London

Mobile ALPRs deployed

Sam Hajar

Ward 7 Councillor

Supports ALPRs

Sam Hajar, a candidate for Ward 7 Councillor in London's October 2026 election, supports fixed ALPR cameras — conditionally. In his response to panopti.ca's questionnaire, Hajar said he would "most likely vote yes for a pilot program," but only alongside strong privacy safeguards: oversight across all three levels of government, data-sharing limited to warrant- or court-ordered active investigations, a 90-day retention cap on non-investigative data, mandatory public consultation, and published privacy impact assessments before any rollout. His answers appear below in his own words.

Questionnaire responses

Q1 — Support or oppose fixed ALPRs — questionnaire response, 2026-08-14

I support the use and deployment of fixed Automated Licence Plate Recognition (ALPR) cameras, but must be accompanied with strong privacy safeguards, oversight on all tiers of government (municipal, provincial and federal), and strict limits on how the information collected can be used. This technology if used correctly may make our community safer.

Q2 — How would you vote on procurement? — questionnaire response, 2026-08-14

I would have to look at the full proposal and would most likely vote yes for a pilot program.

Q3 — Limits on ALPR data — questionnaire response, 2026-08-14

I would require clear limits on ALPR data with privacy protections. If the data is not part of an active investigation I would request the data be retained only for a minimum of 90 days. If there is an active investigation I would require the data be retained until the investigation has gone through the court process and the investigation has been closed and no appeals have been filed.

Q4 — Data-sharing with other agencies — questionnaire response, 2026-08-14

I would permit ALPR data collected in the municipality to be shared with other police services or federal agencies only when there is a clear and legitimate and connected an active investigation, such as court order, warrant, rather than allowing unrestricted access to the database.

Q5 — Public consultation & privacy assessment — questionnaire response, 2026-08-14

Public consultation must happen before the City commits to the technology. Yes, I would commit to making Privacy Impact Assessments public for significant surveillance technologies before implementation.

Q6 — Where the money should go — questionnaire response, 2026-08-14

First I would approach the provincial and federal government for funding and fund the project either through the police budget and or the tax roll.

Q7 — FOI responsiveness — questionnaire response, 2026-08-14

Yes. I would commit to providing timely, complete, and transparent responses to freedom-of-information requests concerning surveillance technology, and respecting any legitimate privacy, security, or legal exemptions and concerns.

Q8 — Message to voters — questionnaire response, 2026-08-14

Public safety is important. Exploring this technology may make the community a safer place.

Are you this candidate, or do you have documentation we're missing? Email [email protected] and we'll review and update this page.

panopti.ca recommends candidates based on their documented stance on ALPR surveillance, but holds no position on — and neither endorses nor opposes — any candidate or party on the basis of any other issue. This tracker records only documented public statements about ALPR surveillance and does not reflect candidates' positions on any other issue.

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