Which ability does the syllabus list under adaptability for private investigators?
Ontario Private Investigator overview
Ontario Private Investigator: Ethics, communication and self-management
Ethical decision-making, duty of care, prejudice and the Ontario Human Rights Code, clear and unbiased communication, tactical communication, and managing stress, time, teamwork and changing conditions on assignments.
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Study reference: Ontario Private Investigator Study Guide (ontario.ca, October 2021), Ch. 6–8 Ethics, communication and self-management — Ethical reasoning, Communication skills, Tactical communication, Self-management skills
All 11 questions in this test
Every question and its answer choices. The correct answers and explanations appear when you take the test above.
Which ability does the syllabus list under adaptability for private investigators?
- Keeping the same routine on every file
- Choosing clients based on personal comfort
- Refusing assignments in uncomfortable settings
- Adjusting appearance or persona to suit the assignment
Who should have access to sensitive information gathered in an investigation?
- Only those who should have it, decided with privacy law in mind
- Anyone who works for the client's company
- Anyone who asks politely and gives a business reason for wanting it
- Only the subject of the investigation
Which stress factor does the study guide specifically mention for private investigators?
- Supervising large security teams
- Public speaking at large events
- Isolation, driving and fatigue
- Handling cash in a retail store
Which is a decision-making skill the study guide expects of private investigators?
- Telling relevant facts apart from irrelevant ones
- Making decisions quickly without checking facts
- Relying on first impressions of a subject
- Letting the client make every judgment call
Which is one of the general rules for all communications in the study guide?
- Always use formal legal language
- Speak loudly to show confidence
- Repeat each point at least three times
- Do not be antagonistic
Why are tone, volume and cadence especially important on the telephone?
- Phone calls are always recorded and may be played back as evidence
- The PSISA requires a formal tone on calls
- Phone lines distort words more than voices
- There are no non-verbal cues to help interpret the message
How should information given by a private investigator be presented?
- Clearly, concisely and without personal bias
- With guesses marked as likely facts
- With legal terms to sound authoritative
- In detail, with the investigator's opinion
Which provincial law, along with the Code of Conduct, requires private investigators to treat all persons equally?
- The Ontario Human Rights Code
- The Liquor Licence and Control Act
- The Trespass to Property Act
- The Provincial Offences Act
Which skill does the study guide link to acting under stress?
- Knowing how to write a business plan
- Knowing how to bill overtime correctly when a surveillance runs late
- Knowing how to repair a broken camera
- Knowing how to react if exposed during surveillance
What does tactical communication allow a private investigator to do?
- Be assertive without being confrontational
- Win every argument with a witness
- Use police-style commands with subjects
- Avoid ever speaking to the public
How does the PI training syllabus describe the concept of duty of care?
- The duty to protect a client's reputation at all costs
- The duty to report every offence seen to the Registrar
- What a reasonable person should do in a particular situation
- The duty to finish every case within the time and budget set by the client
Ethics, communication and self-management: key rules to remember
Our summary of what the official handbook says on this topic, in our own words. Read it before or after the practice questions above, then check the original chapter. Read the official chapter ↗
Ethical reasoning and decision-making
- PIs make quick decisions and must handle ethical dilemmas involving diversity, cultural differences and social problems.
- Types of prejudice to understand include ethnic background, education, religion, gender, sexual orientation and physical or mental disabilities.
- PIs must comply with the Code of Conduct and the Ontario Human Rights Code and treat all persons equally without discrimination.
- Decision skills: separate relevant from irrelevant facts; make defensible decisions supported by facts and research; suit judgments to the time frame, risks and hazards; prioritize; draw on the law; plan next steps; decide who should access confidential information; recognize ethical dilemmas.
- Syllabus: duty of care means what a reasonable person should do in the situation; impartiality, conflict of interest and entrapment are discussed.
Communication
- Information a PI gives, orally or in writing, should be clear, concise, in appropriate language, accurate and free of personal bias or opinion.
- General rules: be brief, be explicit, be concise, make sure you are understood, do not be antagonistic.
- Tactical communication: adjust style to the situation and audience; be assertive without being confrontational.
- Tone, volume and cadence strongly affect how a message is received, especially on the phone where there are no non-verbal cues.
- Being courteous and professional builds rapport and trust with employers, peers, clients and the public.
- Syllabus: de-escalation uses progressive intervention steps; non-verbal elements include posture, spatial distance, eye contact and facial expressions.
Self-management skills
- Keep professional composure under stress; know how to react if exposed during surveillance, how to control situations by asking questions and when to identify yourself.
- Manage stress from isolation, driving and fatigue.
- Time management: prioritize multiple tasks, manage cases, reports and shift work, arrive on time.
- Work alone or in a team (e.g. two-person surveillance, inter-agency cooperation).
- Adaptability: adjust quickly to changing schedules, places, weather, client needs and uncomfortable settings (sitting for long periods, stairwells, confined spaces); be able to adopt convincing personae for different assignments.
Study the Ethics, communication and self-management rules as flashcards →
Other topics
- The PI industry and getting licensedWho needs an Ontario private investigator licence under the Private Security and Investigative Services Act, 2005, who is exempt, the six licence types, eligibility (age 18, clean criminal record, right to work, training and testing), the 50-hour training syllabus, approved training providers and the licence term.
- PSISA rules, Code of Conduct and complaintsCarrying and producing your licence, the undercover exception, the ban on badges and on words such as detective and officer, the Code of Conduct (O. Reg. 363/07), public complaints and facilitation, refusals and appeals, work a PI may not do, and the penalties for breaking the Act.
- Privacy law: PIPEDA, FIPPA and MFIPPAHow PIPEDA's consent rules limit what personal information an investigation business can collect, use and disclose, the exceptions for publicly available information and investigations, access to government records under FIPPA and MFIPPA, and industry practice on expectations of privacy, hidden cameras, audio and GPS trackers.
- Evidence: types, Evidence Acts and chain of custodyDirect, circumstantial, hearsay, documentary (illustrative), real, trace, opinion and unsworn evidence, admissions, business records under the Ontario Evidence Act and Canada Evidence Act, and the six core steps for containing evidence and keeping a chain of custody.
- Trespass to Property Act and other statutesOccupiers and authorized persons, the three ways to commit trespass, notice by voice, writing, signs and red or yellow markings, arrest and handover to police, the $10,000 maximum fine, and the other Ontario statutes the syllabus names, including the Highway Traffic Act on surveillance.
- Criminal Code: arrest, force and offencesWhy a PI has only a citizen's powers, arrest without warrant under section 494, delivering a person to police, use of force under sections 25 to 27, defence of person and property, Charter rights on arrest and detention, and the offences the study guide names: theft, false pretences, fraud and kidnapping.
- Courts, intimidation, harassment and civil lawThe Canadian court system, burden of proof in criminal and civil cases, intimidation under section 423, criminal harassment under section 264, interception of private communications under section 184, tort, libel, slander and perjury, and the parties to a civil action.
- Locating, research and surveillanceSetting a justifiable mandate, basic locator techniques, public records and research sources such as PPSR searches, the purposes of covert surveillance, what to know before you start, standard equipment, detection, and solo versus team surveillance methods.
- Interviews, statements and reportsPreparing for and conducting interviews, taking and correcting a witness statement, confessions and youth interviews, writing objective surveillance reports, correcting notes and using notes when you testify.
- Undercover work, email monitoring and serving documentsWhen undercover operations are used, briefing and supervising an operator, conduct that protects credibility in court, monitoring employee email, and serving civil documents under Ontario's Rules of Civil Procedure, including personal service, substituted service and the Affidavit of Service.