Background Checks for Security Guards and Private Investigators in Ontario

There are some changes to background checks for security guards and private investors in Ontario. Effective February 18, 2024, security guards and private investigators in Ontario are responsible for providing a clean copy of a criminal record and judicial matters check (CRJMC) when applying for or renewing a licence. As outlined on the ServiceOntario website, you may request a CRJMC from an:

Ontario municipal police service
Ontario First Nations police service
Ontario Provincial Police
A private business that is authorized to provide police record checks

All CRJMCs must be issued within the last six months to be considered valid for your application and include accurate and complete information. In all cases, the CRJMC must be completed by an Ontario police detachment.

If you’re wondering whether this change applies to you, the Private Security and Investigative Services Act, 2005 provides examples of the covered work, which includes:

Acting as a bouncer;
Acting as a bodyguard; and
Performing services to prevent the loss of property through theft or sabotage in an industrial, commercial, residential, or retail environment.

If you’re one of the 100,000 licencees in Ontario, keep reading to find out more about police checks in Ontario and background checks for security guards, what kind of information is disclosed, and to learn about the CRJMC more specifically.

In this blog post, I cover:

Police Checks in Ontario;
Conviction Types; and
Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Check FAQs.

Let’s take a look!

Police Checks in Ontario

The terms background checks, criminal record checks, and police record checks are often used interchangeably. In this blog post, I’ll stick to the Ontario-specific criminal record and judicial matters check (CRMJC) to help keep things clear.

The Police Record Checks Reform Act, 2015 governs how police record checks in Ontario are conducted and what’s included in the results. The act authorizes three different types of checks: criminal record check, criminal record and judicial matters check, and vulnerable sector check. In case you’re wondering, these three types of checks correspond to the ways criminal record checks are labelled and talked about across Canada. You can learn more in this blog post on criminal record check Canada FAQs.

Police Checks in Ontario and Types of Information Disclosed

The Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) is Canada’s centralized information sharing system. CPIC stores and provides access to criminal information needed for all levels of checks across Canada.

Some information that’s not included in the CPIC system are provincial offences such as provincial driving offences and municipal offences such as citations from excessive noise, parking tickets, and building on city property without a permit. These are non-criminal and don’t form a criminal record in the sense we’re talking about or as required disclosures for your licence application.

Types of police checks in Ontario and background checks for security guards

Criminal Record Check

An Ontario criminal record check discloses every criminal offence of which the individual has been convicted for which a record suspension (formerly called a pardon) hasn’t been issued or granted. It also discloses every finding of guilt under the federal Youth Criminal Justice Act, 2002.

A criminal record check doesn’t disclose summary convictions if the request is made more than five years after the date of the summary conviction. However, unlike a criminal record and judicial matters check and a vulnerable sector check, it also doesn’t disclose every criminal offence for which there’s an outstanding charge or warrant to arrest, every court order made against the individual, every criminal offence of which the individual has been found guilty and received an absolute discharge or criminal offences of which the individual has been found guilty and received a conditional discharge on conditions set out in a probation order.

In short, a criminal record check is the most basic type of police check in Ontario.

Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Check

Similar to a criminal record check, a criminal record and judicial matters check (CRJMC) discloses every criminal offence of which the individual has been convicted for which a record suspension hasn’t been issued or granted. Though, this check goes even deeper.

A CRMJC also discloses every finding of guilt under the federal Youth Criminal Justice Act, 2002, every criminal offence for which there’s an outstanding charge or warrant to arrest, every criminal offence of which the individual has been found guilt and received an absolute discharge (unless the request is made more than one year after the date of the absolute discharge), and criminal offences of which the individual has been found guilty and received a conditional discharge on conditions set out in a probation order (unless the request is made more than three years after the date of the condition discharge).

It doesn’t disclose summary convictions if the request is made more than five years after the date of the summary conviction.

Vulnerable Sector Check

Vulnerable sector checks are the most detailed type of criminal record check in Canada. They’re designed to identify individuals who may have a criminal history that may pose a specific risk to vulnerable populations such as children, the elderly, or individuals with disabilities. A vulnerable sector check discloses every criminal offence of which the individual has been convicted for which a record suspension hasn’t been issued or granted. It also discloses every finding of guilt under the federal Youth Criminal Justice Act, 2002, every criminal offence for which there’s an outstanding charge or warrant to arrest, every criminal offence of which the individual has been found guilty and received an absolute discharge (unless the request is made more than one year after the date of the absolute discharge), and criminal offences of which the individual has been found guilty and received a conditional discharge on conditions set out in a probation order (unless the request is made more than three years after the date of the condition discharge).

As with the criminal record check and the criminal records and judicial matters check, it also doesn’t disclose summary convictions if the request is made more than five years after the date of the summary conviction. One area where a vulnerable sector check differs from and goes deeper than a criminal record and judicial matters check is that it will disclose criminal offences with which the individual has been charged that resulted in a finding of not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder (unless the request comes more than five years after the date of the finding of if they received an absolute discharge). Having said that, there are still some challenges. Here’s a blog post on the Problem with Canada’s Vulnerable Sector Checks.

What’s a Record Suspension

Canada’s federal Criminal Records Act, 1985 defines what a record suspension is and how the process is carried out. You can petition for a suspension through the Parole Board of Canada. Here’s more information on applying for a record suspension.

Conviction Types

How long does an offence remain on your record in Canada? The length of time that a criminal record stays on your record in Canada depends on the type of offence and the outcome of the case. The general guidelines that Ontario also follows are:

Absolute Discharge: In the case of absolute discharge, the record is removed from the federal database one year from the date of the discharge. (This means the absolute discharge won’t show up in provincial records after a year too.)
Conditional Discharge: If you receive a conditional discharge, the record is removed from the federal database three years from the completion of the sentence (the probation order). Again, anything that’s removed from the federal database is also removed from provincial records.
Summary Offence: A person is eligible for a record suspension (formerly known as a pardon) for a summary offence five years from when the complete sentence was issued by a court judge. You’re only eligible to apply for the record suspension after five years of good conduct.
Indictable Conviction: An indictable conviction stays on your record indefinitely unless you apply for a record suspension. You’re only eligible to apply for a record suspension (formerly known as a pardon) after 10 years of good conduct. A record suspension, if granted, removes the record from the federal database and sets it aside.

If you have further questions about background checks for security guards, consult with a lawyer for more precise information about the retention period for a specific offence based on the Criminal Records Act and relevant provincial legislation.

Security guard CCTV camera to keep building safe alongside background checks for security guards

Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Check FAQs

Will CRJMC checks from third-party entities be accepted?

Per the ServiceOntario web page, Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Checks (CRJMC) from third-party entities will be accepted as background checks for security guards, in addition to those from police services. The CRMJC has to be processed by an Ontario police detachment, even if it’s done online. Applicants are able to submit their licence applications along with a CRJMC that they’ve obtained from a municipal police service, First Nations police service, the Ontario provincial police, or a private business that’s authorized to provide police record checks. For those applying online, the CRJMC must still be the original format (digital PDF file) obtained online from the record check provider.

What Shows Up in a Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Check?

A Criminal Record and Judicial Matters Check (CRJMC) reveals the following information:

Applicable criminal convictions
Findings of guilt under the federal Youth Criminal Justice Act
Absolute and conditional discharges
Outstanding charges, arrest warrants, and certain judicial orders

How far back does a criminal background check go in Ontario?

There’s no limit to how far back a criminal record check goes in Ontario or all of Canada, rather the type of offence determines how long it stays on your record.

Do arrests show up on a background check in Ontario?

Yes, arrests show up on a criminal record and judicial matters check.

How do I know my information is safe?

We’ve passed rigorous accreditation and are proudly authorized to offer Canadian criminal record record checks and background checks for security guards through our police partners across the country. All our information comes from the Canadian Police Information Centre (CPIC) database, Canada’s criminal record database. We collect information for the purpose of verifying your identity and encrypt anything we receive. You can learn more in our Privacy Policy.

✅ Biometric identity fraud detection

✅ Industry-standard SSL encryption

✅ Information is only used for background screening

✅ ISO- and SOC 2-certified for extra cybersecurity