businesses and residents a chance to air their concerns about crime and develop a strategy with police to make people feel safe.

With files from Hana Mae Nassar