COMPANY’S USE OF BODY CAMERAS ON CHICKENS SLAMMED

British Columbia’s privacy commissioner says a chicken-catching company was not authorized to use video surveillance on staff in response to an animal cruelty investigation. Elite Services in Chilliwack said in June it would require one supervisor and two staff members to wear cameras on their vests after an animal advocacy group released an undercover video that allegedly showed workers hitting, kicking and throwing chickens. Drew McArthur, the province’s acting information and privacy commissioner, says he launched an investigation over concerns the video surveillance was being used as a “quick fix” and could violate privacy rights. The investigation found “video surveillance should only be used as a last resort, not as a substitute for ineffective recruitment and training protocols,” McArthur said.