Privacy Management at Work
Video Surveillance of Civic Property
The City of Nanaimo is responsible for public assets that represent a large investment of public money. Video surveillance systems are used to better protect the security of its people, assets, and property against crimes such as vandalism, theft, damage, and destruction.
Access to video surveillance information is limited and requests for access to incident specific information must be referred to the City’s FOI Head or Records/Information & Privacy Coordinator and will only be disclosed in accordance with FOIPPA.
The City uses a recording system that overwrites data on a continual basis. Recorded video data will generally be retained for up to two weeks and will automatically be deleted and purged at the expiry of the above retention period.
Traffic Monitoring Cameras
The use of Video Imaging Vehicle Detection Systems (VIVDS) has been implemented at signalized intersections throughout the City of Nanaimo. No identifiable information as defined by FOIPPA will be recorded or stored by the City. Pixelated imagery is processed and converted into a text data log which represents traffic volumes. Traffic volume data can then be used by Traffic Engineering staff to analyze and improve traffic operation.
Other devices on signal poles are used to detect the sounds of emergency vehicles and communicate with the traffic signal; these devices are not cameras.
Licence Plate Recognition Technology
The City of Nanaimo uses Licence Plate Recognition technology to monitor public parking on Nanaimo’s downtown streets and surrounding areas. A vehicle equipped with a series of cameras and a G.P.S. unit patrols roadways and records the location of parked vehicles and the time they’ve been parked.
Quick Facts
- Any vehicle licence plate that is photographed and not in violation of an offence is purged at the end of the shift.
- Any vehicle licence plate that is photographed and in violation will be stored in a secure manner and may be used and disclosed during legal or adjudication hearings. In accordance with FOIPPA, information that is used to make a decision that directly affects an individual will be stored in a secure manner for at least one year after the City makes the decision.
- Licence plate information is only used to assist in enforcing the traffic bylaw or collecting a debt to the City as a result of a bylaw infraction.
- The cameras are focused on the licence plates of a vehicle and do not take pictures of pedestrians. The information collected is specific to enforcement of the traffic bylaw and is not used as a tracking mechanism.