Critical Infrastructure Awareness Course: Lessons 2026

Lesson 1: What critical infrastructure is

Critical infrastructure is the systems, assets and services that are essential to the health, safety, security or economic well-being of Canadians. When it fails, many people feel it at once.

Sector	Examples of sites
Energy and utilities	Power plants, substations, pipelines, gas facilities
Finance	Banks, data centres, payment systems
Food	Food processing plants, distribution centres
Transportation	Airports, rail yards, ports, transit
Government	Government buildings and services
Information and communication technology	Telecom buildings, cell towers, data centres
Health	Hospitals, labs, medical supply
Water	Water treatment and wastewater plants
Safety	Emergency services, dispatch centres
Manufacturing	Chemical and other key plants

These are Canada's ten sectors in the National Strategy for Critical Infrastructure. Responsibility is shared by governments and owners, but owners and operators have the primary responsibility for protecting their own assets. That is why many sites hire security guards.

Everything is connected

A power failure can stop water treatment, phone networks and hospitals. This interdependency means a problem at one site can cascade across sectors and even borders. Planners use an all-hazards approach that considers accidental, intentional and natural hazards.

Lesson 2: Threats to critical infrastructure

Theft, especially copper wire and metal, fuel and tools.
Vandalism and sabotage, such as cutting fences, damaging equipment or starting fires.
Trespass, from curious people to people planning harm.
Insiders, such as an employee or contractor who misuses their access.
Social engineering and cyber attacks that trick staff into giving information or access.
Drones flying over sites to film or interfere.
Natural hazards, such as storms, floods and wildfires.

The guard's role

You are often the only person on site at night or on weekends, so you may be the first to notice a problem. A guard does not need to know whether an act is theft, sabotage or terrorism. Your job is to notice, record and report quickly so the right people can decide. Many serious incidents start with something small, such as a cut fence, a missing key or a strange question at the gate.

Natural hazards matter too. During storms, floods or wildfires, guards may help with access control for emergency crews, check for damage, and keep unauthorized people away from dangerous areas, following the site's emergency plan.

Lesson 3: Recognizing suspicious activity

People planning harm often watch a site first. Learning the signs gives you a chance to report before anything happens.

Type	Examples
Surveillance	Filming or photographing cameras, gates or guard routines where that is not normal; note-taking, drawing, measuring
Probing	Asking staff about shift changes, procedures, security systems or building plans
Testing	Setting off alarms or trying doors, then watching how security responds
Breaches	Break-ins, intrusion attempts, lost or stolen badges, keys or uniforms
Unusual presence	Drones over the site, people loitering or returning again and again, forged ID

One indicator alone does not prove anything. The more indicators you see together, the more important it is to report. Always judge behaviour, never a person's race, religion, clothing or accent.

Observe carefully, deter by being visible and alert, and report quickly and accurately.

Lesson 4: Protecting access and information

Make sure every person badges in or signs in. Politely stop anyone trying to follow someone through a secure door (tailgating).
Report lost or stolen badges, keys and uniforms right away.
Escort visitors where post orders require it.
Do not discuss guard routines, camera locations or alarm codes with anyone who does not need to know, including on social media.

Social engineering

Social engineering means tricking people instead of breaking in. Common types are phishing (fake emails), pretexting (a made-up story to gain trust), vishing (phone calls) and smishing (texts).

Do not reply to or click on suspicious messages.
Save the message and tell your IT or security team right away.
Verify any unusual request, such as for codes or access, through a separate, trusted channel, like calling a known number.
Remember that urgency and pressure are warning signs.

Lesson 5: Reporting and responding

Situation	Who to contact
Anything happening now, or an immediate threat	911 or local police
Other crimes, such as vandalism or theft found later	Your supervisor and local police
Non-urgent information about terrorism or national security	RCMP National Security Information Network, 1-800-420-5805
Cyber incidents	Your IT team and the Canadian Centre for Cyber Security

While you wait for police

Stay at a safe distance where you can still observe.
Do not confront or follow people who may be dangerous.
Note descriptions of people and vehicles, licence plates and direction of travel.
Keep others away from the area and do not touch anything that may be evidence.
Meet police at the gate and give them a short, clear briefing.

A good report includes the date and time, location, a description of what happened, what action you took, and who else you told. Follow your site's reporting procedure too.

Protests

The Charter protects freedom of peaceful assembly and expression. People may protest on public property near a site. Stay professional, observe and take notes, and call police if anyone breaks the law or tries to enter. In Alberta, the Critical Infrastructure Defence Act makes it an offence to wilfully enter, damage or interfere with essential infrastructure without lawful right; a peace officer may arrest without a warrant.

Drones

Transport Canada rules keep most drones at least 5.6 km from certified airports and out of emergency sites. If you see a drone over your site, note the time, direction, description and any operator nearby, and report it. Never try to bring a drone down.