GPS trackers are cheap, small, and easy to buy — which is exactly why they cause trouble. Every month, people across Ottawa ask the same question: can I put a tracker on my spouse's car, or on a company vehicle, to find out where it goes?
The short answer is that it depends — and the details matter more than most people expect. A tracker placed on the wrong vehicle, without the right permission, can turn a legitimate concern into a criminal harassment complaint, a privacy lawsuit, or evidence a court refuses to use. This post explains the general rules in Ontario so you can stay on the right side of the line. It is general information only, not legal advice — if your situation involves a separation, a workplace dispute, or a court case, speak with an Ontario lawyer before you act.
The Rule That Decides Almost Every Case
In Ontario, GPS tracking is generally judged by two questions: who owns the vehicle, and did the person being tracked consent?
Tracking your own vehicle is normally fine. Parents tracking a car they own that their teenager drives, or a business tracking its own fleet vehicles, are usually on solid ground. Problems start when the tracker follows a person rather than a vehicle — that is, when someone places a device on a car they do not own, or keeps tracking a vehicle after ownership or permission has changed.
Consent matters too. If the driver knows about the tracker and has agreed to it, most of the legal risk disappears. Secret tracking is where the risk lives. Secretly following someone's movements, day after day, can amount to criminal harassment under the Criminal Code, and Ontario courts recognize a privacy claim called intrusion upon seclusion for deliberate, highly offensive invasions of privacy. A licensed private investigator in Ottawa will not install a tracker on a vehicle the client does not own or have clear permission to track — and any investigator who offers to do so without asking about ownership should be a red flag.
Spouses and Partners: What You Can and Can’t Track
This is the most common scenario we hear about, and the most misunderstood.
You can generally track a vehicle that is solely in your name, because it is your property. But most family vehicles are jointly owned, and joint ownership does not give you a free pass to secretly track your spouse. If both names are on the ownership, or if the vehicle is a shared family car your spouse drives daily, secretly tracking it can still be treated as harassment or an invasion of privacy — especially during a separation, when emotions run high and the tracking looks like surveillance of an ex-partner rather than management of your own property.
You cannot track a vehicle that belongs solely to your spouse, and you cannot track your spouse's phone, either. Phone location data is even more sensitive than vehicle data, and accessing it without permission can raise additional legal problems, including unauthorized use of a computer or device.
There is another practical reason to pause: secretly gathered tracking data often hurts the person who collected it. In family court, evidence obtained by harassing or unlawfully tracking a spouse can be excluded, and it can damage your credibility with a judge. If you suspect infidelity or hidden activity, lawful surveillance by a licensed investigator — conducted in public places, without trespassing or tracking devices on vehicles the client does not own — produces evidence that is far more likely to hold up. Our services page outlines how surveillance and infidelity investigations are conducted lawfully in Ontario.
Employers and Company Vehicles
Employers are in a stronger position, but not an unlimited one.
A business can generally track vehicles it owns, such as delivery vans, service trucks, or fleet cars, particularly when tracking is used for dispatch, routing, safety, or protecting company assets. The key is transparency: employees should be told that company vehicles are tracked, what data is collected, and why. A clear written policy, shared when an employee is hired or when a vehicle is assigned, prevents most disputes.
The line appears when tracking follows the employee rather than the vehicle. Tracking a company vehicle outside working hours, when an employee is permitted personal use, or tracking an employee's personal car, raises serious privacy concerns. Ontario has no general private-sector privacy statute like British Columbia or Alberta, but employees can still pursue claims for intrusion upon seclusion or harassment, and unions or employment lawyers will challenge tracking that looks like surveillance of a person's private life rather than management of a fleet.
If you are an employer dealing with suspected time theft, moonlighting, or misuse of a company vehicle, document the business concern first, review your policy, and consider a lawful investigation instead of reaching for a tracker. An investigator can verify activity through lawful observation and public-source checks without putting you or your company at legal risk.
What Happens When Tracking Crosses the Line
The consequences of unlawful tracking are not theoretical. Depending on the facts, a person who secretly tracks someone can face:
A criminal harassment charge, which can lead to a criminal record.
A civil claim for invasion of privacy, with damages.
A restraining or peace bond order.
Evidence being thrown out in family or civil court.
For a licensed investigator, discipline or loss of licence for breaking the law or professional standards.
Police, it is worth noting, generally need a judicial warrant to install and monitor a tracking device.
If you discover a tracker on your vehicle, do not remove and destroy it immediately if you may need it as evidence — photograph it in place, note where and when you found it, and contact police or a lawyer. If you are on the other side of that situation and are unsure whether tracking you already did was lawful, stop, and get legal advice before continuing.
Legal Alternatives That Actually Hold Up
Most people considering a tracker want answers, not a device. There are lawful ways to get them:
Lawful surveillance. A licensed investigator can observe and document activity in public places — where someone goes, who they meet, and when — without trespass or tracking devices.
Document review. Records you lawfully have access to, such as joint accounts, shared calendars, or company logs, can answer many questions without any surveillance at all.
Open conversation or mediation. In employment and family situations alike, a direct conversation, sometimes with a mediator or lawyer present, resolves things a tracker never would.
Court orders. Where location information is genuinely needed for a legal proceeding, a lawyer can seek the appropriate court order rather than self-help tracking.
These routes take longer than a tracker — but they produce evidence you can actually use, without creating a new legal problem for yourself.
Before You Track Anything, Ask These Questions
Before you buy or install any tracking device, work through this checklist:
Do I own this vehicle outright, and is my name the only one on the ownership?
Does the driver know about the tracker and consent to it?
Is the tracking limited to a legitimate purpose — my own property, or a disclosed business use?
Would I be comfortable explaining this tracking to a police officer or a judge?
If you cannot answer yes to all four, do not install the device. Talk to a lawyer about your situation, or reach out to a licensed investigator to discuss lawful options.
If you are dealing with suspected infidelity, employee misconduct, or a family dispute in Ottawa and need facts you can rely on, Vandrake Investigations can help you find them lawfully. Visit our contact page or call (613) 218-3096 to discuss your situation confidentially.