How long can tapes recorded via public CCTV be kept?
Where footage has not been used for any particular purpose (for instance, dispatching police, or as evidence of an incident), both federal and provincial guidelines recommend that tapes be destroyed after a “limited time”. This has been interpreted by privacy commissioners as anywhere from 24 hours to 30 days. Where tapes have been used to make a decision about an individual (for example, if video operators catch an incident on tape), they must be retained for a minimum period of time, depending on the applicable laws. For instance, the applicable Alberta, BC, and Ontario acts prescribe a minimum retention period of one year, while the federal Privacy Act prescribes a minimum retention period of two years.
