One shift,
18:00 → 06:00
What does a security guard actually do all night? Here is a typical overnight post at a mid-size commercial building, hour by hour. The rhythm changes from site to site — your post orders set the real times, routes and priorities.
Illustrative schedule. Every entry the guard makes lands in the digital shift report you receive in the morning.
- 18:00Handover
Briefing & handover
The guard signs on, reads the day guard’s notes and any new instructions from management, checks keys and radios against the inventory, and confirms who is still in the building.
- 18:30Walk
Opening perimeter walk
A first lap of the exterior and parking: lighting working, fire exits clear, fences and gates intact, nothing left leaning against the loading door that wasn’t there this morning.
- 19:30Desk
Evening access control
Late staff, cleaners, couriers and contractors come through the front door. The guard verifies who is expected, logs arrivals and departures, and keeps the lobby calm and presentable.
- 22:00Lock-down
Building secured
Once the last tenant leaves, doors are checked by hand, interior lights set to night mode and the alarm armed where the post orders call for it. Anything found open is closed, photographed and noted.
- 23:30Patrol
Interior patrol
Floors, stairwells, washrooms and mechanical corridors. The guard is looking for the ordinary things that turn into expensive mornings: a running tap, a propped door, a smell of smoke, a person who shouldn’t be there.
- 01:30Exception
Something out of place
Say a vehicle idles at the back lot. The guard observes from a safe position, records details, and follows the escalation chain in the post orders — from a polite request to leave, to calling police or your on-call contact.
- 03:00Quiet hour
Deep-night patrol
The hours when sites are most exposed. A full exterior and interior round, with extra attention to loading areas, roof access, the parkade and any construction or renovation zone.
- 05:00Open-up
Ready for the morning
Final walk, alarm and doors set for the day schedule, early deliveries and trades met at the door and logged in.
- 06:00Report
Shift report filed
The night is summarized — patrols completed, visitors, incidents, photos and maintenance issues — and handed to the day guard. You receive the same digital report.
Guard specification sheet
Before you compare quotes, compare what is actually standing at your door. These are the standards behind every guard we place — and the questions worth asking any agency you consider.
| Ref | Item | Standard | Why it matters to you |
|---|---|---|---|
| S-01 | Licensing | Individual security guard licence under Ontario’s Private Security and Investigative Services Act (PSISA) — 100% of our guards. | Guards must carry their licence on duty and show it on request. Licences are renewed every two years, and their status can be checked in Ontario’s online public registry. |
| S-02 | Training | Ontario’s mandatory 40-hour basic training course, followed by the provincial licensing test. | Covers the law guards work under, report writing, legal authorities, use-of-force theory, emergency response and communication. |
| S-03 | First Aid & CPR | Emergency First Aid and CPR certification, part of the 40-hour program. | On a quiet overnight, the guard may be the only trained responder in the building until paramedics arrive. |
| S-04 | Uniform | Ontario-compliant uniform with “Security” clearly displayed; Hi-visBusiness dressWeather kit matched to the post. | Visibility deters; the right look for a lobby is different from the right look for a yard. |
| S-05 | Post orders | Written, site-specific instructions kept at the post and updated as your site changes. | Every guard — including a relief guard on day one — works to the same rules you approved. |
| S-06 | Reporting | Digital shift reports plus incident reports with photos, time-stamped. | A record you can hand to an insurer, a board, a landlord or the police. |
| S-07 | Back-up & escalation | Our team is reachable 24/7/365; escalation contacts written into the post orders. | Your guard is never deciding alone what happens when something goes wrong. |
| S-08 | Employer | Ontario-licensed, Canadian-owned agency; WSIB certified and fully insured. | Liability and workplace coverage sit with us, not with you. |
The same licence, a different job at every site
A guard at a condominium desk and a guard at a warehouse gate share training, not routines. Use this matrix to see how a post is usually shaped for your type of property — then we adjust it during your free site assessment.
| Site type | Typical post style | Core duties | Common coverage | Often paired with |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Offices & commercial | Lobby desk plus roving rounds | Visitor sign-in, after-hours access, floor patrols, lock-up | Business hours, evenings or overnight | CCTV monitoring |
| Condominiums & residential | Concierge-style front desk | Resident and guest management, parcels, move-ins, amenity and parkade checks | Often 24/7/365 | Concierge security |
| Retail & plazas | Visible floor or entrance presence | Theft deterrence, customer assistance, incident documentation, closing support | Store hours and peak seasons | Loss prevention |
| Warehouses & industrial | Gatehouse and yard rounds | Truck and driver logging, seal checks, yard and dock patrols | Shift changes, nights and weekends | Mobile patrol |
| Construction | Gate post with perimeter checks | Delivery control, tool and material protection, trespass deterrence | Overnight, weekends, shutdowns | Construction security |
| Events & venues | Multiple fixed points plus floaters | Entry screening, crowd flow, restricted areas, emergency exits | Event days, set-up and tear-down | Event security |
| Vacant or in-transition | Static guard or scheduled visits | Break-in and squatting deterrence, utility and damage checks, insurer-ready logs | Nights, or until the property is occupied | Alarm response |
What to put in your post orders
Post orders are the written rulebook for your site. Good ones mean a relief guard on a holiday weekend makes the same decisions your regular guard would. We draft them with you after the site assessment — this is what to have ready.
Under Ontario’s Trespass to Property Act, a guard acts as a person authorized by the occupier. If you want guards to ask people to leave or deal with trespass on your behalf, we set out that authority in writing in your post orders.
- Site map & post locations — entrances, exits, fire routes, alarm panel, the spots the guard must see each round.
- Hours & handover — shift times, overlap with day staff, who signs off.
- Access rules — who may enter, when, and how they are verified; contractor and delivery procedures.
- Patrol routes — frequency, order and what “checked” means at each point.
- Keys, codes & equipment — what is issued, where it is kept, how it is signed for.
- Escalation chain — your on-call contacts in order, and what warrants a 2 a.m. phone call.
- Emergency procedures — fire alarm, medical call, flood, power failure, evacuation meeting point.
- Trespass authority — whether guards may act for you, and how.
- Reporting preferences — who receives shift and incident reports, and how fast.
- Dress & conduct — the presentation that fits your tenants, residents or customers.
Questions buyers ask us
Q.01How fast can you put a guard on my site?
For urgent cover — a break-in, a failed lock, a sudden gap in staffing — we can usually have a licensed guard on site in about 30 to 60 minutes, depending on travel across the GTA. Planned coverage starts after a free site assessment so your post orders are ready on the first shift.
Q.02What do security guard services cost in Toronto?
Pricing depends on the number of hours and posts, the duties involved, the type of site and how much notice we have. Overnight-only or weekend coverage costs far less than a round-the-clock post. Our guide to what drives guard pricing walks through each factor, and a quote is free.
Q.03Are your guards licensed, and can I check?
Yes — every guard we place holds an individual Ontario security guard licence under the PSISA. Guards are required to carry that licence on duty and show it when asked, and a licence’s status can be checked in Ontario’s online public registry.
Q.04What will I actually see after each shift?
A digital shift report summarizing patrols, visitors, deliveries and observations, plus a separate incident report with photos whenever something happens. Reports go to the contacts you list in your post orders, so a property manager and an owner can both stay informed.
Q.05Do I need a full-time guard, or would patrols be enough?
If someone must control who comes and goes, or your site holds valuable stock overnight, a guard on post is usually the right call. If you mainly need visible checks and lock-ups, mobile patrol visits can cover it — see our comparison of patrols versus guards.
Cross-referenced services
Most sites combine a guard post with one of these.
Security Guard Quote
Tell us about your site and the coverage you need — we’ll get back to you quickly.