1 year after Edmonton security guard's death, province says updated training curriculum on the way

One year after the killing of Harshandeep Singh in Edmonton, the Alberta government says it plans to roll out an updated training program for security guards.

On Dec. 6, 2024, Singh, a 20-year old security guard and international student, was fatally shot while patrolling a building in Central McDougall by himself at night after only a few days on the job. Police had responded to a shooting at the building a month earlier.

Evan Chase Rain, 31, is facing a charge of first-degree murder. Judith Saulteaux, also 31, has had her charge downgraded to second-degree murder. Their trials are scheduled to get underway in February 2027.

In the wake of Singh’s death, some security experts called for more robust training programs, better protection in the field and for someone to take a serious look at the increasingly complex situations security guards face.

On Friday, Arthur Green, press secretary for Public Safety and Emergency Services Minister Mike Ellis, said the government plans to have the province’s 40-hour Alberta Basic Security Training course updated next year.

“The program is being updated to enhance content, strengthen preparedness and respond to industry needs, with a revised curriculum set to launch in 2026, which has been informed by broad consultation with the security sector,” Green wrote in an email to CBC News.

As the details of Singh’s death emerged last year, veterans of the security sector said the killing highlighted a need to re-examine the evolving role of the security guard post-pandemic.

Despite sometimes earning only minimum wage, unarmed security guards are often the first of the first responders, John McDermid, an Edmonton-based career security professional, said Friday.

He said he believes security guards are dealing with increasingly complex and dangerous situations due to overstretched police forces and the rise in homelessness, open-air drug use, mental health challenges and inflation-fuelled crimes.

After Singh’s death, the building at 107th Avenue and 106th Street where he was killed was shut down by the city over safety, maintenance and pest concerns.

“There are no toolbox meetings before going into this, identifying the hazards and what to do,” McDermid said.

“This was considered a high-risk environment. Police even hesitate going into this type of violence. So we send somebody unarmed trying to enforce some sort of code, in an environment by themselves with no real backup."

McDermid said security roles should be treated like the trades where responsibilities and risks increase based on more training.

At the time of publication, the City of Edmonton and Alberta Occupational Health and Safety had not responded to requests for comment regarding the status of the apartment building where Singh had been working.