By Debbie Ciccotelli, Vice-President, Strategic Initiatives

Are you feeling as overwhelmed as I am as the COVID-19 pandemic infection rate continues to rise?  Feeling overwhelmed is normal when there is so much disruption to our lives.

We have had enough negativity in 2020 to last a lifetime. I am exhausted by the gloom and doom and disheartened by what is currently happening in our community and world around us.

I believe that it is important to talk about our experience and the reality of what we are going through, so I thought I would share some personal experiences which COVID has had on me and my family.

I lost a cousin to COVID in April this year – he died in hospital alone and only his wife and mother attended his funeral.  I have a young niece who has both Parkinson’s and Addison’s disease, which has resulted in a severely compromised immune system, confining her to her home.  My daughter is an essential worker and is suffering anxiety from fear of bringing COVID home, as well as for having made the choice to send her 2 children to school.  I personally am in the vulnerable age sector and have been working and locked down in my home since March. I have not been able to see my children or grandchildren, whom I love dearly and miss more than can be imagined.  My 5-year-old granddaughter is in JK and due to minor cold or flu symptoms has been required to go through COVID testing three times already. Five days prior to finishing this article, my father passed away at home and we made the decision not to have a funeral service and to wait to hold a Celebration of Life when it is safe to do so – it is the right decision but somehow it seems wrong.   

Many of you are experiencing similar, if not more difficult, challenges.  In these troublesome times, it is important to think beyond ourselves and consider what others are facing.  How you respond to stress during the COVID-19 pandemic can depend on your background, your social support from family or friends, your financial situation, your health and emotional background, the community you live in, and many other factors.

I am generally a very positive person and I have tried very hard not to let the impact of the pandemic get me down, but like many people there are times when I struggle to cope, which is a normal reaction.  During these periods, receiving support and care from others has had a powerful effect on helping me cope with challenges. Spending telephone or virtual time talking through concerns, thoughts and feelings with supportive family and friends gives me a sense of comfort and stability.

Our world has not faced anything like this in over a century. It’s big. It’s ok, and even appropriate, to not be ok.  Allow yourself to feel the reality of what you’re going through. Reach out, if it would help to talk to someone (it probably would). You don’t have to present a brave face to the world, if you’re having a tough time – If negative emotions threaten to overwhelm, find a counseling professional who works with people virtually or by phone, such as ASP’s Employee Assistance Program (LifeWorks).

Connecting on a personal level, extending compassion and assuming positive intent from others may make all the difference for someone who is really hurting, either visibly or below the surface.  It is important to understand the power we each have to connect and lift each other up, especially during the holiday season when we cannot be with the people we care about the most.  These small interactions can make a massive impact on others.

If you want to be a respectful co-worker during this challenging time, show your peers you care by taking time to understand their world, stay in touch, and find ways to offer support. If we do, we may just come out of the other side of this health crises closer and more connected to each other.  But if you’re really struggling as you watch it all unfold, feeling fear as this thing marches closer, or mourning your own real losses, that’s a normal reaction too.   It’s better for our mental health to see this time as a collective challenge – one that is extremely difficult but remember: We’re all in this together

“I’ve learned that people will forget what you said, people will forget what you did, but people will never forget how you made them feel.”
– Maya Angelou

With a vaccine arrival and the end of this horrible pandemic on the horizon, we will get through this and regardless of how people remember their own circumstances, I am convinced that they will have long-lasting memories of how others treated them.


By Laurel Woodhouse, Health and Safety Manager

What’s the Danger?

When you’re cold, blood vessels in your skin, arms and legs constrict, decreasing the blood flow to your arms and legs.  This helps your critical organs stay warm, but you risk frostbite in your extremities.

Cold-related illness and injuries can cause permanent tissue damage or death.  The toe, fingers, ears and nose are at the greatest risk because they do not have major muscles to produce heat.

Controls

Adjust the pace or rate of work – not too low that a person becomes cold, nor too high and cause heavy sweating or wet clothing.

Allow time for new workers to become accustomed to the conditions.

Make sure that protective clothing is worn at or below 4°C. including layers of warm clothing, with an outer layer that is wind-resistant, a hat, mittens or insulated gloves, scarf, neck tube or face mask and insulated waterproof footwear.

Frostbite

Occurs when tissue temperature falls below the freezing point or when blood flow is obstructed; symptoms include inflammation of the skin in patches and slight pain.  In severe cases, there could be tissue damage without pain or burning or prickling sensations that result in blisters.

Treatment

  • Get medical aid.
  • Warm the area with body heat—do not rub.
  • Don’t thaw hands and feet unless medical aid is far away and there’s no chance of refreezing. It’s best to thaw body parts at a hospital.

Hypothermia

Is the most severe cold injury. The excessive loss of body heat can be fatal.  

Moderate symptoms • Shivering • Blue lips and fingers • Slow breathing and heart rate • Disorientation and confusion • Poor coordination

Severe symptoms • Unconsciousness • Heart slowdown to the point where pulse is irregular or hard to find • No shivering • No detectable breathing. Although these symptoms resemble death, always assume the person is alive.

Treatment

  • Hypothermia can kill—get medical aid immediately.
  • Carefully move the person to a shelter. Sudden movement can upset heart rhythm.
  • Keep the person awake. Remove any wet clothing and wrap them in warm covers.
  • Move workers to a heated shelter and seek medical advice.

Identify Controls

  1. Survey and monitor the temperature
  2. Train managers, supervisor and workers on symptoms, safe work practices, rewarming procedures, proper clothing practices, and what to do in case of cold injury.
  3. Use buddy system to watch for symptoms in others.
  4. Wear several layers of clothing rather than one thick layer to capture air as an insulator.
  5. Wear synthetic fabrics next to the skin to “wick” away sweat.  
  6. If conditions require, wear a waterproof or wind-resistant outer layer.
  7. Wear warm gloves, hats, and hoods. You may also need a balaclava.
  8. Tight-fitting footwear restricts blood flow. You should be able to wear either one thick or two thin pairs of socks.
  9. If your clothing gets wet at 2°C or less, change into dry clothes immediately and get checked for hypothermia.
  10. If you get hot while working, open your jacket but keep your hat and gloves on.
  11. Take warm, high-calorie drinks and food.

By Sarah Northrup, Human Resources Director

It is my pleasure to introduce and welcome our new Health and Safety Manager, Laurel Woodhouse to our ASP family.

Laurel joined the Human Resources team on November 2, 2020. I can attest to the idea that joining a new company is not easy this year, as I know a number of our employees can also relate to! Laurel spent her first month with ASP.  with a laser focus on the public health crisis affecting us all. Laurel has established partnerships with our leadership teams across the country.

Laurel has an extensive career as a Health and Safety specialist and a wealth of experience fostering a health and safety culture. A Certified Health and Safety Consultant, Laurel has built and grown pro-active safety systems in a variety of industries for the last 15 years.

Laurel has a strong philosophy of putting safety first and unique experience in both federal and provincial health and safety legislation which will be a definite asset to the company. Her approachable personality combined with her collaborative approach has already made her a great contributor to the ASP family.

Located in our corporate HQ office in Burlington, Laurel’s work will take her across the organization.  

Please join me in giving Laurel Woodhouse a warm ASP welcome.


By Garinder Grewal, Airport SDM, YYZ, Aviation K9

Congratulations to all of the Access Control Guards that achieved a perfect score of 50/50 on their first attempt of their 2020 recertification test.

For those who missed the mark, don’t worry! Keep working at it and you’ll get 100% next year!

  • Banugopan, Anuratha
  • Coluccio, Sophia
  • Gill, Sukhmani
  • Karma, Marin
  • Mohamed, Abdirahman
  • Parmar, Shinder Kaur
  • Sasan, Mandeep
  • Singh, Kanwar Harpal
  • Tiwana, Rupinder
  • Vakeeswaran, Sinthujan

  • Bauman, Margaret
  • Dhamoon, Arjun
  • Ilir, Hanxhari
  • Karruku, Nevila
  • Nadan, Rushmika
  • Patel, Urvish
  • Sharma, Rekha
  • Sodhi, Jaswinder
  • Walia, Tajinder Kaur
  • Karshe, Jabrel
  • Brati, Mustafa
  • Dharni, Raveena
  • Jain, Arun Kumar
  • Kaur, Jasbir
  • Nijjar, Harpinder
  • Samra, Ashok
  • Sidhu, Harjinder
  • Sond, Sukhjit
  • Weheliye, Abdulhamid
  • Ndreu, Lejla
  • Chowdhury, Jarar
  • Gill, Amarjit Kaur
  • Kalia, Meenal
  • Mohamed, Mohamed
  • Panchbhaya, Saeedahmad
  • Samra, Kartar
  • Singh, Amolpreet
  • Sulo, Orion
  • Yonan, Sany

By Garinder Grewal, Airport SDM, YYZ, Aviation K9

We are at once happy and sad to announce the retirement of our Access control Guard Fatos Strazimiri.

We really enjoyed working with Fatos over the last 12 plus years, and we consider him not only a valuable asset but a true inspiration for all of us as well. His hard work, dedication, and diligence have greatly benefited ASP, and his ability to train/encourage other employees will be missed. It has always been our pleasure to work with him. So, while we are saddened to see him go, we are confident that he will find the same success and happiness in retirement that he experienced during his time with ASP. We wish Fatos the best in his future endeavors. Retirement will surely offer him many new opportunities, which we know he will embrace wholeheartedly, just as he did at A.S.P. Incorporated.


By Noah Thompson, Senior Manager, Special Projects & Information Systems

In September of last year, ASP launched a proprietary mobile application, “X-Guard”.

Currently in use with our Crossing Guard Operations Team, X-Guard features a full host of scheduling and mapping tools to assist our front-line team with shift check-ins and our admin staff to ensure our team is on site each day to ensure the children of Toronto get to school safely.

We have recently embarked on an overhaul of our admin tool that will provide more intuitive and functional feature sets within the system. The updated tool will provide our admin staff an opportunity to manage our front-line team even more efficiently.

The overhauled admin tool will also be available on the client side of the application and will feature a whole new look and feel, offering an improved user experience to our valued customers.

The new tool is currently in testing and set to release in January 2020.


By Darren Scott, Advanced Forecasting Analyst

Never miss an available posting again using the inTime App.

The inTime App improves communication by putting your schedule on your smart phone. From the App you can:

  • View your schedule. No more logging on to your desktop to see what days you’re working and when you have vacations.
  • Easily make plans around your work schedule.
  • Sign up for shifts and overtime.
  • Apply for Leaves.
  • Sort and filter available postings.
  • Receive mobile alerts and notifications. Was there a change to your shift start time? The app will send you an alert as soon as a change made.
  • Punch in and out.

Have You Set Your Preferences?

Using your portal or inTime App, you can tell Resource Planning when you prefer to work. When an individual shift is open or a long-term assignment becomes available, your preferences are reviewed to assist scheduling. Without having preferences set on your portal you may be overlooked.

For more information regarding the App or if you require assistance, please contact Resource Planning Department.


By Natasha Stephenson-Belle, Manager, Resource Planning

At the beginning of August 2020, Preet joined our team of Resource Planning. Since joining, Preet has hit the ground running.  She has the initiative and drive to succeed.

Preet’s confidence on the phone while speaking to guards was phenomenal, despite being new.  She cares about the guards she schedules and follows up with other departments as needed to help our employees.  She never wants to leave anyone hanging.  Often at night, I see Preet online afterhours.  When I ask her why she is working so late, her response usually is that she received a last-minute book off that she has to cover.  This goes to show Preet’s dedication and support of our daily operation. There were a few questions that I asked Preet that I thought I would share:

What are you enjoying the most in your current role?

“The thing I most enjoy about my current role is collaboration. I love my job because everyone shares the same vision and is dedicated to the mission.”

With your career, do you see opportunity to grow within ASP?

“I love doing what I do. I am really looking forward to being in management position one day. I still have a lot to learn from Natasha. I love the way she carries herself and being professional at the same time. Definitely looking to stick with the company and this company is expanding every day with new contracts. There will be many more opportunities that will come to fill – high hopes.”

What have you heard about contracts that we schedule that you are looking forward to?

“I am glad with the contracts that we have; we really take it seriously. We take into consideration the exceptions of our clients. On the other hand, we also take in consideration the rights of the guards. We make sure that our guards are happily willing to work with ASP, as we feel pride in operating the contracts and feel very confident that the hard work, we put in also brings us positive feedback.  We make sure the reports are on time and accurate to keep our standards high. Resulting in contracts extending and want to continue business with us as ASP team puts their 100% efforts”.

From the moment I interviewed Preet, I saw her drive to succeed and excel.  She is always willing to learn, and is constantly looking to perfect her scheduling strategies.  I love watching Preet continue to grow in her role, and I look forward to her continued growth within our family here at ASP  You might have already had the pleasure of speaking with Preet.  If not, please feel free to reach out to her at.  Here are her work contact details:

Varunpreet “Preet” Saini – Resource Planner
Email: VSaini@security-asp.com
Phone: 416-481-0022


By Neeru Panjwani, Manager - Human Resources

At ASP, we recognize and appreciate the importance of creating an environment in which all employees feel valued, included, and empowered to do their best work and bring great ideas to the table.

We recognize that each employee’s unique experiences, perspectives, and viewpoints add value to our ability to create and deliver the best possible service to our clients and partners.

In the last quarter, we founded our Diversity and Inclusion Committee. With a mandate to identify the strengths, issues, and opportunities within our organization, the committee is made up of employees and members of the leadership team. In our first few meetings, we’ve been talking about ways to identify needs and areas of concerns in the business and we’ve been exploring policies and practices affecting diversity and inclusion.

ASP Diversity and Inclusion Committee and members

The “ASP Diversity and Inclusion Committee” was launched on October 22, 2020. Committee members are:

  1. Debbie Ciccotelli – Vice President, Strategic Initiatives
  2. Andrew Catney – Resource Planner
  3. Melicia Gregory – Security Guard, TPIA (Acting Employee Chair)
  4. Avtar Bhamra – Security Guard, CIC
  5. Felice Marinelli – Supervisor, CIC
  6. Katrina Stachurski – Canine Guard, CIC
  7. Radowan Chowdhuri – Security Guard, YYC
  8. Tony Magill – Security Guard, YYC
  9. Zeeshan Shah – Security Guard, YYC
  10. Ramakrishna Malkapuram – Trainer, TPIA
  11. Sarah Jessop – Administrator, Human Resources (Secretary, D&I Committee)
  12. Giselle Lopez – Accountant
  13. Petra Nash – Executive Assistant
  14. Neeru Panjwani – Manager, Human Resources (Employer Chair)
  15. Asad Abbas – Service Delivery Manager, CIC
  16. Natasha Stephenson-Belle – Manager, Resource Planning
  17. Cliff Sampogna – Director of Operation, Residential and Commercial Division
  18. Vince Bozzo – Sr. Director for Aviation
  19. Sarah Northrup – Director, Human Resources

The Committee’s Mission Statement

Advancing the ASP mission of providing strategic, agile and responsive security services, the committee, made up of employees and members of the leadership team, will identify needs and areas of concerns and explore policies and practices affecting diversity and inclusion. We recognize that diversity in ideas, background and experience are essential to meeting our goals.

The committee will participate in Diversity and Inclusion initiatives aimed at:

  • Creating an inclusive environment where everyone is respected, valued and given every opportunity to succeed;
  • Fostering a culture where leaders do what’s right;
  • Creating opportunities to support diverse employees;
  • Educating our ASP teams on diversity issues; and
  • Improve employee engagement and feeling of belonging.

Diversity and Inclusion Survey and Feedback

As our first step, we conducted a company-wide Diversity and Inclusion survey. The survey was centred around researched concepts of Inclusion, such as fairness, belonging, and voice. It was aimed at measuring the degree to which our culture creates an inclusive environment where people of all cultures, backgrounds and identities can thrive.  We are happy to share the results of the survey with all of you.

The feedback from employees validated our belief that our employees share the same view as the management and that they support us in developing a safe work environment all our colleagues. Having said that, the survey feedback has given us insight into areas of opportunities, which will be taken up by actions from the committee and the leadership team in developing strategies and policies to address them.

Diversity and Inclusion Committee Contact

We are happy to tell you that you can reach out to the committee at inclusion@security-asp.com. We encourage anyone to reach out if you would like to get any further information on Diversity and Inclusion at ASP.

Even in a diverse and open organization like ours, we know that there are still real challenges. Across our organization, we share moments with our co-workers, clients, and the public every day. It’s easy to overlook moments during your day that may seem routine, but that’s how systemic discrimination finds a way into our workplace. If you see or hear something that doesn’t seem right, we encourage you to speak with your manager or write to inclusion@security-asp.com.

We are in the process of developing a Diversity and Inclusion framework and policy to further build and reinforce our commitment to this initiative. The mission of the Diversity & Inclusion Committee will be to foster an environment that attracts the best talent, values diversity of life experiences and perspectives, and encourages innovation in pursuit of mission. We look forward to your support in realizing our mission.


By Sarah Jessop, HR Administrator and Jasmine Khimany, HR Manager - CIC/RES

It is our pleasure to introduce and welcome the following new team members to ASP. We are confident that with their rich experience and excellent professional attitude, they will contribute to the growth and success of ASP.

Laurel Woodhouse – Health and Safety Manager

Please join us in welcoming Laurel Woodhouse to the ASP team as our Health and Safety Manager! Laurel brings with her over 10 years of experience in the field of occupational health and safety, having worked in both advisory and consultancy positions. Laurel’s strong knowledge of both provincial and federal legislation has proven to be invaluable for ASP already, as she has begun advising and supporting our commercial, aviation and office divisions. Laurel is a Certified Health and Safety Consultant (CHSC), and we have no doubt that her expertise will allow ASP to achieve our health and safety goals. Her approachable, caring and confident attitude make her a great fit for the ASP management team.

Karim Khamisa – Site Manager, Greater Sudbury Airport

Karim Khamisa has joined ASP as our Site Manager for the Greater Sudbury Airport. He will be responsible for operations management, employee management, client and customer relations and government relations at YSB.

Karim has a strong operations management background in the hotel and hospitality sectors, having worked for the Four Seasons, Holiday Inn and the Chateau Lacombe Hotel, to name a few. His diligence, strong organizational skills and personable approach will allow for a seamless transition into the Site Manager position at YSB.

Yemisi Joshua – Payroll Specialist

Yemisi Joshua has joined ASP’s Accounting department as a Payroll Specialist. She has broad international experience in the accounting field, particularly in the areas of payroll administration, bookkeeping, accounts payable and customer service.

Yemisi has already hit the ground running in our Burlington office, assisting with recent pays and a variety of administrative tasks. She possesses an M.Sc. in Finance and Management from the University of Bedfordshire in the United Kingdom and she has completed the Payroll Compliance Practitioner (PCP) program at Sheridan College. Yemisi’s flexible nature and positive attitude are just a few of the valued traits she will be bringing to her role.

Opeyemi Adeniji – Front Desk Administrator, Burlington

Opeyemi Adeniji has joined ASP as our Front-Desk Administrator in our Burlington office. He will be responsible for supporting the entire organization by managing a variety of administrative tasks and front-desk responsibilities.

Opeyemi brings strong experience in managing complex administrative duties to the role, having worked as an Administrative Assistant for the last six years. Opeyemi graduated with an MBA in International Business from Cardiff Metropolitan University and he possesses strong technical skills. His calm and friendly personality will undoubtedly be a wonderful addition to the ASP team.

Keba Walters

Keba Walters has joined the HR Team as a Recruiter in our North York office. She is responsible for full-cycle recruitment for the security contracts at our Residential/Commercial Division. Keba brings strong experience in screening, interviewing and hiring practices. Prior to this role, Keba worked as a Recruitment Consultant at Bilingual Source, where she successfully sourced candidates using social media and job boards. Keba is currently in the process of getting her Bachelor’s degree in Arts, English Language and Literature from York University and HR Management certificate from Fleming College.

Shakerah Bennett

Shakerah Bennett has joined the HR Team as a Recruiter in our North York office. She is responsible for full-cycle recruitment for the school crossing guard contract at our Residential/Commercial Division. In her previous role working as a Human Resources – Recruitment Specialist at Eagle Professional Resource Inc., Shakerah worked closely with the Account Managers to identify and understand the client needs to initiate and deliver recruitment campaigns. Shakerah possesses a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology with Management Studies from University of the West Indies and a Graduate certificate in Human Resources Management from Centennial College. Shakerah is working on her Certified Human Resources Professional (CHRP) and Certified Personnel Consultant (CPC) designations.

Ryan Durkin

Ryan Durkin has joined ASP as Training Coordinator in our North York office. Ryan brings over 10+ years of security experience and has 7+ years of experience working as a Trainer. Prior to ASP, Ryan worked as a Self Defense Instructor at First Nations People, where he provided awareness and practical self-defence training to Youth, Seniors, Nurses and security personnel. He is a motivated, resourceful and tactful communicator with the ability to build productive relationship with persons of all levels, cultures and background. Ryan has completed Business Administration Management from George Brown College.

Amy Strachan

Amy Strachan has joined ASP as an Administrator for the crossing guard contract at our Residential/Commercial Division. Amy brings strong experience in administration and has worked in health care and food industries in her previous roles where she managed administrative processes and prepared key reports and documentation along with other administrative tasks. Amy graduated with a certificate in Immigration Consulting from CSIC-e-Academy and HR Management certificate from Seneca College.