B.C. pub's washroom camera causes concern

A popular pub on British Columbia'sSunshine Coastis coming under fire for openly installing a surveillance camera in the men's washroom.

The camera atthe Lighthouse Pub inSechelt, B.C., is attached to the washroom'sceiling, pointed away from the stalls and urinals and seems tocapture only the hand-washing area.

The pub's managerdeclined to be interviewed or named, but said the pub has previously had problems withvandalism and drug dealing,and thecamera was there to prevent it.

John Carlson,a retired resident, says he was shocked to discover the camera on his last trip to the pub's washroom.

"Iwas kind of taken aback, just seeing it there. I didn'trealize it was there. I'd probably been in the washroom several times but didn't realize it was there until then," he said.

"I feel just having one in the washroom is somewhat intrusive."

Caily Dipuma of the B.C. Civil Liberties association calls the practice highly questionable.

"Offending people's right to privacy as a defence to that sort of activity I don't think is an acceptable way to go about business," she said.

The pub managerdisagreed and said the camera hasalready proven to be useful, with its footage being used in three cases under investigation by the RCMP.

He maintained thatthe camera is notpointed in a direction that would expose anything,and noted thatthere is no camera in the women's washroom.

Hidden Vancouver camera

Concerns over privacy in the washrooms at The Lighthouse Pub follow revelations in September that aVancouver chefallegedly installeda hidden camera in the bathroom of his upscale Gastown restaurant.

Two Chefs and a Table co-owner Allan Bosomworthallegedly used the camera to record patrons and stafffrom the waist down during the busy holiday season.

• Read more about the hidden camera atTwo Chefs and a Table

Bosomworth turned himself into police and has been chargedwith secretly observing or recording nudity in a private place. The alleged offence carries a maximum sentence of five years.

He is scheduled to appear in court on Oct. 16. None of the allegations have been proven in court.