ASP Staff, Author at ASP Security Services

By Garinder Grewal, Service Delivery Manager (Aviation).

Every year, many employees suffer injury as a result of a slip or trip at work.

Over the last 10 years, the number of slip- related accidents has been increasing. It is important to remember that safety is everyone’s responsibility.

YOU can reduce the risk of slipping or falling by:

Wearing appropriate foot wear.
Immediately calling IOCC Non-Emergency for all spills.
Call Snow Removal Desk if snow/ice builds up at airside post.
Taking your time and paying attention to where you are going.
Walking with the feet pointed slightly outward.
Ensuring that things you are carrying or pushing do not prevent you from seeing.

A positive attitude towards health and safety can prevent most slips and trips. A ‘see it, sort it’ attitude is always best. The opposite of this is an attitude whereby people leave things they see. Just because one person sees something and is able to avoid an accident, doesn’t mean that everyone else will be able to do the same.

By taking simple precautions, the risk of personal injury from a slip, trip or fall at work can be greatly reduced.

By Jim Catney, Vice-President, Aviation and Transportation.

Teamwork…it plays a critical role in building and sustaining successful businesses and work environments.

Our team continues to grow and it is important that we continue to welcome new team members and assist them in adapting to their new company and with being successful in their new role.

“Great things in business are never done by one person; they’re done by a team of people.” – Steve Jobs

Our team collaboration and growth over the last several months has resulted in many new employees in Ontario and Alberta. It is exciting to see the newly created teams continue to develop and reflect our ASP values and culture.

The entire ASP team is responsible for our recent successes and we should all be proud. For us to continue to grow, we have to make sure that we continue to work together effectively and support each other in our various roles within the organization.

“Our destiny is not written for us, it’s written by us” — Barack Obama

How can we improve teamwork at your work location? How can you assist? Do you have any recommendations for team building activities that we can consider to implement?

I am interested in hearing back from our employees; email me your ideas/comments on “Teamwork” at jcatney@security-asp.com.

ASP would like to welcome Tom Lawson to the ASP Family. Tom will be joining ASP as our Strategic Advisor.

General Thomas James Lawson CD2, CMM, MEng, MPA, ICD is a retired Royal Canadian Air Force general. Lawson was Chief of the Defence Staff (CDS) of the Canadian Armed Forces from October 2012 to July 2015. He previously served as Deputy Commander of the North American Aerospace Defence Command.

As a member of perhaps our nation’s only four- generation Royal Canadian Air Force family, General Lawson looks back on his 40-year military career with deep appreciation. It allowed him to recognize the critical importance of developing leadership qualities within organizations. He especially credits his time as CDS in command of the Canadian Armed Forces as a key opportunity to broaden and hone his strategic visioning skills.

It is with great pleasure and delight that we announce that ASP has been awarded the Business Excellence Award in the large company category from the Burlington Chamber of Commerce.

ASP was one of four final nominees for this prestigious award and at the Gala event on April 4, 2019, it was announced that ASP had won the award in our category. The 2019 Business Awards Gala event celebrates the significant accomplishments of the brightest and best that the Burlington business community has to offer.

This was an extremely proud moment for ASP and we wish to congratulate and thank the entire organization for making this possible.

Left to Right: Garinder Grewal, Debbie Ciccotelli, Jim Catney, Angus Wilson, Dean Lovric (President and CEO), Paul Parkinson and Natasha Stephenson-Belle.

We are proud to share this news with all our employees who have worked very hard to maintain the quality standards of ASP and to always ensure we deliver a premium service to our clients and customers. It is because of the combined efforts of each one of our employees that we have managed to achieve this success.

It is with great pleasure and delight that we announce that ASP has been awarded the Business Excellence Award in the large company category from The Burlington Chamber of Commerce.

ASP Team Photo - Wins Business Excellence Burlington Chamber of Commerce

ASP Dean Lovric Photo - Wins Business Excellence Burlington Chamber of Commerce

ASP was one of four final nominees for this prestigious award and at the Gala event on April 4, 2019, it was announced that ASP had won the award in our category. The 2019 Business Awards Gala event celebrates the significant accomplishments of the brightest and best that the Burlington business community has to offer.

This was an extremely proud moment for ASP and we wish to congratulate and thank the entire organization for making this possible.

If you’re thinking of becoming a security guard in Ontario, you’ll need to meet some provincial requirements to get your license.

It’s not as hard as it might sound though. Let’s look at what’s involved in Ontario security training and how much effort you can expect to put in.

The Basics of Being a Security Guard in Ontario

Ontario has some simple requirements that all security guards need to meet in order to get your license in the province. The Private Security and Investigative Services Act, 2005 covers these requirements, which are in place to be sure that anyone in the job knows what they’re doing.

The first stage of Ontario security guard training is the basic training course. You must complete this course before you can take the test to get your license. Several places offer these courses:

Universities and colleges
Career colleges
licensed training agencies
In-house trainers (for a company’s own employees only)

You’ll need to complete this course whether your goal is to become a security guard or you want to do a related job, such as a bouncer, a bodyguard, or a loss prevention employee.

While various places offer these courses, the province sets some standards that all providers have to meet.

The course must provide at least 40 hours of training, including emergency first aid certification. You can choose to opt out of the first aid component if you’re already certified, provided your certification is from a St. John Ambulance or Workplace Safety Insurance Board certified trainer.

The course can be either classroom- or web-based but if it is a web-based course, it needs to provide real-time interaction with an instructor. This could also be web-based through a conferencing system like Skype so if you don’t have any classroom-based training facilities nearby, online courses can be a good alternative.

Requirements to Take Ontario Security Training

Before you can take security guard training in Ontario, there are several pieces of documentation that you’ll need. The following documents are required to apply for your license.

Proof of Eligibility to Work in Canada

You’ll need documents that show you can work in Canada. This can be proof of Canadian citizenship, such as a birth certificate or passport, or if you have moved to Canada from another part of the world, a valid work permit or Permanent Resident status.

Photo Identification

You also need a piece of government-issued photo ID that shows your full legal name, date of birth and signature. This could include a driver’s license or passport, for example.

Guarantor Information Form

The third item you’ll need is a completed guarantor information form. A guarantor is someone who can confirm the information in your application for a criminal record check. This can be anyone who has known you personally for at least two years, including a family member.

Alternatively, the guarantor can be someone from a list of professions in the application form, such as your employer, another licensed Ontario security guard, a lawyer, or a police officer.

The Eligibility to Hold a license – Clean Criminal Record regulation specifies what offenses can disqualify you from getting a clean record check unless you’ve received a pardon.

They can also disqualify you from continuing as a licensed security guard if you’re convicted of any of those offenses after receiving your license. In that case, you are obligated to disclose any convictions for these things to the Ontario government within five days of the conviction.

Putting Your Training to the Test

Once you have completed the basic training course, you’ll receive a completion number from the training provider. This number is required when you write the test to receive your license.

The provincial Private Security and Investigative Services department of the Ministry of the Solicitor General looks after Ontario security guard testing. The test contains 60 multiple-choice questions based on what you learn in the basic training course. You have up to 75 minutes to complete the test.

You can only write the test in person, there is currently no online option to complete it. You can take the test at certain DriveTest centers across the province.

The test is available in either French or English and the fee for the test is currently $66.50 plus HST, for a total of $75.15. Your results are normally available within two days of taking the test. Once you pass it, you’re eligible to apply for your security guard license.

If you don’t pass the test, you can retake it as many times as needed until you pass. Just keep in mind that you’ll need to pay the full fee each time you write it.

A License to Secure

Once you’ve passed the test and receive your license, you’ll be a fully-qualified security guard in the province of Ontario. There are a few things to keep in mind during this process, however.

First, you are not qualified to complete the duties of a security guard until you have your license in hand. Passing the test means you’re eligible to apply for it, but once you’ve applied you’ll need to wait until you actually receive it before you start working as a security guard.

It’s important to remember that anyone can ask to see your license in the course of duty. Any member of the public can request to see your license and while you only need to show them the front side, you do need to be able to produce it on demand.

What if You’re Licensed Outside of Ontario?

If you have a security guard license outside the province, you will still need to get your Ontario license to work in the province. Exactly what you’ll need to do to get it depends on where you’re currently licensed.

If you’re licensed in another province or territory in Canada, you may be exempt from the training course and possibly from the test. The specifics can vary depending on where and when you are licensed, so if this applies you will need to contact the province to find out exactly how to proceed.

If you’re licensed outside of Canada, you will likely need to take the course and write the test regardless of where or when you received your license.

How To Get Started

If you’re interested in becoming an Ontario security guard, the first step is to find a good Ontario security training course. Completing the course is the biggest step in the process so the sooner you get started, the better.

In the meantime, read through the information in the links we’ve shared in this post to be sure you’re aware of all the requirements and can have everything you need ready when it comes time to apply for your license.

By Sean Gallagher, Resource Recruiter

December’s spotlight article is focused on Senthuran Mathieyaparam, who is one of our Aviation Security Supervisors at Pearson International Airport.

He started in 2015 as a casual security guard and was noticed as a leader during his first year on the job. In late 2015, he moved to a full-time Terminal Patrol guard position, where he really got to focus on his customer service abilities and was able to develop his leadership skills as the experience progressed.

During 2016, Senthuran’s Manager, Garinder Grewal, noticed his drive and ambition so much that he knew he had to promote him once again to a full time night Terminal Supervisor. Not only has Senthuran bloomed in the supervisory roles, but he was trained and moved into a back- up Service Delivery Manager role in 2017 to assist during Noman Butt’s absence.

Senthuran took pride in this position and gave it everything he had. He was also trained in the Resource Planning department to help the team fully utilize the casual pool of guards that Senthuran has been developing relationships with for so long.

Senthuran aspires to become a Security Manager; I strongly feel he is not far off from that feat as he continues to set and achieve goals throughout his ASP career. In December 2018, he was recognized for his supervisory achievements by receiving the Supervisor of the Year Award for Pearson Airport.

Keep up the hard work, Senthuran, the sky’s the limit!

By Natasha Stephenson-Belle, Supervisor, Resource Planning.

As the Resource Planning Department in Burlington is expanding to better support our field operations, we would like to extend a warm welcome to our three new Resource Planners: Cathy Baboth and Colin Catney.

Each new Resource Planner brings to the team enthusiasm and team spirit that is sure to be beneficial to our operation.

We all look forward to interacting and working together as a collaborative effort to better staff to our business needs.

By Sreten Stamenkovic, GTAA Specialist, Airport Surface Maintenance Bussing, AVS.

One of our Bus Bay access control officer working at BB-21…is Tobias Almel Esguerra and he is employed by A.S.P. Inc. security company.

We would like to express our special thanks to him for the wonderful job he does in helping our passengers transferring from international flights to domestic ones. It is a joy for us to work with such a dedicated non-GTAA employee.

He is an excellent example of how a job should be done. We sincerely hope that all his colleagues will reach his level of accountability and the passion he shows toward our passengers.