Yes! As long as you are not interfering with the Officer’s duties and/or investigation, there is no law prohibiting you from filming police in Canada.
If an officer asks you to stop filming or tries to take your recording device away, know that it is your constitutionally protected right to document any public activity in plain view and they cannot take your device or ask to see what you have documented without a warrant, or unless you are being arrested.
Record from a distance and stay out of the scene. If police are moving people away from a scene for safety or investigative purposes, you need to follow instructions. Failure to do so could lead to criminal charges for obstruct police, or worse could put you in a position of danger if it is a live and active scene.
Miguel Parra
October 9, 2023 at 1:38 pm
I was arrested and manhandled aggressively for filming RCMP on Saturday night while they interrogated a friend from a distance and not commenting. I have pain in my wrist and I think I need a lawyer. They didn’t set charges and released me in the morning
Collett Read LLP
October 24, 2023 at 3:11 pm
If you have not been charged by the police, you do not need a lawyer. If you would like to make a complaint about police misconduct, you must contact the Office of the Independent Police Review Director (OIPRD).