Explosives Security Partnership

Canada is Counting on You…

As part of the explosives industry, you form the first line of defence against those who would use explosives to cause harm to our communities and jeopardize our way of life. Everyone who deals with or in explosives is in an exceptional business in which a simple transaction can turn into a tragedy and a timely report can save lives. To help keep these useful but dangerous products from falling into the wrong hands, Canada is counting on your eyes, your instincts and your cooperation.

The Partnership: Promoting Greater Vigilance and Protection of Explosives

The Explosives Security Partnership is a voluntary program supported by key stakeholders from industry and government, namely the Canadian Fertilizer Institute, the Canadian Explosives Industry Association (CEAEC), the Canadian Association of Geophysical Contractors, the Petroleum Services Association of Canada, Natural Resources Canada (NRCan) and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP).

The goal of the Partnership is to promote increased vigilance and protection of the Canadian commercial explosives supply chain. The Partnership also promotes the identification of additional security efforts that partners and stakeholders could implement. This involves enlisting the help of the explosives manufacturing, storage, transportation, importation, distribution and user industries to initiate a number of precautions at points of sale.

As a member of the explosives community, we ask that you participate. It is voluntary. It will cost you nothing. We are asking only that you go about your normal activities with a heightened degree of vigilance.

Point-of-Sale Precautions

If you are a vendor and you are approached by new purchasers or new licence holders, take these precautions:

• Ask technical questions to ensure that they know their business and have a legitimate need for explosives.
• Verify at least one piece of government-issued photo ID (e.g. a driver’s licence) as a condition of sale.
• Observe and note suspicious behaviour (e.g. customer seems nervous, hesitates when asked for information, gives vague answers or insists on paying in cash).
• Refuse to sell to questionable customers and take the following steps:
  • Write down a description of questionable customers'
    • physical appearance, and
    • vehicle—make, model, colour, licence plate number.
  • Save any paper on which they may have written a name or address. Handle this paper as little as possible, to preserve fingerprints.
  • Report questionable cases to the Explosives Regulatory Division (ERD) and law enforcement agencies.

Storage Security Tips
If you store explosives on your premises:

• Teach employees how to respond to emergency situations. Employees should have emergency contacts at hand and be thoroughly familiar with evacuation procedures.
• Maintain regular contact with local law enforcement officials, and stay up-to-date on possible security threats in your area.
• Be on the lookout for suspicious behaviour on the part of any employees.
• Pay close attention to inventories to detect losses.
• Regularly inspect the security of your premises—fencing, magazines, locks—and make repairs as necessary.
• Make sure that all keys to magazines can be accounted for. If all keys cannot be accounted for, change the locks.
• Make sure that access to your magazines is limited to people who require access to them.
• Report suspicious activities and all thefts and attempted thefts to ERD and law enforcement agencies.

Reporting Suspicious Customers, Employees and Activities: “If You See Something, Say Something”

• Report all suspicious customers, employees and activities right away.
• Trust your instincts. If anything strikes you as strange, contact ERD and law enforcement agencies immediately.
• Any information you give will be treated as confidential.
• It is not necessary to give your name. However, identifying yourself might be useful if we need to contact you later.

What the Government of Canada is Doing to Increase Explosives Security:

The Government of Canada, through ERD at NRCan, is committed to the safe and secure use of explosives. To frustrate terrorism and other criminal activity that might make use of explosives, we are taking the following steps:

• Strengthening relations with members of the explosives industry and law enforcement agencies in order to raise the level of explosives security nationwide.
• Introducing of a secure Web-based information and communication platform tool to share emerging explosives security issues and trends. Industry partners and stakeholders are encouraged to enroll with ERD at ERD.
• Redoubling our efforts, in cooperation with the Canadian Border Services Agency, to keep illicit shipments of explosives from entering the country through the Canada–US border.
• Subjecting new licence applications and applicants to a higher level of scrutiny.

Support for the Partnership

We have canvassed all the members of [the CEAEC] our association which includes all major Canadian manufacturers, distributors and large users of explosives regarding [the Explosives Security Partnership]. I am pleased to report that all our members embrace the recommendations [provided in the Explosives Security Partnership] overview. While our industry members are very sensitive to security issues, we believe additional measures are warranted at this time.
Rene A. (Moose) Morin, Manager, CEAEC

It was moved by the Canadian [Association of] Chiefs of Police Board of Directors (CACP) that the NRCan Explosives Security Partnership program purpose and objectives be endorsed. The CACP encourages NRCan to promote the tracking of explosives and the identification of those handling the products. We all wish you success with the program.
Peter Cuthbert, Executive Director, CACP

Contact Information

Explosives Regulatory Division, Natural Resources Canada
E-mail:Explosives Regulatory Division
Tel.: 1-855-912-0012

RCMP National Security Information Line
Tel.: 1-800-420-5805