B.C. AG Pushes for Victim Notification After Voyeurism Conviction
B.C. Attorney General Niki Sharma is speaking out on behalf of hundreds of potential victims in a disturbing voyeurism case out of Saanich, British Columbia, saying those affected have a fundamental "right to know" whether they were recorded without their consent.
The case centres on a Saanich man who was convicted of voyeurism and producing child sexual abuse and exploitation material (CSAEM) — the term now preferred over "child pornography" in legal and advocacy circles. Investigators identified at least 652 women and girls who may have been filmed by the convicted individual, raising urgent questions about how and whether victims will be notified.
What the Attorney General Is Saying
Sharma made her position clear: this is not merely a procedural matter. The people potentially captured in these recordings — many of whom may have no idea they were ever filmed — deserve transparency from law enforcement and the justice system.
"These individuals have a right to know," Sharma said, framing the issue as one of dignity, autonomy, and informed consent that extends beyond the courtroom.
The case has highlighted a significant gap in Canadian victim notification practices. When voyeurism cases involve large numbers of victims who are not identified during the investigation or trial process, there is no consistent national standard for how or whether those individuals are contacted afterward.
A Systemic Problem
Voyeurism convictions have increased in Canada in recent years as hidden cameras have become smaller, cheaper, and easier to conceal. Cases involving dozens or even hundreds of victims are no longer rare — but the infrastructure for notifying those victims has not kept pace.
Advocacy groups have long called for mandatory victim notification protocols in cases involving covert recording, arguing that survivors deserve the agency to seek support, counselling, or legal recourse — even if they were never aware the recording occurred.
In this Saanich case, the sheer scale of the victim pool — 652 confirmed potential victims — makes manual outreach a significant logistical and legal challenge. Police must balance victim privacy, operational sensitivities around the investigation, and the psychological impact of notification itself.
The Broader Legal Landscape
Canada updated its criminal code language around child sexual abuse material in recent years, shifting toward terminology that centres the harm to victims rather than the nature of the content. Advocates say this is a meaningful step, but that legal reform must be matched by better support systems for survivors.
B.C. has been at the forefront of several victim-centred legal reforms in Canada, and Sharma's comments suggest the province may push for clearer standards — either provincially or in collaboration with federal counterparts — on how law enforcement handles mass-victim voyeurism cases going forward.
What Comes Next
It remains unclear how many of the 652 potential victims have been contacted, and whether the provincial government will compel police to undertake a broader outreach effort. Sharma's public statements signal political will to act, but translating that into enforceable policy will require coordination between the Ministry of the Attorney General, the Saanich Police Department, and potentially the federal Department of Justice.
For now, those who believe they may have been filmed in Saanich and want more information are encouraged to contact local police or reach out to victim services organizations in British Columbia.
Source: CBC News
