Only six provinces require basic training and it is 'pretty much all over the map' says expert
Security professionals across Canada are expected to engage in volatile, dangerous, and legally complex situations—often with minimal training. Four provinces require zero basic security training to become a licensed guard, while the six that do have inconsistent standards. This patchwork approach is creating serious safety and liability risks for security workers and the employers who hire them.
The Canadian Association of Security Professionals (CASP) is now pushing for national standardization. Roy Jensen, the organization's training director, explains the scope of the problem: "Only six of ten provinces require any training whatsoever to become a security guard…and the six that do, the training is pretty much all over the map." The four Atlantic provinces and the territories do not require any training.
The training reality
Security guards with as little as 40 hours of basic training are regularly assigned roles that police perform after 12 months of training—walking beats, issuing citations, responding to alarms, and engaging in volatile situations. Yet unlike law enforcement, security professionals face no ongoing recertification requirements and no mandatory continuing education. "Security guards are literally being asked to engage in stressful, dangerous, litigious environments. They have the authority to arrest people," Jensen notes.
The consequences are significant. Between 2000 and 2019, CASP identified one on-duty death among security professionals. From 2020 to 2025, that number jumped to seven. Workplace injury data for security guards remains largely untracked across Canadian jurisdictions, creating a blind spot in occupational health and safety monitoring. Recent cases, including the 2024 death of a 20-year-old security guard in Edmonton, have reignited calls for greater oversight and standardized safety protocols.
Current provincial training programs attempt to cover all security specializations—loss prevention, facility patrol, vehicle patrol, surveillance, crowd control—in a single week. A white paper released by CASP highlights the problem: learners report receiving too much irrelevant information and retaining very little. Employers must reteach critical job-specific skills that weren't adequately covered, while time spent on inapplicable material is wasted.
Proposed National Standard
CASP proposes a revised basic security training program focused on foundational competencies applicable across all provinces. The proposed 40-hour curriculum would cover:
- Provincial legislation (4 hours)
- The legal system, including the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms and Criminal Code (12 hours)
- Communication and interpersonal skills (8 hours)
- Documenting incidents through notebooks and reports (6 hours)
- Threat assessment and risk management (6 hours)
- Situation management (4 hours)
This represents a fundamental shift from breadth to depth. Rather than skimming all security specializations, standardized training would equip guards with the legal knowledge, communication skills, and decision-making frameworks they need across any security role. Specialized, post-specific training would follow, delivered by employers or training providers and reinforced through field training officers.
Industry buy-in and broader goals
Jensen emphasizes that CASP is not acting unilaterally. "We're just at the start of the advocacy phase of our mandate,” he explains. The organization has already reached out to provincial governments responsible for security licensing, many of which are currently revising their training standards.
The broader goal extends beyond training standards. CASP is working to professionalize the security industry by establishing advanced training courses, creating career pathways with roles like field training officers and canine handlers, and implementing mandatory continuing education. "An additional dollar per hour on a contract was able to pay for 30 hours of in-service training," Jensen claims, demonstrating that enhanced training is cost-effective for employers.
Why this matters for health and safety leaders
For organizations contracting security services—whether in mining, oil and gas, construction, or other sectors—standardized training directly impacts workplace safety and risk management. Inconsistent guard training creates liability exposure and reduces the effectiveness of security protocols designed to protect workers and assets.
Jensen frames the issue as a win for all stakeholders: "The security guard is safer and more effective in their role. Their client gets better service. From a legal perspective, they're able to do more and do it correctly."
As several provinces move to revise their training programs, the push for national standardization is gaining momentum. For safety leaders responsible for site security, that momentum couldn't come at a better time.
