This story has been updated from the original version.

The use of video surveillance by local governments is a growing trend and cause of concern for the privacy commissioner.

The City of Richmond plans to spend $2 million to install new CCTV cameras at 175 signalized intersections, and Kelowna will be monitoring CCTV cameras downtown in real-time this year. Terrace too, will be installing surveillance cameras in public parks. Round-the-clock surveillance of this type is unprecedented for B.C., according to the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner.

“We’ve just seen a general increase in the number of local governments who either currently are, or are planning on using video surveillance in public spaces,” acting deputy commissioner Bradley Weldon said in an interview.

“Its one thing to maybe put a video surveillance camera up in an underground parking lot, or inside buildings after hours, but to have it be 24-hours, people going about their lawful daily business, that’s not something that is generally been done in British Columbia.”

Cameras may not prevent crime

Acting privacy commissioner Drew McArthur, in a statement released this morning, said that while the cameras are meant to prevent crime, they also invade the privacy of the general public.

“Video surveillance is tempting to local governments. At first blush it’s an easy way to appear to address public safety issues, rather than take on the more difficult challenge of the social ills from which crime arises,” he said.

“While the benefits of video surveillance are hypothetical, the harm it presents to the privacy of British Columbians is real, and will only be amplified by increasingly sophisticated facial recognition technology and big data analyses identifying and following us from camera to camera.”

Surveillance footage useful for police

But according to the RCMP, camera footage can be useful for investigations.

“Richmond RCMP conduct a wide breadth of investigations. As part of that, investigators are tasked with looking for a variety of sources of evidence, including video evidence. The intersection cameras could serve as an additional tool in crime and collision investigations,” Cst. Adriana Peralta said in an email.

Richmond cameras target vehicles: mayor

Richmond Mayor Malcolm Brodie said the cameras would not be placed all over the city or watched in real-time, but they would be installed in particular intersections where the captured footage could be used by police for investigative purposes, and to support emergency programs and first responders.

“It’s not a bunch of people walking about the city centres going about their shopping; it would be for vehicles,” he said. “These vehicles, after all, are on public streets, and we’re not looking so much to reduce crime or prevent crime, as to allow the RCMP to use it as an enforcement tool.”

Brodie said the intention has been to get approval of the privacy commissioner before going ahead with the program. The commissioner is currently working with these local municipalities to determine whether use of cameras comply with privacy laws.