WHITE ROCK - Following a news report looking at the use of a security camera in the men's washroom at the Sandpiper Pub, co-owner and Coun. Bill Lawrence said there have been "no problems" from the public about the security feature.
According to Lawrence, most of the pub's male regulars are aware that there's a camera facing the sink area of the men's washroom and haven't had an issue with it since it was installed three years ago. Lawrence said there has been the occasional question from patrons, but noted nobody has taken offense to it until now.
"We have so many people who come in on Friday, Saturday nights and people are going in the bathroom all the time and as such we've had no problems," he said. "People have asked about it and we had a picture behind the bar showing what angle the camera was filming and everyone has been okay with it."
His comments come after another media outlet ran a story examining the use of a camera in the Sandpiper Pub and other establishments around the region, questioning the privacy of such a practice.
Lawrence maintains that the camera does not contravene any privacy laws as it is facing the sink area. The camera was installed after incidents of vandalism occurred in the pub's bathroom.
"We had some issues after we remodeled the bathrooms, but that was around three years ago now, so it's been ages," he said. "The point of the camera was to determine who would be doing the vandalizing and when it happens."
However, with nobody seemingly upset by the device after all these years, Lawrence wondered why it has been highlighted recently.
"I was actually surprised as pretty much everybody else was that there was a story," he said. "My guess was that somebody who was not a regular came into the Sandpiper, saw the camera up on the ceiling and wondered what was going on with it, took offense to it and contacted the paper. It has been there for a few years now and for a story to come out this late after its installation was pretty bewildering."
Adding that the camera also adds a level of security for patrons, Lawrence said the coverage won't be prompting them to remove the device.
cpoon@thenownewspaper.com