Security Guard Services in Montreal, Quebec

See the Canada page for coverage across Canada.

Retail Districts Covered in Montreal

McCray supports retailers and property managers across the Montreal area, including:

• Golden Square Mile
• Sainte-Catherine Street West
• Montreal Eaton Centre
• Royalmount
• Old Montreal
• CF Fairview Pointe-Claire

Security Considerations in Montreal

French is the language of work in Quebec, and customers, store staff and building tenants expect to be served in French first. Officers assigned to Montreal must communicate easily in French and switch to English with tourists and visitors. Post Orders, incident reports and signage must be written with Quebec’s language requirements in mind, so that the documentation works for the client and for local staff alike.

Summer brings the Grand Prix, the International Jazz Festival, Just for Laughs and a steady flow of cruise passengers and international tourists, drawing crowds downtown and in Old Montreal for weeks. Luxury boutiques and new destinations such as Royalmount need coverage that scales up during these periods, with officers who can manage queues, spot distraction techniques and coordinate with venue and shopping center security.

Much of downtown is connected by the RÉSO underground network, which links shopping centers, metro stations and office towers. Buildings connected to these passages have more access points than are visible from the street. Combined with harsh winters, when customers shop indoors for months, this calls for interior patrols, access control at connected entrances and particular attention to loitering in the passages after hours.

Security Services in Montreal

Screening, Training and Supervision

Officers complete a five-stage screening process and tier-based training before assignment, including de-escalation and, for retail posts, organized retail crime detection. Supervisors make unannounced site visits, and the McCray Operations Desk answers 24/7/365. Incidents are documented on scene, time-stamped and GPS-verified.

Quebec Licensing

In Canada, security licensing is a provincial matter. McCray operates in Canada through McCray Global Protection Canada ULC. McCray Global Protection holds Quebec security license GAR20058743, and every officer assigned in Quebec meets the provincial licensing and training requirements before taking a post.

Security Guard Requirements in Quebec

• In Quebec, private security licenses are issued by the Bureau de la sécurité privée (Private Security Bureau) under the Private Security Act (Loi sur la sécurité privée). Individuals must hold an agent license of the appropriate class, and businesses must hold an agency license. Source
• In Quebec, an agent license in the guarding class requires at least 70 hours of training in a private security guarding program for which a school service center issues a transcript. Source

McCray verifies each officer’s license and training before any assignment. See our licenses in Canada.

Common Questions

How Is Security Guard Coverage Priced?

Rates depend on the officer classification, hours, schedule and site requirements. McCray provides a written rate schedule after reviewing the site’s needs. Holiday, overnight and short-notice coverage is billed at a premium rate.