White Rock council has decided against moving forward with the installation of cameras along the pier and promenade, but may still consider surveillance for its public works yards.

The decision was made at council earlier this week following a past request to look at the possibility of closed-circuit television (CCTV) for the waterfront to combat security concerns.

However, after looking into the matter, staff came back with the recommendation that council should abandon the idea, citing the privacy commissioner questioning the necessity of the cameras, which should be used as a "last resort."

"The word we got back from the privacy commissioner on the promenade and pier cameras was that this should be a last resort and if we were convinced this would be a last resort then we could proceed with it," said White Rock Mayor Wayne Baldwin. "As it's not a last resort, we're not going to be proceeding with it at this time."

But while the issue of security on the pier had been put to rest, the issue of the illegal dumping of trash at the operations yard did warrant talk of council possibly considering cameras for that part of the city.

"We're looking at CCTV for that to pick up licence plates of people dumping illegally," said Baldwin. "We have to go through the cost figures and where it would be mounted and that sort of thing."

Coun. Helen Fathers, however, wondered if cameras would be the right way to approach the issue.

"Having cameras down there is a Band-Aid solution," she said.

The idea of cameras at the work yard is expected to be revisited sometime in the New Year.

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