The Ottawa Police Service has been approved to move ahead with the first phase of a facial recognition program, joining a shared network with three other Ontario forces and adding the technology to a broader rollout of body-worn cameras and AI tools.
At a June 22 meeting, the Ottawa Police Service Board approved the force joining a shared facial recognition network that exchanges data with the York, Peel, and Halton police services, according to CBC News. The service reportedly wants to use facial recognition to generate investigative leads as it moves into the first phase of the program. York and Peel already run the shared system, which their forces describe as scanning legally obtained images to match against police records.
The approval came alongside a decision to expand the force’s body-worn camera program. The board signed off on a contract with Axon for body cameras, supporting hardware, and related digital tools worth 27.2 million Canadian dollars and running from June 2026 to May 2031, following a pilot that began in late 2025. The service says the cameras support evidence collection, accountability, and public trust, and that it will report back to the board on progress, risks, and implementation.
The move revives long-running questions about police use of facial recognition in Canada, where the technology has drawn scrutiny from privacy regulators. The board’s meeting, its first in person in more than three years, also featured public delegates who raised concerns about surveillance and discrimination, and the board pressed the chief on the separate issue of officers misusing police databases.
The decision follows other Canadian forces testing the technology, after Edmonton police piloted Axon facial recognition body cameras, and amid continued privacy debate seen when privacy concerns were raised in Toronto over facial recognition used in digital advertising.
Sources: CBC News, Ottawa Police Service
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By the ID Tech Editorial Team
