The city of Montreal is considering adopting a program pioneered in Trois-Rivières, Quebec, that allows police to access private surveillance camera footage during criminal investigations. The initiative, a voluntary registry of home and business security cameras, has been operational in Trois-Rivières since 2018 and is now being evaluated by the Montreal police service (SPVM) as a potential tool to combat rising crime rates.
Under the proposed system, residents and business owners would register the location of their surveillance cameras with the city. Should a crime occur in the vicinity, police would be able to contact the camera owners and request access to footage that might assist in their investigation. Crucially, authorities emphasize that access would be contingent on the owner’s consent, and police would not have live access to the camera feeds.
“I have a Ring doorbell, I’d happily hand over footage,” said one Montreal resident, reflecting a sentiment echoed by others who see the program as a potential benefit to public safety. Another Montrealer, Ramy Fawaz, stated he would willingly provide footage, believing it could “really help the victims” of crime. Nathalie, another resident, expressed similar willingness to cooperate.
As of , approximately 1,700 residents of Trois-Rivières have registered their cameras. While quantifying the program’s direct impact on solved cases is difficult, city officials describe it as a valuable investigative resource. Mikaël Morrissette, public relations manager and spokesperson for the City of Trois-Rivières, explained that the registry allows officers to quickly map camera locations in a neighborhood when investigating crimes like break-ins. “When a crime needs to be solved, for example, a break in, we go in the neighborhood and the police officers have a mapping of where the cameras are that we can have access,” he said.
However, the proposal has also met with resistance from those concerned about privacy. Blair Dohey, a Montreal resident, stated he would not participate, preferring to “keep my business my business.” This division of opinion highlights a broader debate about the balance between security and individual privacy in an increasingly surveilled society.
City officials in Trois-Rivières are keen to stress the voluntary nature of the program. Morrissette emphasized, “If for any reason at all, people don’t want us to check the footage, it is a tool supplementary that the police officers have, but it is not the only one. So it is a 100 per cent voluntary basis.”
Legal experts caution that while the program is voluntary, residents who choose to share footage may relinquish control over how it is used. Elodie Meyer, a technology lawyer, explained that once footage is handed over to the police, they can utilize it as they see fit, and the original owner has limited recourse to reclaim or restrict its use. “Once the police has that footage in their own files and they can pretty much use it the way they see fit and you can’t really go back and tell the police well actually I want those images back,” she said.
Despite the potential legal complexities, the concept is gaining traction beyond Trois-Rivières. Officials in other Quebec municipalities, including Sherbrooke, Laval, and Gatineau, have reportedly expressed interest in implementing similar registries.
In Montreal, the SPVM has confirmed that discussions are underway regarding a potential pilot project. A statement released by the SPVM indicated the project aims to “improve the coverage of existing infrastructure and could offer benefits to participants, particularly businesses facing extortion issues.” The statement further clarified that participants would retain ownership of their images and surveillance systems. The project is currently undergoing evaluation to ensure its technological feasibility and compliance with privacy laws.
The exploration of this initiative in Montreal comes amid broader discussions about public safety and surveillance in the city. In October 2025, a Leger survey commissioned by the Montreal police union revealed that 55 per cent of Montrealers believe the city is less safe than it was five years ago, prompting municipal parties to prioritize security concerns in their election campaigns. Candidates, including Soraya Martinez Ferrada of Ensemble Montréal and Gilbert Thibodeau of Action Montréal, have proposed increasing police patrols and installing more security cameras in public spaces. Martinez Ferrada specifically championed the creation of a voluntary security camera registry, mirroring the model already in place in Trois-Rivières.
The potential adoption of a camera registry in Montreal represents a significant step towards increased surveillance, raising questions about the appropriate balance between security and civil liberties. While proponents argue it could be a valuable tool for law enforcement, critics warn of potential privacy infringements and the risk of normalizing mass surveillance. The outcome of the SPVM’s evaluation and the subsequent public debate will likely shape the future of surveillance practices in one of Canada’s largest cities.
