One of the alleged victims of a Montreal fire department (SIM) firefighter accused of voyeurism says she was his tenant.
The 21-year-old woman, who requested anonymity, told Noovo Info that videos and photos were taken of her and her 19-year-old friend without their knowledge.
She alleges that at least one camera was installed in her bathroom after she says Alexandre Bleau, 38, and another co-owner of the triplex in Laval, Que. she lived in told her the floor had to be inspected.
On Jan. 8 at 10 p.m., she says she was woken up by Laval police officers.
“The police called me and told me they had found several videos, photos of me,” she told Noovo Info. “I thought I was going to faint, my heart started to palpitate.”
She says she remembers feeling “anger, frustration.”
“I’ve been betrayed,” she said. “My privacy has been invaded.”
Laval police (SPL) says an investigation into the images began on Dec. 21.
The firefighter was arrested at his workplace at Station 57 in Montreal’s Pierrefonds-Roxboro borough on Thursday and first appeared in court that same day.
He is facing multiple charges of voyeurism.
According to the charge sheet, Bleau, a Laval resident, is accused of “secretly producing a visual recording” in a situation where there was a “reasonable expectation of privacy,” as set out in the Criminal Code.
The allegations go back to 2023.
If found guilty, Bleau faces a maximum penalty of five years in prison.
A spokesperson with Montreal’s fire department says it is working in collaboration with police on the case, and confirmed that Bleau has been “relieved of his duties without pay.”
He is also facing a charge of possession with the purpose of trafficking methamphetamines, dated between Jan. 8 and Jan. 23, 2025.
Breau is expected back in court on Monday.
Laval police are asking potential victims and anyone with information to contact their local police station or call the confidential information line at 450-662-INFO (4636).
With files from CTV News Montreal’s Kelly Greig and Noovo Info.