Media Release: The Owen Sound Downtown Improvement Area (OSDIA) recently announced the decommissioning of the existing Downtown Video Surveillance Program.

Never intended to be a monitored system, this incident based video surveillance system was launched in 2006 as a pilot program to test the appropriateness and effectiveness of video security in the downtown core.

OSDIA Chair, Sue Carleton noted “that the existing equipment has reached the end of its normal life expectancy and is currently not operational. When the issue of repair and/or replacement arose, the board felt we should first determine if there was still a need for this type of system to be in place. After researching and reviewing the situation with other community stakeholders, we discovered that the original reason for installing video surveillance cameras was no longer valid. With a safe downtown environment for citizens, employees, visitors and shoppers, we believe that the need for the cameras no longer exists. Anecdotal evidence suggests that this change is partly because of the changed streetscape as well as the strong police presence with officers walking the beat and driving through the downtown at random intervals.”

At a special meeting of the OSDIA Board of Directors (April 13, 2010), the Board noted that “Downtown Owen Sound is a safe community and is well serviced by existing local authorities” and unanimously supported the discontinuation of the existing Downtown Video Surveillance Program.

The OSDIA Board of Management would like to thank everyone who took the time to share their feedback through our 2009 Video Surveillance Survey and through ongoing consultation and dialogue.

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