Vancouver security firm gets fast-track license for summits

Contemporary Security Canada (CSC), the Vancouver-based private security firm hired by the RCMP for the G8 and G20, has received its fast-track license from Ontario’s Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services.

The firm was not accredited to work in Ontario when it was awarded a government contract to provide about 1,100 private guards for the Toronto and Huntsville summits.

Licensing is usually a rigorous three-stage process that takes four to six months, but with “significant assistance” from the RCMP, according to ministry spokeswoman Laura Blondeau, the CSC was able to secure its license in about two weeks.

A background document from the CSC says the company’s private guards will provide “airport-type pedestrian security screening, including inspection of persons and items at the G8 and G20 sites.”

In a previous Star story, other private security industry members criticized the fast-tracking of CSC, questioning whether proper due diligence had been carried out.

“It’s an unfair slight to all the legitimate players in this industry,” said Ross McLeod, president of the Association of Professional Security Agencies.

Traffic watch flights, kites grounded during summits

As expected, Huntsville’s and Toronto’s airspaces will be heavily restricted during the G8 and G20 summits later this month.

So there will be no kite-flying or rocket launches around the MTCC or Deerhurst Resort when the world’s dignitaries are in town.

Traffic watch and media flights are also banned, so while traffic snarls behind presidential motorcades, 680 News’s Darryl Dahmer won’t be your eyes in the skies.

Regularly scheduled passenger and cargo flights will be allowed to go ahead, as long as they register their flight plans with the RCMP beforehand and stick to their path.

“Flight plans must specify point-to-point operations,” the government order reads. “Random flights will not be authorized.

The report includes a complete list of banned activities:

• parachuting
• parasailing
• paragliding
• hang gliding
• gliding
• rocket launches
• kites
• radio controlled aircraft
• unmanned air vehicles (UAV)
• hot air balloons
• dirigible aircraft
• agricultural/crop-dusting flights
• sight-seeing
• aerial advertising/banner towing
• aerobatic flights
• flight training
• general aviation
• media flights
• traffic watch flights

Aside from pre-arranged commercial and cargo flights, only military, police and emergency aircraft will have access to the airspace. Well, them and “state aircraft on official business, and aircraft carrying VIPs (designated by the RCMP).”

Though it might be an interesting time to ride above the city in a hot air balloon or do a little crop-dusting, you probably don’t want to call the RCMP’s bluff.

“All traffic within the restricted airspace will be monitored by surveillance radar and any unauthorized aerial activity will be subject to intercept by armed military aircraft under the authority of the Government of Canada.”

Huntsville’s airspace will be affected from June 24 to 26, while Toronto’s will be affected from June 26 to 28. The two-day G8 opens at the Deerhurst Resort on June 25. The G20 runs in Toronto from June 26 to 28.

For a complete list of affected airports and heliports, and the specific areas affected see: http://www.navcanada.ca/ContentDefinitionFiles/G8_G20/G8_G20_Supp_EN.pdf