Security cameras are seen on a lightpost following renovations to the entranceways to Parliament Hill in Ottawa. It’s the time when tourists usually begin posing for family photos with the newly strung holiday lights on Parliament Hill. This year the festive visits will almost certainly be captured by RCMP lenses, too.

The Mounties have recently added new video cameras near pedestrian entrances and a vehicle screening facility along Wellington Street, the boulevard in front of the Parliament Buildings.

The RCMP and its Hill security partners have also bowed to the wishes of the federal privacy commissioner by posting signs on bollards that read: 24 hour video surveillance for security of the grounds.

The notices mark the end of a behind-the-scenes tussle between the commissioner’s office and the RCMP about whether people visiting Parliament Hill should be advised of the unblinking electronic eyes that expand video coverage of the precinct.

“This is a positive outcome stemming from our work to achieve this with the RCMP and others involved in managing Parliament Hill, including Public Works and the National Capital Commission,” said Scott Hutchinson, a spokesman for the privacy commissioner. The commissioner has been concerned for some time about the plans to add 134 cameras to the existing grounds[…]