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Security firm hired for G20 has no licence to operate in Ontario
The company awarded a government contract to provide private security for the G8 and G20 summits is not licensed in Ontario.
Contemporary Security Canada, which also provided private security for the Vancouver Olympic Games, was selected by the RCMP to provide approximately 1,100 private security guards to screen pedestrians throughout the summits in Huntsville and Toronto.
But security guards and the companies they work for are required by provincial law to be licensed, and the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services said Contemporary Security Canada is not currently approved.
“No they’re not,” said Laura Blondeau, spokeswoman for Minister Rick Bartolucci. “We are scrambling to do that due diligence with the aim of getting them licensed so they can proceed. So we’re kind of behind the eight-ball on this.”
Ms. Blondeau said the ministry is working to do background checks on the company and the security guards they have hired for the high-profile international event. But she said they found out about the issue only after the company was hired.
“My understanding is that the RCMP has a long-standing relationship with this company,” she said. “So they secured them and we found out about it after the fact. It’s an inconvenience.”
The company must pay a fee and go through a rigorous process to become a licensed agency, and Ms. Blondeau said they will be able to work at the summits only if they are approved.
“If they are an agency that is approved to do business in Ontario, then they can proceed,” she said.
A federal “letter of interest” posted in March announced the federal government’s intention to secure a contractor to provide airport-style security at various checkpoints.
“The contractor will be required to provide approximately 1,030 security screening personnel to perform pedestrian screening in designated areas,” the letter read.
The tender doesn't say where the guards will be stationed, but said they would be outfitted with “Magnetometers,” “walk-through metal detectors,” “X-Ray belt driven scanners” and “hand-held metal detectors.”
The letter of interest stipulates that bidders invited to compete in the tender must “submit proof that they can provide the security equipment and minimum required number of security screening personnel that are licensed (Ontario Security Guard License).”
The cost of the summit has been estimated at close to $1-billion. The RCMP has said about $321 million is being spent on venue security, intelligence gathering and the expenses associated with bringing in police officers and private security guards for the event.
Contemporary Security Canada announced that it had been awarded the contract on the company web site:
“Contemporary Security Canada Inc. (CSC) has been selected by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) to provide security screening services for the upcoming G8 and G20 meetings in Huntsville and Toronto, Ontario. CSC will have an estimated 1,100 security screeners on site.”
The company was accepting applications for security guards until Monday, and did hiring sessions at Humber College of Performing Arts in Toronto after placing ads in several local weeklies.
“Find out how you can work the biggest security event in Canadian history,” read the ad.
A company spokesperson could not immediately be reached for comment.
Constable Wendy Drummond, of the Integrated Security Unit, referred questions to the Summit Management Office, which was also not available for comment.
Source: http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/world/g8-g20/news/security-firm-hired-for-g20-has-no-licence-to-operate-in-ontario/article1596395/