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Government Watch

88 IS A GO IN QUEBEC The Security Regulatory Legislation, also known as Bill 88, passed the Quebec National Assembly in early July, a move that the Canadian Security Association said will usher in a "new era for the security industry." The passage of this bill caps off 10 years of effort by CANASA. Their executive director, Tracy Cannata said, "We are pleased at the outcome of the discussions that we have had with the government and this will put the industry on a more sure footing for the future." The new law is designed to regulate private security services, such as security guard services, alarm monitoring, life safety, goods and sites protection, investigation, locksmiths, electronic security systems, armored car services and security consultant services. It also calls for the creation of a new entity, a Private Security Bureau, which will put together regulations for each of the security sectors and will be responsible for issuing permits to companies and individuals that will govern each element of the overall security mission. As part of the process, two years ago CANASA submitted recommendations on regulating the security industry to the Public Security Ministry. CANASA's recommendations were subsequently incorporated into Bill 88, which was introduced in December of 2004. "Passage of Bill 88 will raise the professional profile of the security industry and will give us a voice in shaping the future direction of our industry," CANASA Quebec Chapter President Normand Fiset said in a statement. KEEPING AN EYE ON STATE LICENSING ACTIVITY John Chwat, NBFAA legislative director is in Washington, D.C., but he's keeping close tabs on legislative activity across the country having to do with the licensing of low-voltage systems installers. Saying that the bill was "not representative of the whole industry," the NBFAA and the New Hampshire Alarm Association in April successfully killed a voluntary licensing and certification bill, sponsored by the Custom Electronic Design and Installation Association, in that state. "There are similar problems in other states," Chwat said. "Legislation is pending in four or five other states, including Iowa and Idaho. The licensing, registration, and certification of low-voltage installers is a hot topic around the states," he said. Bills that are flawed, in the view of NBFAA, are sometimes introduced by "other installer communities or law enforcement," he said. Chwat will work with NBFAA state associations to monitor those bills. He expects more of these types of bills to be filed in the fall, when state legislators return from summer recesses. --- Government Watch is compiled and reported by Martha Entwistle, managing editor. To contact her, email the paper at [email protected].

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