Private investigator licence

Alberta’s Act distinguishes individual licences from business licences. A firm’s own licence is a separate layer, covered in the entry on the security guard agency licence. This entry is about the individual investigator’s licence and what counts as the licensed work.

What counts as investigating

Alberta’s Act lists investigating, conducting surveillance, or seeking or obtaining information about crimes, offences or misconduct, the cause of an accident, a person’s conduct or reputation, the location of property, or a person’s whereabouts. It also bars advertising or offering the service without a licence. Section 10 exempts some persons, such as barristers and solicitors acting within the scope of their profession and insurance adjustment agencies engaged in the normal scope of their business, and section 11 lets the Registrar exempt some investigators from outside Alberta. British Columbia’s Security Services Act defines a private investigator as a person who, for consideration, seeks or obtains information about matters such as misconduct or the whereabouts of a person. The Ontario government says new private investigators must complete a basic training course and pass the ministry test before applying for a licence.

What to check or ask

• Which investigators hold current individual licences, and which would stay after closing
• Whether the firm’s advertising offers only work its licensed people may do
• Whether the firm holds the business-level licence the province requires

For licences generally, see what licences transfer when I buy a business. Check the rules in the province where the firm works.