Diplomatic residence support
Bilingual cleared officers posted at diplomatic residences and ambassadorial homes — gate, front entry or interior post depending on the residence and threat profile.
Ottawa · NCR · Discreet · Bilingual · PSISA licensed
Private Security Ottawa
Bilingual PSISA-licensed private security for diplomatic residences, family offices, executive principals, private events and confidential mandates across the National Capital Region.
- PSISA — Private Security & Investigative Services Act
- $5M Insurance
- 24/7
Why Ottawa businesses need real security
Private security in Ottawa serves a different client base than commercial guard work. Diplomatic residences in Rockcliffe Park and New Edinburgh, family offices, parliamentary contractors, federal-adjacent professional firms, high-net-worth households and visiting principals all require protection that doesn't read as 'security guard at the door.' The work is discreet, the documentation is confidential, and the officers must be selected as carefully as the clients themselves.
Vision Security operates a separate private security track for these mandates — bilingual PSISA-licensed officers, screened beyond our standard intake, signed onto client-specific NDAs, and operating under stricter dress, communication and reporting standards than our commercial force. Operations are owned by a senior account manager and information is compartmented to need-to-know.
Typical engagements include diplomatic residence standing posts, estate patrols during travel, private event security at Rockcliffe Park homes, parliamentary contractor support, sensitive transitions (separations, estate matters, asset relocations), and short-term close protection details for visiting executives, diplomats and dignitaries.
What's included
Estate standing posts
PSISA-licensed officers posted at private estates and primary residences across Rockcliffe Park, New Edinburgh and the lakeshore.
Estate patrols during travel
Discreet patrol coverage of private estates while principals are away — interior checks, perimeter, alarm response, package handling, mail.
Private event security
Confidential coverage of private dinners, receptions and family gatherings at private homes or boutique venues — no uniforms unless requested.
Family office support
On-call private security supporting family office operations — visitor screening at offices, asset transport supervision, after-hours building checks.
Sensitive transition coverage
Officers covering separations, estate transitions, contested evictions and asset relocations.
Close protection for visiting principals
Short-term bilingual PSISA-licensed bodyguard details for visiting executives, diplomats and dignitaries.
Confidential reporting
Reports issued only to the named client contact, never to broader distribution lists.
Industries we serve
Diplomatic residences
Embassy staff residences and ambassadorial homes in Rockcliffe Park, New Edinburgh and Sandy Hill.
Family offices
Family office buildings and residences requiring on-call security supporting confidential operations.
High-net-worth households
Households with significant art, jewellery, vehicle collections or other high-value assets.
Parliamentary contractors
Professional firms supporting parliamentary and federal client work needing discreet after-hours office coverage.
Private estates
Estates in Rockcliffe Park, New Edinburgh, Manotick and rural-edge communities.
Sensitive transitions
Separations, estate transitions, contested evictions and asset relocations.
Visiting executives & dignitaries
Short-term private close protection for principals visiting Ottawa for business, government or private purposes.
Boutique hospitality
Private clubs and confidential hospitality venues.
Ottawa neighbourhoods & areas served
- Centretown — Downtown core — federal departments, embassies, towers and high-rise condos. Where most of our daytime concierge and overnight commercial work runs.
- ByWard Market — Historic market district — restaurants, bars, hotels, the US Embassy, condos. Heavy weekend nightlife coverage and hotel security.
- Parliamentary Precinct — Wellington and surrounding streets — Parliament Hill perimeter, federal buildings, contractor support. Sensitive operations only.
- Glebe — Established residential neighbourhood with significant condo and rental activity — TD Place stadium and Lansdowne event coverage.
- Westboro & Hintonburg — West-end mixed-use neighbourhoods — condos, retail strips and family homes. Strong condo and concierge demand.
- Rockcliffe Park & New Edinburgh — Diplomatic residences, ambassadorial homes and high-net-worth estates. Discreet residential and private security.
- Sandy Hill — University of Ottawa neighbourhood, embassy row and student housing — mixed residential and institutional security work.
- Vanier — Densely populated east-end neighbourhood with significant retail and rental footprint — mobile patrols and after-hours coverage.
- Kanata — Tech-corridor suburb — Kanata North business park, software headquarters, Canadian Tire Centre arena, suburban condos and retail.
- Orleans — East-end suburb across Highway 174 — large suburban retail centres, condos and family housing.
- Barrhaven — Fast-growing south-end suburb — large retail clusters, condo developments and residential security demand.
- Nepean & Bells Corners — South-west Ottawa suburbs with industrial, retail and residential mix — strong mobile patrol territory.
- Gloucester & Cyrville — East-end industrial and commercial corridor — distribution centres, business parks, mobile patrol and construction security.
- Stittsville & Manotick — Outer suburbs and rural-edge communities — gated estates, banquet venues and private events.
- Gatineau (across the river) — Quebec-side cross-river coverage — events at the Canadian Museum of History, federal buildings and conferences. We coordinate BSP-licensed coverage on the Quebec side as needed.
Licensing & compliance
Every private security officer Vision Security deploys in Ottawa holds an active PSISA security guard licence. Officers supporting diplomatic or federal-adjacent clients hold appropriate security clearances. Vision Security holds the corporate PSISA agency licence. Private security mandates additionally include separate confidentiality agreements and a senior account manager.
Insurance & trust
Vision Security carries $5,000,000 commercial general liability and full WSIB coverage in Ontario. Confidential clients are protected from name disclosure on COIs where possible — generic certificates can be issued.
Emergency availability
Response time: Priority dispatch within hours, sustained coverage planned within 24 hours
Private security clients receive priority dispatch routing. When you call our 24/7 line, the senior account manager is notified within minutes alongside the immediate dispatch.
Frequently asked questions
Security guard cost by city — what to expect
Hourly rates vary by province, post type, training requirements and how much notice you give. Below is the realistic range we see in 2025 for unarmed licensed guards on standard posts. Treat anything well below these as a red flag.
CityHourly range (CAD)What drives the high end
Montréal$28–$55BSP licensing, bilingual posts, high-end concierge, hospitals
Toronto / GTA$26–$52PSISA training, executive concierge, hospital, hospitality
Ottawa$26–$55Bilingual federal posts, security clearances, embassy work
Québec City$28–$50BSP licensing, festival-season demand, hospital posts
Laval$28–$48BSP licensing, retail and condo concierge, mall posts
Niagara Falls$26–$48Hospitality, casino-adjacent, peak tourism season
If a quote is well under the low end, ask to see the agency's licence number, insurance certificate and training records before contracting. Cheap usually means cut corners somewhere.
The risk of hiring the cheapest security agency
When a bid comes in well below market, the savings are usually being generated somewhere illegitimate. The most common shortcuts:
- Unlicensed guards. Officers without active provincial licences working under another guard's name. If anything goes wrong on site, the legal liability lands on the client.
- Insurance gaps. COIs that look real but expire mid-contract, or commercial general liability limits well below what a prudent property owner would accept.
- No supervision. No site visits, no log reviews, no named supervisor. Officers go ungoverned and post orders quietly stop being followed.
- Cash-only payroll. Officers paid under-the-table without WSIB or CNESST coverage — illegal and a direct liability transfer to the client if an officer is injured.
- National call-centre dispatch. Overnight calls go to a generic answering service that just takes a message. By the time anyone responds, the situation has escalated.
Ask any agency for: agency licence number, $5M COI naming you, training records, supervisor schedule and a 24/7 dispatch number that rings to a real person. If they can't produce all five, walk away.
Other security services in Ottawa
Discreet private security across the National Capital Region
Tell us what needs to be protected and the discretion level required. You'll receive a confidential proposal and quote within one business day, handled by a senior account manager.