A Calgary tenant noticed something off about the surge protector in the bathroom. It turned out to be a camera.
That discovery on June 8 unravelled into a case that now has the landlord of two Calgary rental properties facing charges, and Calgary police warning that he may have done the same thing in Vancouver and Toronto.
Sooryong Park, 41, who police say also uses the alias Nick Park, has been charged with one count of break and enter and five counts of voyeurism. He was arrested on July 10 and is scheduled to appear in court on August 7.
How it was discovered
The tenant who spotted the camera in the bathroom didn't stop there. They also found one hidden in a smoke detector in their bedroom, according to the Calgary Police Service. They told the other tenants in the building, who checked their own rooms and found similar cameras in their bedrooms. Then they called police.
Four days later, on June 12, investigators executed a search warrant at the property in the 200 block of Springborough Way S.W. and seized multiple electronic storage devices. Police believe the same landlord installed similar devices at another rental property, in the 3800 block of Brentwood Road N.W.
The warning that goes beyond Calgary
The most consequential line in the police release isn't about the two Calgary addresses. Investigators believe Park "may operate as a landlord in other jurisdictions including Vancouver and Toronto, targeting women of the Korean community."
That is a police service saying there may be more victims, in other cities, who don't know they were recorded. Anyone who has rented from a landlord using either name in Calgary, Vancouver, or Toronto is asked to contact police.
What the cameras looked like
A surge protector. A smoke detector. Not obvious cameras, not anything visibly out of place, just everyday objects in a bathroom and a bedroom that nobody looks at twice.
That's exactly the point of them. Hidden cameras sold today are routinely built into power bars, USB chargers, clocks, smoke detectors, and air purifiers, and they cost very little. A tenant walking into a furnished rental has no reason to question a power bar on the floor or a smoke detector on the ceiling. Both belong there.
Why landlords are a hard case to catch
There's a structural problem underneath this one, and it's part of why cases like this can run for a long time before anyone notices.
A landlord has legitimate access. They own the place, they hold keys, they can be in the unit for repairs, showings, or inspections, and their presence raises no alarm. They're often the ones who furnished it, which means devices they installed were there before the tenant ever moved in. A stranger planting a camera has to break in and risk being caught. A landlord just has to walk in.
Alberta's Residential Tenancies Act does set limits: landlords generally have to give 24 hours' written notice before entering, and entry has to be for a specified purpose at a reasonable hour. But those rules govern access, not surveillance, and they only help if a tenant knows to question what's in the unit in the first place. The charge here includes break and enter alongside the voyeurism counts.
How to check a rental for hidden cameras
If you're checking your own place, there are a few practical things you can do.
Look at anything with a clear view of a bed or a shower, and anything oddly placed or noticeably newer than everything around it. Turn off the lights and slowly scan the room with your phone camera. Many camera lenses reflect infrared light and can show up as a small glint or bright dot on the screen. In a dark room, a careful look for tiny pinhole openings on smoke detectors, chargers, and power bars takes two minutes.
Check what's on the Wi-Fi network too. A camera that streams has to connect to something, and unfamiliar devices on a network list are a red flag.
If you find something, don't remove it or handle it. Leave it in place, get somewhere safe, and call police. The device and its position are evidence.
Where to get help
Anyone with information about this case can call the Calgary Police Service at 403-266-1234. Tips can be left anonymously with Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477, online at calgarycrimestoppers.org, or through the P3 Tips app. The CPS case number is 26253404/5741.
The charges against Park have not been tested in court.
Sources:
Calgary Police Service, news release, "Landlord charged in multiple voyeurism incidents," July 11, 2026 (newsroom.calgary.ca)
Alberta Residential Tenancies Act, landlord entry provisions
