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  • 10 October 2021 8:52 AM | Anonymous


  • 13 September 2021 1:12 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    CALL FOR BOARD DIRECTORS

    The CPIO is holding its AGM on November 18, 2021. We are seeking candidates who are interested in being involved with a very active Board, particularly anyone with knowledge of  IT. You must be a current CPIO member in good standing and you will need three nominators (CPIO members in good standing).  Those who are interested, please reach out via email to mjaekel@cpioontario.ca, or by calling 877-313-7283.  The deadline for applicants is October 20, 2021.


  • 01 August 2021 1:55 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Dear CPIO members:

    It has come to the attention of the CPIO that there have been recent attempts by foreign secret service agencies to retain Canadian Private Investigation firms to conduct surveillance operations and/or investigations on people who have been deemed dissident nationals residing in Canada. Canada is not shielded when it comes to foreign interference and there are many creative ways that these foreign agencies are advancing their interests without our knowledge and sometimes at our own expense. We would like to take this opportunity to emphasize to our membership that it is highly recommended that you complete your due diligence and know who you are entering into an arrangement with when taking on new clients or new files from potential clients outside of our country or jurisdiction. We would like to reference the CPIO Code of Ethics located on our website as guidance for what is acceptable practice for our members. Should you receive any requests from foreign entities or even domestic that give you cause for concern, please contact your local authorities. The CPIO is here for our membership and is committed to bringing awareness and education to our industry, and industry professionals, as our profession impacts all of Canada in one way or another. 

    The following are the types of red flags to look out for when accepting work from a client, new or existing:

    • New client who was referred to you by someone unfamiliar
    • New clients who are vague on details as to why they need to retain you
    • New clients, or even existing clients, who are obviously intermediaries with limited knowledge of the assignment in question
    • New clients who prefer to pay in cash
    • New clients who want a “rush” job
    • A request that involves a political involvement or component
    • New clients who are outside of North America
    • Any request that does not sound reasonable

    This list is not exhaustive, and these red flags do not necessary suggest any ill intent.  They may suggest further due diligence should be undertaken to ensure you are not aiding foreign entities in obtaining information that they should not have access to.

    Kind regards,

    CPIO Board of Directors


  • 31 May 2021 12:01 AM | Anonymous

    The Private Security and Investigative Services Branch (PSISB) is responsible for licensing security guards, private investigators and business entities that sell or retain security guard and/or private investigator services in Ontario.

    Click here for Memo on preparing for a compliance inspection 

  • 09 May 2021 11:41 PM | Anonymous

    May 9, 2021

    Dear Members,

    I trust this letter finds you and yours in good health and looking forward to the warmer weather to come.  I would like to encourage you to take a minute or two to read about what the current CPIO board is doing for you.

    The first six months of the current board has been remarkably busy.  We started by continuing with our program of free educational webinars, we enjoyed an extraordinarily successful F.I.T. conference, and we are about to launch our first CPIO Course, in partnership with Toddington International.  This will be followed up by a series of self-study courses and addition virtual in-person style (synchronous) training courses in the summer and autumn.  We are also initiating designations for Private Investigators in Ontario and are negotiating a Group Benefit Insurance plan for member agencies.

    The courses the CPIO will be offering are the best suited to our industry that we could find in any specific field.  Each course will be accompanied by an exam which must be passed in order to receive a CPIO-issued Certificate of Achievement.  The bearer of CPIO-issued certification will have proved that they not only attended a course, but that they understood what they were taught and are able to apply the training.  The certificates will have real meaning.  This is important, not only to the investigator that took the course, but to employers who are looking for a professional with real qualifications.  

    So, if you have not already signed up for our Advanced Internet Intelligence & Online Investigations Training, do so now! Space is limited and there are only a few positions left.  

    Within the next few months, we hope to be able to offer courses in Note Taking & Report Writing and Ethics.  These courses will be offered at a minimal cost in the hope that many investigators will take the opportunity to benefit from them.  They will also come with CPIO certification.

    We are working on a designation system for the Private Investigators in Ontario that we hope to roll out in late summer.  Each CPIO-issued Certificate of Achievement earn from taking and passing our courses will be a step closer to earning the designations we are developing.  We will provide additional details later in the year.

    Covid-19 has been devastating to our industry and many of us have seen a dramatic cut in the work we are used to.  Now is the time to regroup, improve our skill set and be ready to face the work to come confident in our ability to tackle any assignment with a higher level of professionalism than ever before.  And yes, the work will come!

    Efforts have been made in the past with regards to affordable Group Benefit Plans.  We believe that we are negotiating a basic plan that will be affordable for everyone.  Again, we will keep you posted.

    I end this letter by sincerely thanking my colleagues on the CPIO Board for all their hard work and dedication.   Without the team effort, none of this would be possible.

    Thank you for your continued support and stay safe everyone!

    Yours respectfully,

    James Meadway

    President, CPIO

  • 31 March 2021 4:25 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    The Ministry of the Solicitor General has just announced that there will be an increase in the term length of licenses from two to three years for agencies under the Private Security and Investigative Services Act, 2005.  For further details, please refer to:

    Memo to Licensed Agencies-Term Extensions.pdf

  • 22 February 2021 4:14 PM | Anonymous

    To Our Valued Members,

    The Ministry of the Solicitor General is proposing amendments to regulations under the Private Security and Investigative Services Act, 2005 (PSISA), to extend the licence term for licenced agencies and registration term for registered employers.  Extending the terms, while retaining the current fees, will result in reduced costs and administrative burden for businesses.

    To make this change, the Ministry proposes to amend O. Reg. 367/07 (Term of Licences), extending the Licence Term for Licensed Agencies from two to three years and amend O. Reg: 368/07 (Registration Requirements for Business Entities), to extend the Registration Term for Registered Employers from one to three years.

    This proposed regulatory amendment was posted on February 16, 2021, on Ontario’s Regulatory Registry. Please provide your comments at:

    English: https://www.ontariocanada.com/registry/view.do?language=en&postingId=36347

    French: https://www.ontariocanada.com/registry/view.do?language=fr&postingId=36347

    Due date for Comments is March 18, 2021.

    Should the proposed amendment pass, we will post all of the details on the CPIO website.

  • 14 January 2021 2:23 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Dear CPIO Members and Industry Stakeholders,

    As many of you know, Queen’s Park announced further emergency measures to combat the ongoing threat from COVID-19, that came into effect today, Thursday, January 14, 2021.  In light of these new measures, we sought the legal opinion of the CPIO legal counsel, Ross Dunsmore of Dunsmore Law, for any changes that may affect our industry.  Ross has assured us that his original opinion still stands and that there is no change to our status as an “essential service”.  Please see below:

    The CPIO recommends that, during the Stay-at-Home Order, all PI Agency owners issue letters to their employees outlining their status as an essential worker.  This should ease the process if/when an employee is challenged.

    We will endeavour to continue to keep our membership, and the industry at large, informed of the latest developments.

    Stay safe!

    On behalf of your CPIO Board of Directors,

    James Meadway

    President


  • 13 January 2021 2:56 PM | Anonymous

    In light of the emergency measures due to be introduced on January 14, 2021 we have reviewed Federal aid benefits currently in place and have listed them below:

    Employees: 

    EI- https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei.html

    CRB- Canada Recovery Benefit- Eligible employees receive $500 per week (taxable, tax deducted at source) for up to 26 weeks and have had employment income reduced by 50%

    CRCB- Canada Recovery Caregiving Benefit- Eligible to receive $500per week  (taxable, tax deducted at source) for up to 26 weeks who are unable to work more than %50 of the week to take care of children under 12 because of school and daycare closures because COVID19

    Please see the link below for more information on the above

    https://www.canada.ca/en/services/benefits/ei/cerb-application/transition.html

    Businesses:

    CERS- Canada Emergency Rent Subsidy- https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/subsidy/emergency-rent-subsidy.html

    CEWS- Canada Emergency Wage Subsidy- https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/subsidy/emergency-wage-subsidy.html 

    Please note the  amounts have changed as of January 6, 2020- https://www.canada.ca/en/revenue-agency/services/subsidy/emergency-wage-subsidy/cews-what-changes.html

    CEBA- additional $20,000.00, $10,000 must be paid by December 31,2022 for the other $10,000.00 to be forgiven (same parameters as CEBA $40K) Your bank will show it as a $60K loan now. $40K by December 31, 2022 for $20K to be forgiven. 

    Ontario Benefits Business:

    https://covid-19.ontario.ca/covid-19-help-businesses-ontario

    Ontario Benefits Individuals:

    https://www.ontario.ca/page/covid-19-support-people#section-0

    PLEASE NOTE: CERB is no longer available as of December 2, 2020.

    We will continue to monitor the government support programs and will update the website accordingly.

  • 11 January 2021 10:32 AM | Anonymous

    On October 20, 2020, Serco Canada Inc. (Serco) launched a pilot project for the online testing of security guards. A small number of candidates who had scheduled and paid for an in-person test at a Serco location were offered the opportunity to participate in the pilot project by completing their test online. With the completion of a successful pilot project, online testing will be now be available as a standard service offering in English and French for security guards and private investigators, effective January 18, 2021. The online testing option will be available in addition to in-person testing at Serco test locations which will continue.

    Similar to the in-person testing policy, candidates who pass the online test will be eligible to apply for their security guard and/or private investigator license using the online or mailed-in channels supported by ServiceOntario. Where candidates do not pass the test, they will be required to pay the test fee for any subsequent attempts to write the test. In addition to a laptop/desktop computer with reliable internet connection, please visit Serco’s website for technical requirements to participate in online testing.

    On December 21, 2020, the government announced a provincewide lockdown based on public health advice to slow current community transmission of COVID-19. Please note that, until further notice, Serco will continue to offer testing services that adhere to public health guidance. Candidates will continue to be required to schedule both online and in-person tests in advance and adhere to all public health measures as laid out by public health officials and put in place by Serco. Candidates who fail to comply with protocols set out at test centre locations could be denied entry and prevented from taking the test.

    We encourage you to visit our website regularly for program updates. For more details on the online testing service, please visit Serco’s website or email Serco directly.

    Please click the following link to see the original letter sent from the Ministry of the Solicitor General --> Launch of Online Testing_Memo_Discussion Table.pdf


About

The Council of Professional Investigators of Ontario (CPIO) is dedicated to the representation of the profession of Private Investigators in the Province of Ontario, through the development and application of industry training, professional standards, and code of ethics.

Contact

24-155 East Beaver Creek Road, Ste 166, Richmond Hill, ON, L4B 2N1

Email: info@cpiontario.ca

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