September 21st, 2016
by Raissa Tetanish
Doubling their space is leading to an increase in services provided through the local Commissionaires office.
Commissionaires Nova Scotia opened a new office in Truro, moving from their previous location on Prince Street to 160 Esplanade. Northern district manager Sean Howell, left, answers a question from Rodger Patriquin.
After 10 years of operation out of Prince Street, the office has moved to the Esplanade.
“We just needed the extra space,” said Sean Howell, northern district manager. “We were wanting to expand our services locally and, by virtue, we’ve enhanced our ID services and classroom training.”
Prior to relocating, the Commissionaires’ classroom couldn’t legally fit more than six people. In the past month and a half, the organization has accommodated three first aid courses, and two security courses.
“That’s a significant increase in our training and we anticipate doing a lot more marine facility training as well as others, such as first aid,” Howell said.
Training courses also include non-violent crisis management, as well as home visit safety workshops. The new office has state-of-the-art videoconferencing, along with security services, including drone services. Identification services include passport photos, fingerprinting, police clearances, record suspension and U.S. waiver services.
While the facility opened its doors Aug. 2, the grand opening celebration was held Monday.
The business began in Canada in 1925 and a Halifax office opened 12 years later. In the 1950s, it became Commissionaires Nova Scotia.
Chief executive officer Bruce Belliveau was at the office celebration, and said the security business is an “interesting industry” to be in.
“We were there at the beginning of people hiring security,” he said. “Pre-9/11, there weren’t many security businesses around. The number of security businesses in Nova Scotia, Canada, and even worldwide has exploded. Security work has increased exponentially since 9/11. There are 1,700 commissionaires in the province, and we only provide 45 per cent of the work in the province.
“The industry and growth has gone crazy, unfortunately, but it’s not going away.”
The business caters to ex-RCMP and Canadian Armed Forces members, as well as other like-minded individuals who qualify.