Security Guard Cost in Ontario
What you pay for a security guard in Ontario is set mostly by hours: how many, at what time of day, and how much notice you give. Published 2026 market guides put a standard unarmed guard in the high twenties to mid forties per hour, with nights, holidays and events higher. We price each site after a short call.
Five things that set the price
- Total hoursPer shift, per week, per month
- When the hours fallNights, weekends, public holidays
- Number of postsOne guard or several at once
- The dutiesFront desk, patrols, fire watch logs
- NoticeTonight costs more than next month
What an hourly rate pays for
The guard’s wage is the biggest part of the bill, and it has a legal floor. Ontario’s general minimum wage rose to $17.95 an hour on October 1, 2026. Job-posting data puts the average security guard wage a little above that in Ontario and a little higher again in Hamilton.
The rest of the rate covers what it takes to put a licensed, insured guard on your site and keep the post filled. An agency has to hold a provincial licence and carry general liability insurance of at least $2,000,000 under O. Reg. 462/07. It pays WSIB premiums, the employer share of CPP and EI, and vacation pay. It trains, uniforms and supervises guards, runs a dispatch line, and covers the shift when a guard is sick.
Average guard wage, from job-posting data: $20.12 an hour in Ontario (Indeed, updated November 2, 2026) and $20.84 an hour in Hamilton (Indeed, updated October 30, 2026). These are wages paid to guards, not prices charged to clients.
- The guardWage, vacation pay, holiday and overtime pay
- Statutory costsWSIB premiums, employer CPP and EI
- Licence and insuranceAgency licence, $2,000,000 minimum liability cover
- Keeping the post filledDispatch, supervision, sick-day cover
Published market ranges
What two published Ontario price guides report, for budgeting only. These are not StandBy’s prices.
| Type of coverage | Published range | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Standard unarmed guard | $28 to $45 an hour | OnGuard Security, January 2026 |
| Event security | $35 to $55 an hour | OnGuard Security, January 2026 |
| Loss prevention | $38 to $50 an hour | OnGuard Security, January 2026 |
| Mobile patrol | $45 to $65, priced per visit in one guide and per hour in the other | OnGuard; Securisquad, September 2025 |
| Ontario suburban sites | $25 to $40 an hour | Securisquad, September 2025 |
| Ontario downtown cores | $30 to $70 an hour | Securisquad, September 2025 |
Note: these figures are averages published by other companies, shown so you can sanity-check a budget. They are not StandBy Security’s rates and not a quote. Guides differ, and neither publishes a fire watch rate. We price every site separately after asking about the hours, duties and notice.
What moves a quote up or down
Two sites with the same number of hours can price differently. These are the reasons.
Nights, weekends and holidays
Ontario has nine public holidays. A guard who works one for premium pay earns 1.5 times the regular rate for those hours, under the Employment Standards Act. Market guides also show surcharges for evening, overnight and weekend shifts.
Long weeks and overtime
Overtime starts after 44 hours a week and is paid at time and a half. A post that runs every hour of the week has to be split across several guards, or the overtime shows up in the price.
Short notice
A guard tonight means pulling someone off a day off or a nearby post. Published guides note that requests with under 24 hours’ notice usually carry a premium. Booking a planned shutdown or event a week out costs less than the same hours booked that afternoon.
Duties and site type
A lobby post with a visitor log is a different job from a fire watch with timed rounds, or a construction site at night. Duties that need extra training or more than one guard change the quote.
Visits instead of hours
If nobody needs to be on site all night, mobile patrol replaces hours with checks. You pay for the visits, and the site is empty in between.
Length of the booking
A single four-hour shift carries the same scheduling and briefing work as a long one, spread over fewer hours. Ongoing posts are easier to staff with the same guards week after week.
Work out your hours first
Every quote starts with hours. Set your schedule here to see the weekly and monthly total, and how many full-time guards it takes to staff without regular overtime. Bring these numbers to any quote, ours or anyone else’s.
Guards needed is weekly hours divided by Ontario’s 44-hour overtime threshold, rounded up. It does not include cover for sick days and holidays.
Ways to spend less without cutting cover
- Cover the hours when problems actually happen. Many sites need nights and weekends, not 24/7.
- Use patrol visits for vacant buildings and yards, and keep on-site guards for posts that need a person all shift.
- Book planned work early: system shutdowns, events, move-in days.
- Write clear post orders, so the guard spends the shift on what matters to you.
- If you have several sites, ask for one quote covering all of them.
When a low quote is a warning
- No agency licence number, or one that does not show as valid on the public registry.
- No certificate of insurance, or a limit below the $2,000,000 minimum.
- No WSIB clearance dated within the last 90 days.
- A rate that only works if holiday and overtime pay are not being paid.
Ask every company for the four documents on our Licensing and Insurance page.
Getting a price from StandBy
We do not publish our own rates, because two sites with the same hours rarely need the same thing. A quote takes one short conversation.
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Tell us about the site
Address, days and hours, how many posts, and what the guard should do. The quote form asks for exactly that.
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Get a written price
We reply the same business day, by phone or email, with a price for your schedule.
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Start when you need to
Ongoing posts usually start within 24 to 48 hours. Urgent cover is typically on site within 1 to 2 hours.
Reviewed by the StandBy Security operations team. Market figures checked November 6, 2026. Last reviewed: November 2026.
Security Guard Cost Questions
Answers to common questions regarding deployment, licensing, and procedures.
How much does a security guard cost per hour in Ontario?
Published 2026 market guides put a standard unarmed guard at roughly $28 to $45 an hour, with event and loss prevention work higher. Those are third-party averages, not our prices. Your own figure depends on the hours, the schedule, the duties and the notice you give, so ask for a quote for your site.
Why does a guard cost more per hour than the guard is paid?
The hourly rate also pays for things the guard never sees on a pay stub: WSIB, the employer share of CPP and EI, vacation pay, the agency licence, liability insurance of at least $2,000,000, uniforms, training, supervision, 24/7 dispatch and a replacement when someone calls in sick.
Do security guards cost more on statutory holidays?
Usually, yes. Ontario has nine public holidays, and an employee who works one in exchange for premium pay earns 1.5 times their regular rate for those hours, under the Employment Standards Act. Market guides show that cost being passed on in holiday rates.
How many guards does 24/7 coverage take?
One post covered all week is 168 hours. Overtime in Ontario starts after 44 hours a week, so keeping a single post staffed without constant overtime takes the hours of about four full-time guards, plus cover for sick days and holidays.
Is mobile patrol cheaper than an on-site guard?
Usually, because you pay for visits rather than every hour of the night. It suits vacant buildings, plazas and yards where a few checks a night are enough. If someone has to be at the gate or the front desk the whole time, patrols will not do the job. See mobile patrol.
Why is one quote much lower than the others?
Ask what is missing. A price well under the market can mean an unlicensed operator, no liability insurance, no WSIB coverage, or overtime and holiday pay that is not being paid. If any of those go wrong at your site, the problem can land on you. Ask for the documents on our Licensing and Insurance page from every company you compare.
How do I get a price from StandBy?
Send the site address, the days and hours, how many posts and what the guard should do, through the quote form or by calling (289) 309-3633. We reply the same business day with a price for your site.
Want a real number for your site?
Send the hours from the planner above and the address. We reply the same business day with a written price. Common questions are answered on our FAQ page.