Office and Warehouse CCTV in Ontario: What to Plan

Plan office or warehouse CCTV from the risks first: entrances, reception, loading docks, stock and parking. Then plan lighting, recording, remote viewing and who may watch. If you have 25 or more employees, your written electronic monitoring policy must cover the cameras.

Key facts

• Ontario employers with 25 or more employees on January 1 must have a written electronic monitoring policy before March 1 of that year.
• The electronic monitoring policy must explain whether employees are monitored and, if so, how, in what circumstances and for what purposes.
• Employees must receive a copy of the policy within 30 days, and copies must be kept for three years after the policy ends.
• The privacy commissioner's video surveillance guidelines recommend signs, limited viewing, secure storage and destroying recordings when they are no longer needed.
• Accure Security’s CCTV installation includes camera layout planning, indoor and outdoor installation, recording setup, remote viewing configuration, maintenance and system support.

Where should cameras go in an office versus a warehouse?

Start with locations where people enter, move goods, handle stock or create security risk. The right layout depends on blind spots, lighting, access points, recording needs and how the system will be monitored.

Property area	Office planning focus	Warehouse planning focus
Entrances and reception	Cover main entrances, reception and high-traffic approaches.	Cover staff and visitor entrances, gates and routes into operational areas.
Movement areas	Review hallways and other internal paths for blind spots.	Review aisles, loading routes and transitions between storage and work areas.
Goods and vulnerable zones	Assess rooms or areas where sensitive assets are handled.	Assess stock areas, loading docks and other vulnerable zones.
Exterior areas	Review parking areas and approaches to the building.	Review parking, loading areas and exterior access points.

Lighting matters indoors and outdoors. Include it in the layout review rather than treating camera selection as a separate task. Accure Security designs camera layouts before installation, based on blind spots, lighting, access points, recording needs and how the system will be monitored.

What must an Ontario employer tell employees about CCTV?

An Ontario employer with 25 or more employees on January 1 must have a written electronic monitoring policy before March 1 of that year. Ontario’s guide says electronic monitoring includes all forms of employee monitoring done electronically, so cameras that record staff belong in the policy, which must explain how, in what circumstances and for what purposes monitoring occurs.

The policy must also state whether the employer electronically monitors employees, include the date it was prepared and identify dates when it was changed. Each part-time and casual employee counts as one employee for this threshold. Give employees a copy within 30 days and keep copies for three years after the policy ends.

The Ontario electronic monitoring policy guidance says these rules do not create new privacy rights or a right not to be monitored. For a site-specific legal question, check with your adviser.

How should CCTV address visitors and the public?

Tell visitors and members of the public about overt video surveillance with signs. Limit camera use and viewing range, secure the recordings and allow access only to people who need it for the stated operation.

The Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada's guidelines for overt video surveillance in the private sector recommend considering less invasive options first. They also say to destroy recordings when they are no longer needed and not to aim cameras at places where people have a heightened expectation of privacy, such as showers or into windows.

Do not add audio recording as an automatic feature. The guidelines say sound should not be recorded unless there is a specific need. The guidelines do not apply to surveillance of employees, so keep the employee policy review separate from the visitor and public-facing camera review.

Who should access recordings and remote viewing?

Decide who may view live feeds and recordings before the system is installed. Keep storage secure, limit access and define the operational purpose for remote viewing.

Questions to settle during planning

1. Which entrances, parking areas, hallways, loading docks, stock areas and vulnerable zones need coverage?
2. Who may view live video, retrieve recordings or manage the system?
3. When is remote viewing needed, and how will it support the site's monitoring process?
4. How will the business secure recordings and remove footage when it is no longer needed?

Accure Security’s CCTV installation covers recording setup and remote viewing configuration, plus maintenance and system support, so plan for ongoing management of the system, not just the installation day.

How can CCTV work with access control, alarms and monitoring?

Plan CCTV as part of the wider security system when the site needs coordinated information. Camera coverage can be considered alongside access control, alarms and monitoring instead of being planned in isolation.

For example, review camera views around access points and other areas where an entry event or alarm needs visual context. Accure Security integrates CCTV with alarms, access control and monitoring where a property needs layered protection. You can also review its commercial access control systems and camera monitoring services when defining how the site will be managed.

The installation plan should still identify who may view footage, how remote viewing is configured and how recordings are secured. Those decisions connect the technology to the employee policy and visitor information process.

Frequently asked questions

What should you plan first for office CCTV installation?

Start with the office's security risks and operating areas. Review entrances, reception, hallways, parking and vulnerable zones, then assess blind spots, lighting, access points, recording needs and how the system will be monitored. Decide who may view live video and recordings before choosing the installation approach. This keeps the camera layout connected to the site's actual use.

Does an Ontario employer need an electronic monitoring policy for office CCTV?

If it had 25 or more employees in Ontario on January 1, yes: it needs a written electronic monitoring policy before March 1 of that year, whatever cameras it uses. Cameras that record staff are electronic monitoring, so the policy should say how, when and why they are used. Employees get a copy within 30 days, and part-time and casual employees each count as one.

What should CCTV signs tell visitors?

Signs should tell visitors and members of the public that cameras are in use. The privacy commissioner’s guidelines also say to be ready to answer questions about who is watching and why, to limit camera use and viewing range, to secure recordings with limited access and to destroy footage when it is no longer needed. Never aim cameras where people expect privacy.

Who should be allowed to view office or warehouse CCTV footage?

Only a small number of people who need it for the purpose the cameras serve. The privacy commissioner’s guidelines say recordings should be stored securely with access for a limited number of authorized people, that any disclosure outside the organization should be justified and documented, and that recordings should be kept only as long as needed. Name those people in your written policy.

Can CCTV integrate with access control and alarms?

Yes. Accure Security integrates CCTV with alarms, access control and monitoring where a property needs layered protection. During planning, review camera views around entrances and other areas where access events or alarms may need visual context. Also decide who may view footage, how remote viewing will be configured and how recordings will be secured. These decisions help connect the camera system to site operations.

Next, review Accure Security's CCTV installation and camera system service to plan coverage for your office, warehouse or industrial property.