Police across Ontario are rapidly expanding their use of Automated Licence Plate Readers (ALPRs) – high-tech cameras that scan and log millions of licence plates every day. While meant to catch criminals and dangerous drivers, these systems also sweep up data on everyone else, building a centralized database of innocent Ontarians’ movements. 

Such a vast trove of location data is ripe for misuse – it could allow the tracking of people’s private lives without their knowledge or consent and fundamentally undermine our right to privacy. 

We call on the Honourable Solicitor General of Ontario to take immediate action and establish strict oversight and limits on ALPR use to protect law-abiding citizens’ privacy. Join us in speaking out by signing and sharing this petition to safeguard the fundamental right to privacy for all Ontarians.

To the Honourable Solicitor General of Ontario

From the 401 corridor to our neighbourhood streets, Ontario residents are being tracked in real time by a growing network of surveillance technology.

Police services, including the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP) and the Toronto Police Service (TPS), are deploying vehicles equipped with Automated Licence Plate Readers (ALPRs) that scan and store millions of licence plates each day.

According to publicly available information, the TPS alone uses a fleet of over 560 vehicles to photograph and record more than 1.25 million licence plates daily — silently building a massive, centralized database of the everyday movements of innocent, law-abiding Ontarians.

While these systems are intended to identify stolen vehicles or suspended drivers, they currently collect and store data on every single vehicle scanned—regardless of any legal violation. These “non-hit” scans, which form the overwhelming majority, are retained by police services and can be used to reconstruct sensitive personal details: where individuals work, worship, visit for medical care, or attend protests.

This constitutes mass surveillance—operating with minimal public oversight and no legislated standard across the province.

We are not opposed to using technology to enhance public safety. But surveillance tools must be implemented with caution, transparency, and a deep respect for the rights and freedoms guaranteed under the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms—including the right to privacy.

We, the undersigned, call upon:

1. The Solicitor General of Ontario,
2. The Commissioner of the Ontario Provincial Police,
3. The Toronto Police Services Board, and
4. The Information and Privacy Commissioner of Ontario

To immediately establish a clear, binding, and province-wide regulation for the use of Automated Licence Plate Reader (ALPR) technology.

This regulation must, at a minimum, include:

1. Strict Data Minimization

Implement a 24-hour maximum data retention period for all “non-hit” ALPR data. Any data from vehicles not flagged on an authorized hotlist must be permanently deleted within one calendar day. Indiscriminate long-term storage of this data violates privacy rights and must be prohibited.

2. A Province-Wide Ban on Third-Party Sharing

Prohibit any police service from sharing, selling, or transferring ALPR data to third parties—including other government agencies or private firms—unless compelled by a judicial warrant linked to a specific, ongoing investigation. No exceptions should apply for broad, general-use access.

3. Mandatory, Transparent Public Audits

Mandate annual, third-party audits of all ALPR systems used in Ontario. These audits must be made public and include: 

• Total scans (“reads”) vs. “hits”
• System accuracy and false-positive rates
• Access logs and justifications
• Reports on any misuse, breaches, or discriminatory patterns in data collection or enforcement

Why This Matters

Without binding provincial standards, Ontarians face a patchwork of opaque internal policies with no consistent oversight or appeal process. This puts our Charter-protected rights at risk.

We are calling on our elected officials and oversight bodies to act now. Mass surveillance must not become the default in a democratic society.

We believe in public safety, but it must never come at the cost of our fundamental freedoms.

Stand with us. Add your name. Demand action.