Canadian Photography Laws » Disclaimer and Revision History
Disclaimer
- This is not legal advice.
- I am not a lawyer.
- This is simply my interpretation of the laws surrounding photography.
- Information and Links are provided as-is, with no warranty, neither stated, nor implied.
- The laws that are applicable to you may vary by city, province and country.
- Not every law will apply to you, depending on your location and the type of photography you do, and there may be others that I have not discovered yet.
Notable Quotes
The following individuals have kindly contributed quotes that provide further insight into the laws surrounding photography:
“I am unaware of any laws that prohibit the taking of pictures of anything that is viewable in a public venue. The only restriction that I would see if a person was to take photographs of the interior of a private dwelling or business while on the public right of way. There is nothing to prohibit the taking of photos of buildings, public transit vehicles or even accidents. Although some people may find it distasteful in having their picture taken in public, I am unaware of anything that would prohibit it. The exception would be of course if someone is physically accosted or obstructed so that a picture can be taken.There may be restrictions on persons taking pictures where the public is welcome but the property is private, such as a mall or a sporting complex. Although the public is welcome, there may be restrictions on the taking of pictures…. it is best to check with the administrative staff that owns or controls the property.
With that said, there is nothing to prohibit a person from taking civil action against a person for taking a picture especially if the picture is subsequently published in a less than favourable light. Whether or not the person succeeds is dependent on the courts.
Bottom line……… if it is viewable to the public, I see nothing wrong with taking a picture of it.”
- Superintendent Dave Pickford, Windsor Police Service
Work in Progress
This page is a work in progress. If you find something that I have missed, or misinterpreted, you can contact me at: tyler
ambientlight.ca.
Did this information help you out? Would you like to help? If so, then you can help by forwarding links to laws that are missing. Many, many thanks to all who have contributed.
Revision History
| 4.1 | February 13, 2011 | Printable PDF added, contributed by Randy Bodendorf. |
| 4.0 | January 26, 2011 | Major rewrite, re-categorized, overview section. |
| 3.8 | November 23, 2009 | Added BC Laws, thanks to Keith R. |
| 3.7 | November 23, 2009 | Added Securing Evidence, thanks to Paul Nielsen. |
| 3.6 | April 28, 2009 | TTC URL fixed. Thanks to Patrick Casey. |
| 3.5 | January 18, 2009 | Updated links again, much reorganization, minor layout changes, changes to Security of Information Act, other minor changes. |
| 3.4 | July 10, 2008 | Table of Contents, Layout changes. |
| 3.3 | April 17, 2008 | Saskatchewan’s Privacy Act added, thanks to Bran Everseeking. |
| 3.2 | April 12, 2008 | Update to layout, minor edits and rewordings. |
| 3.1 | November 21, 2007 | Quote from Supt. Dave Pickford. Thanks to JC Sullivan, and Councillor Dave Brister for making this possible, and Supt. Dave Pickford for the quote. |
| 3.0 | July 25, 2007 | New layout by scope, numerous updates and new sections. Thanks to Stacey Katz for a Quebec perspective. |
| 2.3 | March 11, 2007 | Tom Asquith pointed out that one of the examples could be seen as Extortion. |
| 2.2 | February 4, 2007 | Criminal Voyeurism and wording clarifications of false accusations as suggested by Norman Soley, clarification on Ownership section – links broken by laws.justice.gc.ca redesign again. |
| 2.1 | November 12, 2006 | Reorganization and relocation of Civil Law section, minor rewrite of some sections, repaired links broken by laws.justice.gc.ca redesign. |
| 2.0 | August, 2006 | Rewrite |
| 1.0 | N/A | Initial Revision |