By Natasha Stephenson-Belle, Manager, Resource Planning

Anne Kumar joined ASP in August, 2018 as a security guard for our Residential/Commercial division. She worked as a casual guard, completing patrol, escorting, and event security activities for various customers we service across the GTA.

With the experience Anne gained from RES/CIC, Anne transitioned to the Aviation division at Toronto Pearson International Airport.

Anne furthered her career by gaining her RAIC and becoming qualified to work as an airside access control guard in October 2018. During this move, I remember Anne calling into the scheduling department when I was new myself. Working as a casual guard, she was reaching out to build a schedule that would work with her school schedule. I asked Anne:

What do you like about working for ASP while you were a student at the airport?

Anne’s response: “As a student working for ASP, I liked the fact that the hours were flexible. We did have that minimum two shifts a week, which wasn’t too hard to keep up with. As I was a full-time student, I did not find it difficult to keep up with work and school. What I liked about working at Toronto Pearson is that it was close to home, so traveling to work wasn’t difficult. Also, the fact that we had the option of night shifts, which opened up my availability to work quite a bit.”

Recently, Anne was promoted to our Resource Planning department in March 2020 as a Scheduler. I asked Anne why she applied for this position.

Anne: “I heard about the fact that Resource Planning was hiring, and with the encouragement of the supervisors, I applied for this position”.

Since joining our team, Anne has been an excellent addition. Her primary focus with scheduling is with our aviation contracts, particularly, Toronto Pearson International Airport. On a daily basis, I can see Anne continuously trying to improve her skill set. She asks lots of questions and listens to feedback from her coworkers, her manager, operations team and the front-line employees. On a weekly basis, Anne reaches out to all her assigned casuals to check in on them, and to find a schedule that would work best for them. Anne brings to our team a knowledge of Airside posts, and she has built relationships at the airport that she is able to bring with her into Scheduling to work to her benefit.

Here are Anne’s thoughts on Resource Planning so far: “I love working with the Resource Planning team! Everyone is very helpful – since I am new, they were all very helpful; always answering my calls and helping me with whatever I need!”

Welcome to Resource Planning, Anne Kumar!!

If you are interested in speaking with Anne directly, you can always call our scheduling line – 416-481-0022, or you can email her at AKumar@security-asp.com.


By Neeru Panjwani, Manager - Human Resources

It is our pleasure to introduce and welcome the following new members in our team. Please join us in providing a warm ASP welcome to all the new members. We are proud to have you all as part of our team.

Uzoma (Zoma) Ogbonna, Technical Writer

Zoma has over 14 years of Technical Writing experience and prior to joining ASP, held the position of Senior Business Analyst and Technical Writer at Workplace Safety & Insurance Board. Zoma holds a Bachelor of Arts Degree in English Literature and Ethics from the University of Toronto as well as a Juris Doctor degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law. Zoma has a wealth of expertise and experience in developing RPF proposal documents as well as corporate and operational policies, plans and procedures. Zoma’s project management and process review experience will be a definite asset to the company and her bubbly personality combined with her collaborative approach makes her a great fit to the ASP family.

Zoma Ogbonna

Nadia Onorato, Recruiter, Toronto Pearson Airport Division

Nadia will be responsible for the full recruiting lifecycle. She is based out of our Mississauga office. She has over 10 years of Recruitment and HR administration experience for positions at Toronto Pearson International Airport and is well-versed with the new hire requirements at the airport. Her relative experience in airport experience will be an asset to our company.

Nadia Onorato

Rachel Raposo, Service Delivery Manager, Res/CIC Division

Rachel has over 8 years of experience in the security industry. She comes from GardaWorld where she held the position of Security Manager and managed a large group of security officers across the GTA. She is responsible for day to day operations of the security service contracts for RES/CIC division. Rachel has strong people and process management skills and has handled all aspects of security and operational procedures.

Rachel Raposo

Resource Planners

Varunpreet Saini, Harpreet Saini and Alanna-Marie Cole joined the Resource Planning team as Resource Planners. Varunpreet is responsible for handling scheduling for the aviation division and Harpreet and Alanna help the Residential and Commercial division. Alanna comes with extensive customer service experience, having worked at Walmart, CAA and American Airlines. Harpreet brings strong analytical skills along with proficiency in data processing as she has worked as a Scheduling Coordinator and Underwriter in her previous occupations. Varunpreet has worked as Customer and Technical Support representative in her previous roles which enabled her to build strong interpersonal, problem solving and critical thinking skills.

Alanna-Marie Cole

Brian Joly, Training Manager, Res/CIC Division

Bryan comes with 15 years of experience in education and development. He spent nearly 10 years as a Special Education Educator at the Toronto District School Board, and Durham District School Board. Bryan worked with countless students in modifying lessons, content, assignments and quizzes to meet the needs of each individual learner. Bryan has earned his reputation as a motivational facilitator and has used Differentiated Learning principles to create learning content to successfully created positive learning environments for everyone.

Bryan Joly

Sonika Ramachandran, HR Administrator, Res/CIC Division

Sonika has about 3 years of work experience in recruitment and human resources dealing with employee relations, maintaining files on HRIS and health & safety. She completed her Bachelor of Arts and Sciences from University of Toronto and is currently pursuing her CHRP certification.

Sonika Ramachandran


By Asad Abbas, Service Delivery Manager,Residential and Commercial Division

We started our muchly anticipated School Crossing Guard contract in 2019. We undertook the enormous task and responsibility of keeping the children of Toronto safe on their way to local schools.

Our crossing guards play a vital role in this very rewarding endeavor. We started the development process of X-Guard app in 2019. Faced with many challenges upon commencing the contract, through the hard work and dedication or our front-line crossing guards, along with the assistance of our technical support team, we have effectively and efficiently been able to streamline the daily reporting and operations of our ever growing crossing guard division. I’d like to thank every single one of our crossing guards, who’s patience and commitment were crucial in making all of this possible.

I wanted to take this opportunity to recognize two amazing team members for their passion, hard work and great initiative.

Michael Rein, Crossing Guard, starting in August of 2019. His great care-free spirit, positive attitude, welcoming smile, demeanor and his energetic sense of humor all play a part in Michael always giving 100 % in his job when performing his duties. This year, our Crossing Guard service start date was set to begin on the 14th of September. Our client had requested for us to start one of our crossing guard locations on September 8th. This short notice request did not give our team much time; fortunately, Michael Rein stepped up and made it easy for us to begin this service smoothly by agreeing to work at his dedicated location with only a few hours of notice. His hard work and good communication skills make him a very important member of our ASP family. Thank you, Michael for your dedication, support and hard work. Keep up the great work!

Michael Rein, Crossing Guard at SARANAC & COVINGTON

Shubham Shubham, Crossing Guard Mobile Supervisor, joined ASP on September 13th, 2020. He has more than two and half years of security experience and he previously was working as a Mobile Team Lead. He is an excellent addition to our team. He is always willing to provide assistance to help our crossing guard team. In just a few weeks, he has contributed to many valuable initiatives. He played a vital role in developing our internal Investigation reporting process. He has proved himself as a very reliable team member and has proven to continually handle many tasks and always deliver under high pressure circumstances. He not only helps the crossing guard team, but he also made sure client expectations and deadlines are met. He is always ready to do more. He is no doubt one of our rising stars and great member of ASP family. Thank you Shubham.

Shubham Shubham, Crossing Guard Mobile Supervisor


By Paul Parkinson, Director, Finance

Numbers guide behaviors. Just as your bank account balance influences your spending habits, careful monitoring of your key health metrics can help you make better decisions about your health.

When your numbers fall outside the recommended target ranges, you are more likely to bemotivated to take actions that help reduce your risks for developing chronic health conditions, like diabetes, hypertension, and heart disease.

For that reason, knowing your numbers is the first step toward better health. Here are some health numbers youshould know and why.

Blood Pressure

Higher than normal blood pressure values are associated with a higher risk for chronic health conditions, like stroke and dementia. Regularly monitoring can help alert you to take immediate action and seek guidance from your doctor.

Cholesterol

Elevated lipids place added strain on your cardiovascular system, so if your numbers have been creeping up over time, it may be helpful to take a closer look at your eating and exercise habits.

Blood Sugar

High blood sugar (sometimes called glucose) may indicate that your body is not managing or using insulin properly. Periodic monitoring of your blood sugar values can help you make better decisions about your daily choices.


By Rachel Raposo, Service Delivery Manager, Residential and Commercial Division

Avtar Bhamra

An employee’s motivation is a direct result of the sum of interactions with his or her manager.–Bob Nelson

Avtarhas worked with ASPfor oneyearandsixmonths. He has been a guard at our TTCgatehousefrom the start.Avtarhas transitionedinto our Respite contract,as he is looking to advance his career into Corrections. He has shown he is able to adapt to change effortlessly and has a can-do attitude. Thank you,Avtar, for your continued service at ASP!

Karen Swanston

Take time to appreciate employees and they will reciprocate in a thousand ways.–Simon Sinek

Karen is our administrator, whowas a crossing guard for ASP Karen, to me is kind of like a utility player in baseball… always ready to support the divisions. As the school year kicked off, she has provided great support to the Crossing Guard groupduring start-up,all the while learning RES/CICdivision as growth continues. I have known Karen for two months and I see that she shows great pride in her work and always brings a smile to the workplace. Thank you fromall of us at ASPKaren. Keep up the great work!

How does ASPmake you feel valued as an employee? I go home and know the work I did that day matters our clients and to my team. Fun fact:She has retired 3 times


By John Gangasingh, Operations Manager, Residential and Commercial Division

As the school year resumed, so did our School Crossing Guard Services Contract with the City of Toronto.

With no surprise, there were some anticipated challenges prior to start-up due to the infamous global pandemic, COVID-19. Our teamand extended support from other divisions putinmany extra hours daily and on weekends to ensure we would be as ready as possible.

We developed weekly town halls in-class and virtually to support social/physical distancing, we sourced out all the necessary Personal Protective Equipment, we re-vamped schedules, updated our Xguard APP, while, all along, maintaining an open line of communication with our client for full transparency.

The resumption of full services officially started on September 14th, 2020. Even with some last-minute obstacles, the team pulled together once again and we completed the first start day with no open shifts and a full complement of staff.

It is times like these that I truly take pride in having such an amazing team and working for such a wonderful organization. I’d like to personally thank and recognize a few team members that we just would not have succeeded without.

  • First, our Recruiter, Alyssa Rizzo, who managed to hire, not only the initial allotment of crossing guards needed, but approximately another 40 within just a few days before start-up. I don’t know how she pulled it off, but she may now be known as Alyssa “The Magician”!
  • Secondly, our Employee Development team. Between Training Coordinator Mike Moledzki and National Employee Development Manager Bryan Joly managing to onboard all new crossing guards through extra training classes, weekends, etc., we just would not be ready to go without them.
  • Lastly, both our Administrators, Tamana Bhatia/Karen Swanston and our Service Delivery Manager, Asad Abbas. These three worked collaboratively every day for the last few months ensuring everything is tracked, followed-up on, and delivered in a timely fashion from all aspects of the Operation and administratively. They are the face of the Crossing Guard Services Contract amongst the frontline team and I could not be happier about that.

I am very proud and grateful to lead such a wonderful team. I look forward to a strong remaining school year of keeping our students and each other safe. Keep up the great work, everyone!


By Sean Gallagher, HR Recruitment Manager

Precautions to Prevent the Spread of COVID-19

With COVID-19 in effect for the past six months, a lot has changed in the world, including how our company must recruit.

We have worked effectively and efficiently to create a safe and sanitary process for recruiting and interviewing not only for the candidate but the recruiter as well.

Here are a few of the processes we have been following:

  • Video Interviewing.
  • Face to face interviews with masks on and 6-10 feet between interviewer and interviewee.
  • Sanitizing the chairs and tables in the interview rooms.
  • Candidates fill out a COVID release form, use hand sanitizer and put latex gloves on before the interview.

Referral Bonus

We are introducing a referral bonus company-wide for all security, customer service, crossing guard and office positions.

If you know someone who would make a great fit in our company, please have them apply at www.security-asp.com and make sure they mention you as a referral on the site.

For you to be eligible for a $100 bonus per referral, they must:

  • Be hired on with A.S.P. Incorporated.
  • They must mention you as a referral either at the interview or on the application.
  • Work a minimum of 2-3 shifts weekly.
  • Stay with ASP for 3 months or longer.

Once they pass probation, you will receive your bonus electronically from our payroll department. If you have any questions about this, please do not hesitate to contact Sean Gallagher at sgallagher@security-asp.com.

Video Interviewing Etiquette

When video interviewing for an internal posting, please keep in mind:

  • Dress as if you were going for a formal in-person interview (do not underdress).
  • Make sure the Video Interview forum (Zoom, Microsoft Teams or Skype) works by signing on 10-15 minutes early.
  • Be seated at a desk or table and not walking around or driving.
  • Keep the background “glare-free” and keep clear of background objects and noises.
  • Speak clearly and take your time answering questions.
  • Make sure your WI-FI connection is excellent sothere isno lag in conversation.

Example of what not to do in an interview:

We conducted an interview right after COVID 19 closures started and had a candidate accept a date and time. Our recruiter called into the meeting, and the candidate answered while driving. They placed the phone in the cup holder and wanted to continue the interview. The candidate didn’t have an option to keep eye contact or elaborate on questions because they were too busy watching the road.

To make things worse, the candidate decided to ask the recruiter to wait a moment while she pulled through a Tim Horton’s drive-thru window to get a coffee. The candidate left the volume and video running while she ordered. The process took around 4-5 minutes, and the recruiter also witnessed the candidate being rude to the drive-thru window attendant. Once the candidate came back, the recruiter ended the interview and decided not to move forward with them.

The point to this story is that if you are truly interested in a position, please follow the above steps and always be positive and professional.


By Petra Nash, Executive Assistant

Social media such as Twitter, Facebook and Instagram, have become a primary source of information recently.

During a crisis like the COVID-19 pandemic, employees, customers and clients turn to social media to get information from an organization. It is during these times, that providing clear concise information makes the world of a difference in your organization.

Never have we had more real-time information available in the face of a worldwide event. Such information can help keep us safe, providing us with a better understanding of what is occurring and how it might impact us and those we love..

ASP during this time has been active on many social media platforms, providing our employees with updated information. We have been posting on our COVID-19 dedicated website page, YouTube Channel, Twitter, Instagram and Facebook.

Keep checking our social media platforms for more information as it becomes available. If you have any questions, you can submit them using the link https://www.security-asp.com/covid-19-faqs/.

You can also review all of our past memos to employees as well as communication from the President and CEO.


By Paul Parkinson, Director, Finance

Have you moved, or had some other change in your life?

With the COVID-19 impact to the operations, the office has seen an increase in the number of mailings going out. It’s important that we have your correct address and contact information on hand. This will ensure that any correspondence reaches you in a timely manner.

We do not want you to miss out on important news, payroll documents, or even shifts. An easy way to check to see if your address is correct is to check the address listed on your paystub. If this is incorrect, then send an email to asphr@security-asp.com and we will be sure to update our systems accordingly. Any new address, phone number or emergency contact information should be sent through to us to update. This is often overlooked item in our very busy lives.

Are you missing hours on your paystub? We have many employees and our business is anything but normal. We’ll admit that we’re not perfect but strive for perfection. At times, we could have missed hours on the paycheque. You can help us. Our scheduling software has an employee portal which allows you to check your schedule and the hours worked.

If you see something that is missed, such as your shift being extended, get a note off to your supervisor for correction before the pay period closes. In doing so, you ensure that you have the right number of hours being paid when you receive the paystub and lessen the impact on everyone.


By Deborah (Debbie) Ciccotelli, Vice President, Strategic Initiatives

On behalf of the senior leadership team, I am delighted to introduce Vince Bozzo, our new Senior Director of Operations in the Aviation Division.

Vince is responsible for the oversight and management of all Aviation Customer Service contracts, including Toronto Pearson OSR, Ottawa and BBTCA/Nieuport Customer

Service, as well as the Commercial Canine Unit and the Resource Planning Department.

Prior to joining ASP, Vince was the General Manager, Head of Venue Operations for Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE). Vince has over 20 years’ experience in operations, customer/client service and security. His extensive experience combined with his open, people first management style and collaborative customer centric approach is indicative that he is ideally suited to the ASP culture.

Prior to joining ASP, Vince was the General Manager, Head of Venue Operations for Maple Leaf Sports and Entertainment (MLSE). Vince has over 20 years’ experience in operations, customer/client service and security. His extensive experience combined with his open, people first management style and collaborative customer centric approach is indicative that he is ideally suited to the ASP culture.