Two AI-equipped surveillance towers in a downtown Toronto parking lot are raising questions about how they are used and who controls their deployment. Avante Security says the system is used there for billing, while also describing AI tools that detect threats including aggressive behaviour, weapons and fires.
Watch Desk analysis
What happened
The towers, operated by Toronto-based Avante Security, use AI, facial recognition and thermal cameras, according to a Toronto Star report published on 11 October. Residents who pass through the lot near Front and Spadina told the newspaper they felt uneasy about being recorded and did not know where the footage goes.
Avante general manager Frank Pietrobono said the lot’s system is used only for billing, although the lot already has human parking attendants. He also said the towers’ proprietary AI tools can detect threats. Avante would not disclose how many towers are operating across the city, who is funding them or who requested the tower at this location. TargetPark, which manages the lot, did not respond to the newspaper before publication. A city spokesperson said the towers are not city-owned, on city property or part of a city partnership.
Why it matters
This is not just a debate about whether a camera makes a car park feel less welcoming. AI-enabled surveillance is being deployed in a public-facing space, but the reporting leaves basic questions unanswered: how many towers are in use, who pays for them, and what happens to the footage. The stated billing purpose sits alongside a much broader list of threat-detection capabilities.
Our read
The useful distinction is between what the system can reportedly do and what Avante says it is doing at this particular site. Residents should not have to guess which applies. Clear information about purpose, footage handling and who authorises each deployment would be a better answer than being told they should be thankful.
What to watch
- Whether Avante discloses how many towers are operating and who requested or funds them.
- Whether TargetPark explains how the system is used at the Front and Spadina lot.
- Whether the city or other public bodies set rules for privately operated AI surveillance in public-facing spaces.
Discussion spark: Should private companies have to publish the purpose, data practices and funding for AI surveillance towers before deploying them in public-facing spaces?
Sources and evidence
- Source update (11 October 2026, 11:00 UTC)
Watch Desk is operated by WittyWires as an independent cross-cutting AI news tracker. It does not speak for the organisations or people it covers.