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Study guide

Ontario Security Guard Study Guide 2026

These notes cover what is special about becoming a security guard in Ontario: the basic training, the ministry test and the Trespass to Property Act. Read the Canada-wide guide too, because arrest, use of force, notes and emergencies are a large part of the test.

4 min readChecked against official sources on October 10, 2026.

Getting a security guard licence in Ontario

Security guards and private investigators in Ontario are licensed under the Private Security and Investigative Services Act, 2005 (PSISA). The Ministry of the Solicitor General sets the training and testing rules, which are found in the training and testing regulation under the Act.

Who can apply

  • You must be at least 18.
  • You must be eligible to work in Canada.
  • You must have a clean criminal record.
  • You must complete basic training and pass the ministry test before you apply.

Steps to your licence

  1. Take a basic security guard course of at least 40 hours that includes emergency first aid and CPR.
  2. Get your training completion number (TCN) from your training provider.
  3. Book the ministry test online with your TCN and a credit card.
  4. Take the test online or at a select DriveTest centre. Results are ready within 2 business days.
  5. Apply for your licence through ServiceOntario.
LicenceMinimum trainingTests
Security guard40 hours, including emergency first aid and CPRSecurity guard test
Private investigator50 hours (no first aid needed)Private investigator test
Dual licence90 hours, including emergency first aid and CPRBoth tests

Basic training is offered by colleges, universities, licensed security agencies and registered employers. Online courses must allow real-time interaction with an instructor. If you already hold a valid first aid and CPR certificate from a St. John Ambulance or WSIB-certified instructor, you can give it to your provider instead of repeating that part.

The ministry test

FeatureOntario security guard test
Questions60 multiple-choice
Time limit75 minutes
Delivered bySerco Canada, for the Ministry of the Solicitor General
WhereOnline or at select DriveTest centres
ResultsWithin 2 business days

What the test covers

The test is based on the topics in the basic training course. Expect questions on topics such as the security industry and the PSISA, arrest and trespass powers, use of force, notebooks and reports, evidence, emergency response and first aid, communication, professionalism and health and safety. Licensed guards must also follow the code of conduct set by regulation under the PSISA, so learn what professional behaviour on duty looks like.

Questions come from the topics in the basic training course. The ministry's public pages do not list a pass mark, so check the testing provider's instructions when you book. For accessibility accommodations, contact the testing provider before your test day.

Before test day

  • Keep your training completion number and booking confirmation together. Your TCN also appears on your appointment emails.
  • Read the testing provider's candidate rules and what-to-expect pages for online or in-person testing.
  • If you cannot find your TCN, contact the testing provider with your full name and date of birth.
  • Plan your time: 60 questions in 75 minutes gives you about 75 seconds per question.

The Trespass to Property Act

Ontario's Trespass to Property Act is the law guards use most often. It lets an occupier control who comes onto their property and what they do there.

Offences (section 2)

  • Entering premises when entry is prohibited.
  • Doing an activity on premises when that activity is prohibited.
  • Not leaving immediately after being told to by the occupier or a person they authorize.

Notice

Notice can be given orally, in writing, by signs, or by coloured markings. Red markings mean no entry. Yellow markings mean entry is prohibited except for certain permitted activities. Some land is closed even without notice, such as gardens, fields and other land under cultivation, and land enclosed in a way that shows the occupier wants to keep people out.

Arrest (section 9)

A police officer, the occupier, or a person the occupier authorizes (such as a guard) may arrest without a warrant a person they believe on reasonable and probable grounds is on the premises in breach of section 2. A guard who makes this arrest must promptly call for a police officer and hand the person over.

In R. v. Asante-Mensah (2003), the Supreme Court of Canada held that this arrest power includes the use of reasonable force. Force must never go beyond what is reasonable, and many employers limit trespass arrests by policy.

Study tips for the Ontario test

  • Learn the Ontario steps in order: training, TCN, test, ServiceOntario.
  • Know the three trespass offences and what a guard must do after a trespass arrest.
  • Practise the Criminal Code arrest powers in section 494 and the force sections, which apply across Canada.
  • Review first aid basics. First aid and CPR are part of the course, and emergencies appear on the test.
  • Ontario has no general private-sector privacy law, so the federal PIPEDA usually covers security companies' handling of personal information.

Sources