Cy King is a dedicated and passionate advocate for the Indigenous peoples. As a member of the Fort McMurray community and GardaWorld’s Vice President for the Northern Region and Indigenous Relations, he first started working to secure jobs for Indigenous communities in 1986.

Over 30 years later, Cy’s legacy has grown to more than 50 partnerships with indigenous communities, associations and corporations. “I feel a strong sense of personal commitment and responsibility to ensure that the partnerships we continue to develop are both beneficial to communities and GardaWorld,” explains Cy.

Creating meaningful and sustainable career opportunities

Cy’s legacy of creating jobs for First Nations people helped reduce the unemployment rate among Indigenous communities in Canada. It is a legacy he is proud to continue with the help and support of April Stone, from Saddle Lake Cree Nation in the Treaty 6 Territory and GardaWorld’s Director of Indigenous Relations and Economic Development. This initiative means GardaWorld is filling security guard positions with excellent candidates, and Indigenous peoples are getting jobs at a first-rate security company. “It’s a win-win,” explains April, “From a social point of view, we help people find fulfilling and rewarding jobs, and we give back to communities with our revenue share program. We also take care to provide support services and resources because we want to make sure our team feels well-equipped to succeed.”

Once a partnership is established, GardaWorld is committed to offering security training, employment opportunities, and support services to members. Together with Cy King, April Stone, and former Minister and GardaWorld’s current Senior Vice President of Strategic Development, the Honourable Christian Paradis, we’re able to push this initiative forward and create sustainable opportunities for communities and our business.

Mr. Paradis explains, "Canada is brimming with opportunities across the country. Partnerships between Indigenous communities and corporations are a winning formula and beneficial to all Canadians and future generations. That's why GardaWorld is proud to partner with Indigenous communities."

Security job training that’s second to none

April enjoys being hands on in all aspects of her work. Her personal commitment really shines through, as she goes above and beyond her role by also providing and overseeing the training to members of the community who are looking to be security guards. In Alberta, guards are required to pass a 40-hour Basic Security Guard training program to earn their security guard license. Throughout her 5 years teaching the course, April’s trained about 150 guards and her groups have an impressive 98% success rate!

A source of pride all around

Although nurturing relationships with Indigenous communities requires a lot of hard work, and meeting certain timelines can be stressful, April is proud to be part of the GardaWorld family. She would recommend working here to anybody: “We care. At GardaWorld, we encourage and value diversity. As for Indigenous peoples working here, I know they wear their uniform with pride.”

At GardaWorld, we’ve been partnering with Indigenous communities and organizations for decades, and this is just another successful example.

For more information about jobs at GardaWorld, the world’s largest privately-owned security company, visit our Careers page.