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Home > Government
Relations > Security Guards & Bouncers
On Aug. 23, 2007, the Private Security and Investigative
Services Act came into effect. The new law requires security industry
workers to be licensed. The Act lays the foundation for the regulation
of all security guards, bouncers, body guards and private investigators.
Once fully implemented the Act will require training and testing for all
security personnel.
The ORHMA has participated on a government advisory committee over the
last two years, as the sole voice of the hospitality industry, to ensure
that requirements are fair and meaningful without being onerous on employers.
Requirements for Businesses:
Under the Act, any business entity that employs its own in-house security
personnel, but is not in the business of selling security services, is
required to register with the Private Security and Investigative Services
Branch of the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services.
This includes, but is not limited to hotels, restaurants and bars that
employ security guards and bouncers. Businesses do not need to
register if they are employing security staff from a licensed security
business.
Businesses that employ their own in-house security guards and/or private
investigators will have to register with the Private Security and Investigative
Services Branch and their security personnel will have to be licensed.
To ensure all business registrations are issued on time, businesses are
requested to apply before August 23, 2008.
Registration is valid for one year and must be renewed annually.
Cost is $80.
Click here
for a business registration form
Requirements for Staff:
In-house security guards and bouncers have until August 23, 2008, to become
licensed. Security guards and bouncers are considered, under the Act,
to be those persons who perform work, for remuneration, that consists
primarily of guarding or patrolling for the purpose of protecting persons
or property.
You will need a licence if your main responsibility in
a bar or restaurant, for instance, is controlling entrances and patrolling
the property to ensure the safety and security of the establishment and
its occupants.
You will not need a licence if you are a hotel,
motel or inn manager who may inspect common areas during your shift. Those
checks are not the main activity of a manager in this setting. Overseeing
the entire operation of the facility, as well as ensuring guest comfort,
would typically be your main activity or responsibility.
To be eligible for a licence, one must:
• Be 18 years of age or older
• Be eligible to work in Canada, and
• Have no convictions for a prescribed
offence for which you have not been granted a pardon.
If you operate a business that employs its own in-house security guards,
you have until August 23, 2008, to register. Your security personnel have
until August 23, 2008, to get their individual licences. While it is an
employee’s duty to become licensed, and to renew the license annually,
it is the employer’s responsibility to ensure that their staff do
possess a valid license. The Ministry has set up an online function to
facilitate the verification of the status of individual licenses.
Regulation of uniforms
Registered businesses must also comply with new regulations that set out
the requirements for uniforms worn by security staff. These regulations
restrict the use of hats, trouser stripes and certain colours, and outline
the size and placement of words, logos and chevrons. This regulation will
take effect August 23, 2009.
To review the Act and its regulations click here
http://www.mcscs.jus.gov.on.ca/english/police_serv/PISG/theact.html
Visit http://www.mcscs.jus.gov.on.ca/english/police_serv/PISG/faqs.html
to view frequently asked questions.
For more information contact:
The Private Security and Investigative Services Branch
777 Bay Street, 3rd floor
Toronto, Ontario M7A 2J6
telephone (Toronto area): 416-212-1650
toll free: 1-866-767-7454
fax: 416-326-0034
email: PSIS.PrivateSecurity@ontario.ca
www.ontario.ca/private-security
(Updated April, 2008)
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