A bedroom community outside of Winnipeg is adding more cameras to its growing surveillance system. In a public notice posted last week, the Rural Municipality of West St. Paul announced it is installing cameras at five locations “as part of ongoing efforts to support neighbourhood safety and security.” The RM started using video surveillance in 2014 to help detect and deter crime like theft and vandalism after council amended its municipal audio and video recording policy. “The cameras provide an additional layer of visibility in key areas throughout West St. Paul and can support the municipality and law enforcement when responding to incidents or investigating concerns,” the RM wrote. The latest wave of cameras will be installed on Dearman Road, Corunna Avenue, Parkview Pointe Drive, Kapelus Drive, and in Rivercrest Park. There are several cameras already in place at neighbourhood entrances around West St. Paul, including on Lister Rapids Drive, which is right around the corner from where resident Ron Dobrinsky has lived for the past 36 years. “There were some signs of crime at night around here,” Dobrinsky told CTV News on Monday. “People driving around the neighbourhood, I guess, looking for things.” Dobrinsky said he’s not really bothered having his comings and goings documented on camera. “I have no problem with it,” Dobrinsky said. “I think it’s a really good idea. If you don’t do anything wrong, why should it bother you?” However, Eliza Wells, an assistant professor of philosophy at the University of Manitoba, warns this type of surveillance raises questions about a person’s right to privacy. “The idea that, by being in a public space, we’re consenting to being watched is something that should trouble us a bit,” Wells told CTV News. Last October, the RM of West St. Paul said the cameras are exclusively pointed at roadways to capture license place information, and each area being filmed is identified by clearly posted signage. The RM also noted footage will only be accessed if an incident has been reported or suspected. “They have all of these protections in place right now, but with regime changes or even just opinion changes in the hands of the authorities, these kinds of technologies can easily be used for other kinds of purposes,” Wells said. CTV News reached out to the RM of West St. Paul for comment but has not heard back.
