Pan Am/Parapan Am Games: security plan
How Ontario will keep athletes, visitors and residents safe as they participate in the 2015 Games.
The plan
Ontario’s security plan for the Pan/Parapan American Games is based on lessons learned from past:
- multi-sport events
- major event security experience
- local knowledge of participating police services
Consistent with planning for other major events, detailed security plans are not released (for security reasons) beyond the policing/security agencies involved in developing them.
Security
For the Pan Am/Parapan Am Games, the Ontario Provincial Police will lead an Integrated Security Unit that brings together municipal, federal and provincial planning.
Private security guards
The police will be hiring private security guards to support the Games security operation.
They will provide event security similar to security guards you see at the Rogers Centre.
Security guards will not be given police powers.
Current costs
Ontario’s security costs are currently estimated at $239 million. This includes:
- municipal policing
- Ontario Provincial Police
- private security costs
This estimate is larger than the $113 million figure built into the original Toronto 2015 budget.
Security costs have increased to accommodate the evolving Games plans, but planners have found cost savings through various measures and ongoing reviews such as hiring private security guards.
Costs will fluctuate based on world events and ongoing Games planning.
Future costs
We have and will continue to release revised projected costs for security, and budgets and plans for transportation as they become available.