ASP Staff, Author at ASP Security Services

By Sarah Jessop, Secretary for the Diversity and Inclusion Committee (She/Her)

In the year 2020, a series of unconscionable events publicly uncovered long-standing racial inequities in North America. In February, a young black man named Ahmaud Arbery went for a jog and never returned home to his family. Breonna Taylor, a Black medical worker, was killed by police officers in her own apartment.

**MELICIA GREGORY**
Diversity and Inclusion Committee Employee Chair

The murder of George Floyd, an unarmed black man, was captured on camera in a video that shocked and outraged us all. The Covid-19 pandemic brought about racist attacks against the Asian community, and racial and ethnic minorities were disproportionately impacted by Covid-19 due to a history of systemic racism.

These senseless and tragic events laid bare a hard truth that compelled us to take action. People from all over the world woke up and recognized that sitting idly by and “not being a racist” will not stop racism and discrimination.

In order to make a difference, we must work together and create change through an anti-racism and antidiscrimination lens.

As a result of this, a group of ASP employees and leaders came together in August of 2020 to create our Diversity and Inclusion committee. Our members share the common goal of ensuring that all ASP employees have a seat at the table.

Our purpose is to develop Diversity and Inclusion initiatives that will ensure that all employees are respected, valued and given every opportunity to succeed.

We are focused on equity, which means that we recognize that each person or group has different circumstances and we must allocate resources and opportunities accordingly
to reach an equal outcome.

The committee is co-chaired by Neeru Panjwani, Employer Chair and Melicia Gregory, Employee Chair. To make ourselves easily identifiable to our employees, the Diversity and Inclusion committee created our own logo based on the original ASP branding. Keep an eye out for this logo as you should be able to spot it in all of our past, present, and future communications.

2020-2021 Initiatives

During our first meeting, our committee quickly realized that the voice of our employees will guide our action plan. For this reason, we developed our first initiative – the Diversity and Inclusion Survey.

The Diversity and Inclusion Survey was centred around researched constructs of inclusion, such as fairness, belonging, and voice. It measured your opinion on the degree to which our culture creates an inclusive environment where people of all cultures, background and identities can thrive.

We used your feedback to guide all of the programs we developed and implemented. You may recall the following:

Black History Month Roundtable February 2021

The purpose of the roundtable was to create a safe space for Black ASP employees to come together and share their thoughts and experiences. The event was hosted by Melicia Gregory, the Employee Chair of ASPs Diversity and Inclusion Committee. Melicia, along with many other ASP employees, did an excellent job in celebrating black culture whilst also educating all those in attendance about their lived experiences.

International Women’s Day – May 8, 2021:

To celebrate International Women’s Day, we asked our women-identifying employees to submit their photo and a message for our newsletter on what it’s like to work at ASP It was wonderful to hear from so many of you across the organization.

Asian Heritage Month Roundtable May 2021

This event was chaired by ASP employee Fanny Tran, PSR at Billy Bishop Airport and guest-host Joanna Zhang, Executive Assistant at the GTAA. During the roundtable, our employees shared their experiences around Asian heritage with the intention of celebrating the contributions made by Asian Canadians. Those in attendance openly discussed the issues that continue to impact many Asian communities today. Like the Black History Month Roundtable, this was a beautiful event that increased awareness and understanding within those who attended.

Mental Health Week – May-3-9, 2021:

During Mental Health Week, we sent out a link to our EAP provider’s (LifeWorks) new website that is all about self-care. The microsite explores why self-care should be part of your routine and how to work it into your daily life, no matter the situation. As a reminder, the link can be found here:

https://wellbeing.lifeworks.com/ca/newsletter-content/building-your-self-care-toolkit

Pride Month – June 2021

Roundtable

In June 2021, ASP’s Diversity and Inclusion committee ran our first ever Pride Month roundtable.

This event was organized to celebrate ASP’s LGBTQ2S+ employees and their allies, and to address and understand the various issues LGBTQ2S+ individuals face in the workplace.

The roundtable was chaired by Christine Parkinson, Tanner Parkinson and Sarah Jessop. For more information, please see the Pride Month Roundtable article that is included in this newsletter.

Branding

For the month of June, ASP updated our branding to include the Pride flag rainbow colouring. It is important to mention that ASPs support of the LGBTQ2s+ community goes far beyond one month of recognition. This act simply served as a symbol of our year round allyship.

National Indigenous Peoples Day June 21, 2021:

This year, National Indigenous Day was dedicated to the missing children, the families left behind, and the survivors of residential schools.

ASP stands in solidarity with Indigenous communities across Canada as we continue to mourn this tragedy. In the June 2021 memo that was released by our committee, we asked our Indigenous ASP employees to share their experiences with us.

We’d like anyone reading this newsletter to review the beautiful and poignant article entitled “Wachiya!” that was written by ASP employee Katrina Stachurski. Katrina is a Canine Handler and a proud member of the Indigenous community.

National Day for Truth and Reconciliation September 30, 2021

September 30, 2021 was the first formally recognized National Day for Truth and Reconciliation in Canada. This day honours the lost children and survivors of residential schools, their families and communities.

ASP sent out an informative article in September to educate our employees on the history and significance of this day.

We encourage you all to continue learning more about the rich and diverse cultures, voices, experiences and stories of First Nations, Inuit and Metis people by visiting the Government of Canada’s website: https://www.rcaanccirnac.gc.ca/eng/1621447127773/1621447157184

Other initiatives included:

Implementation of our Workplace Harassment, Violence and Bullying Prevention Policy in 2021
Increased email and newsletter communication on behalf of the Diversity and Inclusion committee for important events, holidays, observances and resources
Launch of our Diversity and Inclusion Inbox – inclusive@security-asp.com This provides a direct line of contact between our employees and the committee. It is a great way to ask us questions or make suggestions.

Moving Forward Upcoming 2021 Initiatives

As you can see, our committee was busy over the last year! 2021 isn’t over yet, so please keep an eye out for a few more initiatives coming your way. This includes:

ASP Diversity and Inclusion SelfIdentification Survey

We will be sending out a link to our Self-Identification Survey via ISpring in the near future. By completing this survey, you will be helping our committee capture an accurate picture of our diverse workforce, which will in turn allow us to design and implement thoughtful initiatives that are intended to leverage the diversity in our workplace. Many of you have already discovered and completed this survey as it is showing under your ISpring courses – thank you for being so proactive!

2021 Diversity and Inclusion Survey

In November 2021, we will once again be asking you to complete the Diversity and Inclusion Survey that you answered in 2020. Last years results were critical in helping us design our 2021 initiatives, and so we will use your feedback to guide us into the New Year!

Membership Drive

Do you stand against racism and all forms of discrimination? Are you committed to expanding our inclusion and anti-discrimination practices and policies? If so, we’d love for you to apply for a membership with our committee. We are specifically looking for frontline employees to join the committee as we require more representation and expertise from this area. Please note that as an hourly employee, you would be compensated for any Diversity and Inclusion Committee meetings you attend on your day-off. To find out more, apply to join
through the link below or send an email to inclusive@security-asp.com Please be sure to share with us why you are passionate on this topic. https://www.security-asp.com/diversity-and-inclusion/

Questions?

If you have any questions for our committee, please do not hesitate to contact us at inclusive@security-asp.com

On August 15, 2021, I reached a milestone in my career – my 10-year anniversary with ASP. What’s even more amazing is that I share this milestone with Darren Scott of the Resource Planning department as we both embarked on our career with ASP on the same day. Back then the small office was located on Brant Street in Burlington and the addition of the two of us was a 25% jump in staff. They managed to clear out a very cluttered office for me (coincidentally I still have a very cluttered office in our current location of my own doing). I had to go through three intense interviews and a personality test. I am happy that I was chosen to join the ASP Management team. My experiences from the food manufacturing business prepared me well for the strict regulatory environment and compliance with the security programs. I wasn’t prepared for the challenges unique to an employee service business. Our frontline workers are the face of ASP – not the managers, not the executive, but the staff that are in front of the customers every day. How they look – uniform clean, pressed, how they act – smiling, courteous, is key and important. The image of ASP is them. Having a tour of the various locations serviced by ASP showed me how proud the employees were to be wearing their uniform and representing ASP. They were friendly and extended a handshake welcoming me.

This forced me to change the way I think as the product we sell isn’t fixed, but a pliable dynamic person who is impacted by everything from the weather, their drive to commute or anything that is happening in their personal life positive or negative. The importance on employee satisfaction has been a high priority for the management team and is reflective of the focus and dedication they have in understanding the need to maintain frontline staff that are engaged and happy in their role – they’re what is important. Even through a pandemic and the fear of the unknown, the team has done their best in understanding and communicating with the employees and still focus on employee satisfaction. This has always been the case and remains so with even more emphasis given to it. As the goals remain the same, other things have changed. The market focus was in the GTA and a small operation in Calgary. There was a staff compliment of just over 500 staff. We now have 2,000 staff, sales have more than tripled, our service offering includes canine explosive detection and school crossing guards, our geography includes Ontario, Alberta, Quebec, New Brunswick, and Nova Scotia. We moved from our main headquarters on Brant Street to Appleby Line in Burlington and have moved to a second larger office in North York to replace the small downtown St. Mary Street Toronto location. And we continue to grow. The people factor remains the core driver in our everyday interactions with employees, customers, vendors, and peers. I am very proud of the people of ASP that I have had the opportunity to meet and hope to meet many more. I want to thank the accounting team of Sherrie, Gisselle, Yemisi, Melissa and Paige who work tirelessly to ensure the employee is put first and making my job easier, to the remaining office staff for letting me be part of your lives, my supporting and loving wife of 30 years for tolerating when work calls and to Dean Lovric our President and CEO for adopting me into the ASP family 10 years ago. I am honoured to be part of this wonderful extended family. It has been a fun ride like no other in my career.

“Having a tour of the various locations serviced by ASP showed me how proud the employees were to be wearing their uniform and representing ASP.”

By Jasmine Khimany, Human Resources Manager

Lissa Ncube

Lissa Ncube has joined ASP as a HR Admin/Recruiter for the Residential/Commercial Division. Prior to ASP, Lissa worked at African Caribbean Black Network as a Community Development Coordinator. She has completed Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Human Resources Minor from University of Waterloo. Lissa’s approachable and optimistic personality along with the other traits makes her a wonderful addition to the ASP HR Team.

Mohammed Arafat Khan

Mohammed has joined ASP as a Recruiter for the Residential/Commercial Division. Mohammed brings strong administrative and recruitment experience. Prior to his current role at ASP, Mohammed worked at Logixx International Inc. as a Security Site Supervisor.

He has completed his Post-Graduation Diploma in Global Business Management from Centennial College. Mohammed’s calm, positive and friendly personality makes him a great fit for the ASP Team.

Jason Tonini

Jason Tonini has joined ASP as a Recruiter for the Residential/Commercial Division. Jason bring 2+ years of experience working as a Recruiter/client specialist. Prior to ASP, Jason worked at Mier Recruitment & Apple One Employment services. Jason’s flexible nature and positive attitude are just a few of the valued traits he brings to his current role.

By Neeru Panjwani, Human Resources Manager

It is our pleasure to introduce and welcome the following new members in our team. Please join us in providing a warm ASP welcome to all the new members. We are proud to have you all as part of our team!

Russ Fox

Russ Fox officially joined the ASP team in the role of “Master Trainer” in the Canine Division. Reporting to Ms. Trisha Murray – Director of Canine and Resource Planning Department, Russ will oversee our Canine trainers and achieve training excellence for our Canine Division. Russ has been working with ASP on a contractual basis, and we’re thrilled to bring him on full time. Among Russ’ credentials, he is a Master Trainer with The Canine Law Enforcement Registry and Formerly with Peel Regional Canine Unit.

During his tenure with the Peel regional Police, Russ trained 22 Patrol teams, 9 Narcotic teams and 2 explosive teams. He has certified dozens more teams for other jurisdictions and continues to train and judge in the world of high performance canines.

Sharifa Akbar

Sharifa Akbar joined us as “Training Coordinator” for the Aviation Security Division. Sharifa, who likes to be calle Sherry, reports to Mr. David Ramlagan – National Aviation Training Manager. In her role, Sherry will be responsible for developing and/or arranging high quality Training Programs which meet all GTAA and Transport Canada specified requirements for our frontline staff in airport security.

She has over four years of rich experience in the field of training development and facilitation. Sherry is certified in Adult Education from Sheridan College and Service Excellence from Ontario Tourism Education Center.

Melissa Shehadeh

Melissa Shehadeh has joined ASP as “Accountant” in the Finance Department and reports to Mr. Paul Parkinson – Director of Finance. Melissa has a Business Administration Diploma with specialization in Accounting from the University of Guelph-Humber.

Before joining ASP, she has worked in the finance and accounting field for over four years in a fast paced and detailoriented work environment. Her experience has helped her develop advanced technical and multi-tasking skills with the ability to learn quickly while maintaining / improving efficiency.

Paige Piercy

Paige Pierce is our newest member in the Finance department. She joined us as “Payroll Specialist” and will report to Mr. Paul Parkinson – Director of Finance.

Paige will support the payroll department in day-to-day payroll duties to ensure that employee pay is processed on a timely basis and without any error.

Currently pursuing Payroll Compliance Practitioner Certification, Paige is an enthusiastic and highly motivated professional with over five years of experience in an administrative capacity.

In her last role, prior to joining ASP, Paige worked as a Payroll Administrator where she processed payroll for around 500 employees bi-weekly wherein she gained rich experience on payroll software and payroll compliance protocols.

Lilia Olejarz

Lilia Olejarz joined ASP as HR Administrator and will be based out of the Burlington Head Office location. She reports to Ms. Neeru Panjwani – HR Manager.

Lilia holds a graduation certificate in Human Resources Management from Mohawk College which meets the academic requirements for the prestigious Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) designation.

She was a HR intern at Ferrero Canada where she gained experience in recruiting frontline employees in a fastpaced environment and facilitating the onboarding and orientation of new hire staff.

At ASP, Lilia will be responsible for efficient management of employee personnel records and documents and proper execution of all HR compliance related procedures in the field of employee personal database management while also supporting HR projects for the team.

By Rikki Ellul, Service Delivery Coordinator

“Ozan Kaya is one of our many great Respite Supervisors who was recently recognized by the Toronto Police Services for his excellent and professional assistance in making an arrest at one of our Respite locations. Ozan has been working respites with ASP since August 2020 and his great efforts do not go unnoticed. He is a hard worker who is constantly looking for growth and provides excellent support to his team and ASP. Ozan was awarded an ASP Certificate of Appreciation for his constant hard work and ability to lead his team with confidence and success.
We look forward to continuing watching Ozan’s journey with us!”

1. If you could give new employees any advice, what would it be?

A: My biggest recommendation for new employees would be to utilize your surroundings, whether that be the ASP management team, your onsite supervisor or your coworkers, someone will always know something you didn’t and use that knowledge you gain from them to your advantage.

2. Why is teamwork important to you and how do you ensure your team always works together?

A: Teamwork gives you the confidence in knowing that not only will the job you do be more enjoyable but also more efficient. On my team when we have free time, we rarely spend it on our phones but instead tell each other stories of who we are, what we have done and the things we have seen. Building comradery is essential when you are with someone for 12 hours every day, and want to build friendships.

By Vasilis Androutsos, Manager, Operations RES/CIC

Since we all spend so much time within our scope of work, one of the initiatives we have identified to increase employee engagement, morale and encourage good working relationships amongst our colleagues was to create a social committee within our
Toronto office.

Having a dedicated committee that primarily focuses on fun, lighthearted, team building opportunities and allows us to incorporate a fun-filled calendar into our workplace, will allow us to achieve a good work-life balance for our health and wellbeing. Having organised social events will give all of us something fun to look forward to and help us all relieve workplace stress.

Some of the benefits that our team members will see is increased employee engagement, opportunities for networking and career growth, lower employee turnover, minimizing conflict in the workplace and opportunities for diversity and inclusion. Our goal is to focus on Diversity and Inclusion workplace wellness and set up events that we all can participate and have a great time.

Stephanie Power was appointed as the chair of the social committee, and I was able to pose a few questions to get some insight on how she sees the impact of the social committee having on our team members.

I believe it is important and beneficial because it’s where colleagues get to come together, brainstorm and put together events, or ideas on how to have employee engagement and employee recognition in the workplace.

Having a social committee stimulates a real collaborative process where it allows team members to get to know one another while contributing to the workplace in a new and exciting way.

Our first event was the Summer Bash, which was a great success! We had everyone in the office participating, laughing, smiles on their faces and getting to know each other on a different but professional level.

I am looking forward to working with the team on more events or ideas on how we can continue to build team moral in the workplace.

The best feeling is watching everything come together and seeing everyone participating and enjoying themselves. Also, when the employees come to us and say thank you, they had so much fun, and appreciate our hard work we put into the event is very rewarding.

RES/CIC will be hosting another session in the coming weeks for our Human Resources team.

By Sean Gallagher, Recruitment Manager

ASP has done a lot of growing in the past year, especially in our Recruitment department. We’ve expanded our department to ensure each division of ASP gets the attention it needs to bring in qualified new talent.

Here is a guide to our new and ever-growing team to help in case you’re looking to expand and grow in the company or have a friend you’d like to refer.

Recruitment Management

SEAN GALLAGHER
Recruitment Manager

The team is spearheaded by Sean Gallagher, who shares his nearly a decade of ASP experience to guide the team and his expansive security experience. Feel free to reach out to him for any referral bonus payouts, canine handler positions, and office postings at sgallagher@aspsecurity

Residential/Commercial

KEBA WALTERS
Assistant Recruitment Manager

Reach out for any promotional opportunities and any general inquiries for the Residential/Commercial division at kwalters@aspsecurity

MOHAMED KHAN
HR RES/CIC Recruiter

JASON TONINI
HR RES/CIC Recruiter

Both Jason and Mohamed bring in a mix of a background in recruitment as well as security and can guide you or your referrals through the ASP process smoothly. Reach out to Mohamed and Jason for any Residential, Commercial, or Specialist roles at
mkhan@security-asp.com and jtonini@security-asp.com

For any crossing guard or orientation inquiries, please reach out to recruitment@security-asp.com

Aviation

NADIA ONORATO

Nadia, one of the team’s most experienced Recruiters, can assist with any of the following roles: Calgary Airport, Billy Bishop Airport, Ottawa Airport, Sudbury Airport, TPIA Specialists, Operational Support Reps, and Aviation Supervisor roles and can be contacted at nonorato@security-asp.com

TASIYAH MCDOOM

Tasiyah, coming from the residential/commercial side to aviation can assist with TPIA Access Control Security positions and any questions you may have regarding Transport Canada Clearance forms at tmcdoom@security-asp.com

AMINA ALI-RAGE

Amina is another invaluable member of the team and can support you with any inquiries regarding Transport Canada Application and RAIC form signing for Toronto Pearson Airport (TPIA) at aalirage@security-asp.com

We’re very excited to welcome our new recruitment team members to ASP! Any further questions can be sent to recruitment@security-asp.com and we’ll get you connected to the right person!

By Petra Nash, Executive Assistant

2020 marked the 20th anniversary for ASP Our celebration plans were muted due to the global pandemic and the impact it had on our business. But the strength of character so many of you showed in remaining on the front lines and continuing to provide the critical service our clients depend on, has been monumental. It proved to us that we are doing the right things and behaving in a way that demonstrated the true character of this business, which incorporated in 2000.

Last year, our CEO and President, Mr. Dean Lovric committed to “an ASP Day at Canada’s Wonderland (a full day at the park, exclusive use of rides in the evening, and a private inner), to commemorate our 20th and celebrate those who are most important to the success of the business ……… you, our front-line workers.

On September 18, 2021, ASP held our first ever Family Day event at Wonderland! We were fortunate to have great weather, and we were overjoyed seeing all our ASP employees walking around! Your dedication to ASP is appreciated and we want to thank you for making the day memorable.

ASP Head Office staff were able to spot ASP employees because of their ASP Security Services red t-shirts. If you were wearing your ASP red t-shirt you had a chance to be given a raffle ticket. Tickets were handed out by Head Office employees and were given to those employees who Please take a photo of your raffle ticket if it corresponds to any of the numbers below and send it to Petra Nash at pnash@seucrity-asp.com along with your phone number, email address as well as employee number. Someone from the head office will be in touch with you on your prize were spotted wearing their t-shirts. Below are the raffle ticket winners! Please ensure you speak with your family members to have them check their raffle ticket numbers as well.

We want to thank you once again for all the hard work you have done and hope you had an amazing day at Wonderland!

Please take a photo of your raffle ticket if it corresponds to any of the numbers below and send it to Petra Nash at pnash@security-asp.com along with your phone number, email address as well as employee number. Someone from the head office will be in touch with you on your prize.

By Sarah Northrup, Director - Human Resources

We are proud to have supported the Hillsdale & South Asian Bar Association’s (SABA) goal of raising $30,000 for the Help India Initiative.

A second wave of COVID-19 is wreaking havoc throughout the country. The current surge is overwhelming Indian healthcare infrastructure – patients are not able to access hospital beds and oxygen is in short supply. The loss of life is tragic and catastrophic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has upended the lives of children and families in nearly every country across the globe. Though children make up a very small number of deaths from the coronavirus, the impact on their lives has been devastating.
We are very lucky to be living in Canada with easy access to healthcare and COVID-19 vaccines. ASP encourages all our teammates to take a moment to think about those who are less fortunate. If you wish to make a donation to UNICEF, here is the link. UNICEF has an outstanding track record of managing donations effectively and delivering live saving programs.

ASP also encourages everyone to get a vaccine so we can end this pandemic. If you would like more information on how to get a vaccine or have questions about the vaccines, the link is LINK REQUIRED

What UNICEF is Doing

UNICEF sent 5,000 oxygen concentrators to India in April and May 2021, and 25 medical oxygen generation plants for hospitals are underway. Globally, UNICEF’s Office of Innovation has been focused on oxygen therapy as a key component of its effort to save lives of children. As a result, UNICEF has procured 15,000 oxygen concentrators as part of its COVID-19 response, helping more than 90 countries across the world.

What is an Oxygen Concentrator?

An Oxygen Concentrator is a portable machine that creates oxygen by removing nitrogen from ambient air. In most cases, these portable devices are the best option for remote and/or low resource areas without oxygen plants or cylinder delivery networks. Costing approximately C$1,000 each and with minimal operational expenses, an oxygen concentrator has the potential to save many lives, as countries around the world struggle to flatten the curve.

How ASP’s Donation Helped

The following supplies have been identified as critical by UNICEF:

• Oxygen Concentrators: C$100,000 can provide approximately 100 portable machines and can be distributed across many states in India
• Oxygen Generation Plant: C$235,000 can provide enough oxygen for a 500-bed hospital for 20 years
• RT-PCR Machines: Each costing C$27,000, can speed up identification and treatment of COVID-19 infections. The machines last for 10 years, providing a legacy for testing for other deadly diseases such as TB, HIV, HPV, and streptococcus when COVID-19 declines

In May 2021, ASP donated $8,000 to UNICEF’s COVID Fundraising Efforts

By Noah Thompson, Senior Manager – Projects and Information Systems

Phishing attacks on companies and individuals have increased by 97% since 2016. These attacks can leave not only your email and computer accounts compromised but can affect your mobile devices as well and allow cyber criminals to access your personal information such as bank account details and credit card information.

Phishing is a technique that uses fraudulent websites and falsified emails to trick you into providing personal information like account usernames, account numbers, passwords, and credit card information. In recent years, phishing scams have become more frequent, more sophisticated, and more difficult to detect.

These Phishing attempts can come in the form of a fictional lottery win, a long-lost relative leaving you money or a large corporation requesting your information due to “account security”. The basics are simple, if you won a lottery, you didn’t play it’s a scam and a long lost relative probably doesn’t have your email address. Also, large corporations and banks will NEVER request your information via email.

To keep yourself safe, never click a link from an unknown sender, never send your account details over email or text and remember if its too good to be true, it probably is!

“Never click a link from an unknown sender”