The Yukon RCMP are putting their controversial reality TV show on hold.

Meanwhile, the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada says it's following up with the police after learning about the show from media reports.

In a statement released Thursday afternoon, the RCMP said they are suspending the show to determine the "most appropriate path forward.

"Yukon RCMP has been made aware of a number of public concerns regarding the filming of a documentary series about policing in the Yukon and have heard media reports indicating that some members of the public are uncomfortable with the filming, which began in Whitehorse earlier this week,” the statement said.

 "Although questions have been raised about the production, we are thankful to note that comments about our members themselves and the work they are doing has been positive and supportive.

"Advice and views have been asked for and received from community leaders, community organizations and stakeholders. The RCMP and the production company are now discussing the feedback that is being received in order to determine the most appropriate path forward.”

Community groups and members of the public have been raising concerns about possible exploitation of at-risk groups and breaches in privacy, since the Star broke news of the show last Friday.

On the phone yesterday from New York, Glenda Hersh, president of the American production company True Entertainment, said she's hopeful the production will happen eventually.

"We're putting it on hold for a little bit,” she said.

"The idea is to approach some of the people who have some concerns and try and see whether we can address some of those concerns,” she said.

It was through the media that the Office of the Privacy Commissioner of Canada first learned of the filming.

Spokesperson Anne-Marie Hayden said her department is now in contact with the RCMP to find out more about what is being planned.

"We learned about the program through media reports, and we have said publicly that it does raise potential privacy issues,” she said.

"We certainly felt it would be important to follow up with the RCMP.”

The police force is subject to the federal Privacy Act.

Hayden said it's too early to comment on whether the show would violate the act.

"Without having more information about the show, what we have before us is really limited. It wouldn't be appropriate for us to say that there is any kind of violation of privacy law or to say what our concerns might be.”

The Privacy Commissioner is currently investigating a similar TV show, Border Security, which follows the work of the Canada Border Services Agency.

The B.C. Civil Liberties Society raised privacy concerns related to filming members of the public.

No official complaints have been filed about the RCMP show, which only filmed for four days before it was suspended.

Members of the public appearing on the program were required to sign a waiver.

Prior to filming, the RCMP consulted with its own own access to information and privacy team in Ottawa as well as other information sources. The police believe they are in compliance with the Privacy Act, spokesperson David Gilbert said today.

He encouraged others to not jump to conclusions about the show.

"There's a lot of filming taking place, and not a lot of it will make it to the air,” he said.

"People are making assumptions about what this show would look like. It has never been our intention to make the Yukon look bad, or make any one group look bad.”

Community groups, along with former Yukon MP Audrey McLaughlin, raised concerns about how the show is filmed.

They questioned the value of using policing as a form of entertainment and wondered if a person really could consent to being on television in the middle of dealing with the police.

Hillary Aitken, the program co-ordinator for the Victoria Faulkner Women's Centre, said she's pleased the police are taking action to deal with the concerns.

However, she wonders why the show is only being suspended and not cancelled.

"That part is a little disappointing, I'm not sure what more evidence they need to see before cancelling production.”

Aitken said in the days since the show started filming, people have come to her with concerns about appearing on TV.

On Thursday, she received a call from a woman who said she would not call the RCMP anymore because of the possibility of being filmed.

"This is a major red flag for us, as it is a huge risk to women's safety, especially in domestic violence or sexualized assault situations,” she said.

"Regardless of the plans the RCMP or the production company makes to improve the filming, if women feel so afraid of being publicly filmed that they do not call the RCMP in a dangerous situation, that is a huge problem. In this scenario, perception is just as important as reality.”

McLaughlin went public with her concerns Thursday morning after having witnessed a distraught young woman being arrested on camera in the downtown area.

Katherine Alexander, the executive director of the Elizabeth Fry Society Yukon is encouraging concerned citizens and groups to write directly to the RCMP.

"The only path forward is for the production to end,” she said.

NDP justice critic Lois Moorcroft is adding her voice to those calling for the show to be completely cancelled.

"I find it inexplicable,” the former justice minister told the Star today. "Reality TV is not reality, and the police have better things to do.”

She credits the police with taking steps to improve their relationship with the community and initial important dialogue.

"Reality TV is not going to advance that,” she said.

Hersh said she is still passionate about the show.

"I believe it's a story that needs to be told. I think that, to be perfectly honest, I think the RCMP has, sometimes, been vilified in the press.

"I think this is an opportunity to tell a much more three-dimensional, more subtle, broader story because we can film for months.”

She hopes those with concerns will take the time to understand the goals of the show.

"Maybe we needed to do a better job of explaining to them what we are trying to achieve.”

She said the aim is to be authentic.

"We're trying to make a film, a series of films, that are broad...that have authenticity. That tell the story of what it's like to police in the Yukon.

"The point is to not just film for one day or one night, but to be there for months, to really get a bigger, boarder context of what it's like to police in the Yukon; to really tell the story of who these people who wear those uniforms are.”

See commentary, p. 12.

By ASHLEY JOANNOU

Star Reporter