Security cameras and privacy in Alberta: what businesses and condo boards should know
A plain-English guide for business owners, property managers and condo boards planning or running security cameras in Alberta.
The quick answer
Please note: This is general information, not legal advice. For your situation, talk to a lawyer or the Office of the Information and Privacy Commissioner of Alberta (OIPC).
Video of people who can be identified is personal information, so businesses, landlords, property managers and condo corporations in Alberta are covered by the Personal Information Protection Act (PIPA) when they run security cameras. In practice: have a reasonable purpose and use the video only for it, post signs before people enter, aim cameras only where you need them (never into washrooms, change rooms or windows), keep recordings only as long as you need them, lock down the recorder and logins, and be ready to give people their own images when they ask. Condo corporations also need to be able to show their cameras are authorized under PIPA: in 2025 the OIPC found one condo’s common-area cameras didn’t comply because it hadn’t shown that.
Who PIPA covers
PIPA is Alberta’s privacy law for private-sector organizations, such as businesses, landlords, property managers and condominium corporations. The Government of Alberta says condo corporations are subject to PIPA, need policies and practices to meet it, and must name a person responsible for compliance, often called a privacy officer. A property management company acting for a condo corporation is also subject to PIPA for the work it does on the corporation’s behalf.
The privacy commissioners’ guidance on video surveillance notes that the images don’t even need to be recorded for privacy law to apply.
Good practice from the privacy commissioners
| Practice | What it means for your cameras |
|---|---|
| A reasonable purpose | Write down why you need cameras, such as break-ins, theft or vandalism, and consider whether something less intrusive, like better locks or lighting, would do the job. |
| Use it only for that purpose | Video collected for security shouldn’t be used to track people’s comings and goings for other reasons. It can be given to police when there’s a crime. |
| Signs before entry | Clear signs where people see them before they come in, with a contact for questions and requests for footage. |
| Limit what cameras see | Aim cameras away from people you don’t need to record, such as passersby on the street. Never point them into washrooms, change rooms, showers or windows. |
| No sound without a need | Audio raises extra legal issues, including the Criminal Code’s rules on private communications. |
| Keep video only as long as needed | Then destroy it securely. Save a clip only when there’s an incident. |
| Secure the system | Keep the recorder locked away and give viewing access only to a few authorized people. |
| Give people their own images | People can ask for video of themselves. Protect others in the clip, for example by masking them. |
| Review it | Check from time to time whether the cameras are still needed and still doing their job. |
Summarised from the Guidelines for Overt Video Surveillance in the Private Sector (March 2008), endorsed by the privacy commissioners of Canada, Alberta and British Columbia. They don’t cover monitoring employees. Not legal advice.
What the 2025 condo decision found
In Order PIPA2025-03 (October 10, 2025), the OIPC looked at a resident’s complaint about cameras in a condominium’s common areas, such as the lobby, foyer, parking and storage areas. The condo corporation was treated as an organization under PIPA. It didn’t make a submission, and the adjudicator found it hadn’t shown authority to collect the resident’s information without consent, or that he had consented. Because residents have to pass the cameras to reach their own units, they aren’t in the same position as visitors who see a sign and choose to come in.
The corporation was ordered to stop collecting the complainant’s information by video, which could mean turning off its cameras, and to take steps to comply before starting again. The adjudicator said the order isn’t a blanket ban on cameras: it applied to that case. The decision also points to an earlier order (P2016-02), where owners who had voted to install cameras were found to have consented to their use for reasonable security purposes.
A summary of a published decision, not legal advice. Read the order itself on the OIPC website.
A checklist for condo boards
Before you add or change cameras
- Write down the purpose, such as break-ins in the parkade or parcel theft
- Check your bylaws, and ask your lawyer about owner consent or an owners’ vote
- Write a camera policy: purpose, camera locations, who can view, how long video is kept and how to ask for footage
- Name your privacy officer
Once the cameras are running
- Post signs at entrances and camera areas
- Keep admin access with the corporation, not with one person or one installer
- Give each viewer their own login and log every export
- Review the policy every year and whenever the board changes
How Hightower helps
| What we do | Why it helps |
|---|---|
| Camera placement | We aim each camera at the area you need covered and away from windows, neighbours and private spaces, and use privacy masking where the camera supports it. |
| Limited user accounts | Each viewer gets their own login with only the rights they need, so you can see who viewed or exported video. |
| Retention settings | We set the recorder to record over video automatically after the period in your policy. |
| Signage recommendations | We suggest where signs should go so people see them before they enter. |
| Secure remote access | Remote viewing through the manufacturer’s secure app or a VPN, with strong passwords. See remote access not working. |
| Admin access and documentation | Handed over on every project, so your organization controls its own system. |
Readers in BC
British Columbia has its own Personal Information Protection Act, and strata corporations also follow the Strata Property Act. See our guide to security cameras in BC strata buildings.
Planning cameras for a building?
We’ll walk the site, suggest camera positions that respect privacy and set up retention and user accounts to match your policy.
Related: security camerasBC strata camerascondo boards and property managerscondo access control guidesecurity cameras in Edmontonsecurity cameras in Calgary
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Camera privacy questions
Do businesses in Alberta need signs for security cameras?
Yes. The privacy commissioners’ guidance says to post clear signs before people enter, with a contact for questions or requests for footage.
Can an Alberta condo corporation put cameras in common areas?
It can, but it must be able to show the cameras comply with PIPA, for example through consent or another authority under the Act. In 2025 the OIPC found one condo’s common-area cameras didn’t comply because it hadn’t shown this. Talk to a lawyer before installing.
How long should a business keep security video?
Only as long as you need it for the purpose. We can set the recorder to delete video automatically after the period in your policy, and you save clips only when there’s an incident.
Can someone ask for security video of themselves?
Yes. People have a right to ask for their own personal information, including video. Other people in the clip should be protected, for example by masking them.
Can our security cameras record audio?
Audio raises extra privacy and Criminal Code issues, and the guidance says not to record sound without a specific need. Talk to a lawyer first.
Can cameras see the street or a neighbour’s property?
Aim them only at what you need to protect. The guidance says cameras shouldn’t record passersby or look into windows, and we set the angle and privacy masking to avoid it.
Can cameras go in washrooms or change rooms?
No. These are places where people expect privacy. Cover the door from the hallway instead.
Do the same rules cover cameras that watch employees?
PIPA has its own rules for personal employee information, and the 2008 guidelines don’t cover monitoring staff. Get legal advice before using cameras to monitor employees.
More answers: Camera privacy in Alberta and BCGlossary: IP cameraremote video monitoring
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